# Material > Pick up to 2 of 67 materials, from silk and leather to gold, marble and glass, and Nodaro adds how each surface looks and takes light to your prompt. Source: https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls/material The **Material** picker sets the surface or substance of what you show. You choose up to 2 materials from its catalog, such as silk, leather, gold, marble or frosted glass. Nodaro adds a description of how that material looks and takes light to the prompt of every node you connect it to. The picker never calls a model, so it costs no credits. - Found in: Creative Controls › Scene - Output: text - API type: `material` ## When to use it - Product photography: set the surface of a product or of the table it stands on. - Fashion editorials that show off a textile. - Architectural visualization and material studies. ## How to use it ### Add the picker Open the node picker and choose **Creative Controls › Scene › Material**. ### Choose a material Select the node and choose a material in the settings panel. Each tile shows a photo of the material, and the node card shows the same photo. The photos come with the app, so they appear on Nodaro Cloud and on self-hosted installs. ### Connect it Drag from the picker's output to the **Elements** input of a [Generate Image](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/image/generate-image) or [Generate Video](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/generate-video) node. You can also connect it to a [Text](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/automate/text) or [Prompt](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/automate/prompt) node to include the wording in a longer text. ### Run the image or video node The material's wording is added to the end of the prompt when the connected node runs. Workflow: A Material picker with two materials feeds the Elements input of Generate Image, and a Backdrop picker feeds its Look input. - Text → Generate Image (prompt) - Material → Generate Image (elements) - Backdrop → Generate Image (look) ## Settings | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Material (pick up to 2)** | The material or materials to add. The default is **Silk**. | | **Custom text (before)** | Your own words, added before the material's wording. | | **Custom text (after)** | Your own words, added after the material's wording. | | **Prompt hint** | **Full** adds a description of the surface and how it takes light. **Compact** adds only the short term. See [Creative Controls](https://nodaro.ai/docs/guides/creative-controls). | To see the exact words the picker will add, switch the node to the **Prompt** or **Both** display mode. The settings panel shows the same text under **Will inject into prompt**. ## What it adds to the prompt Each material describes its look and how it reacts to light: shiny, matte, clear or translucent. For **Silk** it adds this text in **Full** mode: ```text made of smooth glossy silk with a subtle natural sheen and delicate fluid drape ``` In **Compact** mode, it adds only `made of silk`. ## Combine two materials To add a second material, click the small **+** on the selected tile, then click a second tile. The tiles are numbered in the order you chose them. Click a number to go back to that one material. In **Full** mode, two materials become one phrase: **Leather** and **Brass** add `made of leather and brass`. In **Compact** mode, they add `made of leather and made of antique brass`. ## Every material The catalog has 7 groups: Fabric, Metal, Stone, Wood, Glass / Ceramic, Natural and Exotic. Search it or filter it by group. The words under each name are the term the picker adds in **Compact** mode. **Fabric** - Silk: `made of silk` - Cotton: `made of cotton` - Denim: `made of heavy indigo denim` - Leather: `made of leather` - Velvet: `made of velvet` - Satin: `made of satin` - Lace: `made of lace` - Wool: `made of wool` - Linen: `made of linen` - Tweed: `made of tweed` - Cashmere: `made of cashmere` - Chiffon: `made of chiffon` - Fur: `made of fur` - Suede: `made of suede` - Mesh: `made of sheer mesh fabric` - Patent Leather: `made of patent leather` **Metal** - Gold: `made of polished gold` - Silver: `made of polished silver` - Bronze: `made of patinated cast bronze` - Chrome: `made of polished chrome` - Copper: `made of patinated copper` - Brass: `made of antique brass` - Steel: `made of brushed stainless steel` - Iron: `made of wrought iron` - Platinum: `made of polished platinum` - Titanium: `made of matte titanium` **Stone** - Marble: `made of polished marble` - Granite: `made of polished granite` - Obsidian: `made of polished obsidian` - Sandstone: `made of weathered sandstone` - Slate: `made of slate` - Jade: `made of polished jade` - Onyx: `made of polished onyx` - Concrete: `made of cast concrete` - Terrazzo: `made of polished terrazzo` **Wood** - Oak: `made of oak` - Mahogany: `made of polished mahogany` - Walnut: `made of walnut` - Bamboo: `made of bamboo` - Birch: `made of birch` - Driftwood: `made of weathered driftwood` **Glass / Ceramic** - Glass: `made of clear glass` - Stained Glass: `made of stained glass` - Crystal: `made of faceted crystal` - Porcelain: `made of porcelain` - Glazed Ceramic: `made of glazed ceramic` - Terracotta: `made of unglazed terracotta` **Natural** - Water: `made of flowing water` - Fire: `made of living flame` - Ice: `made of crystalline ice` - Smoke: `made of drifting smoke` - Sand: `made of fine sand` - Moss: `made of living moss` - Leaves: `made of layered plant leaves` **Exotic** - Holographic: `made of holographic iridescent material` - Liquid Metal: `made of liquid metal` - Neon Glow: `made of glowing neon tubing` - Translucent Resin: `made of translucent resin` - Subsurface Glow: `made of translucent subsurface-scattering material` - Mirror: `made of perfect mirror surface` - Plasma: `made of glowing electric plasma` - Crystal Shards: `made of fractured glowing crystal shards` - Obsidian Glass: `made of dark volcanic obsidian glass` - Iridescent: `made of iridescent color-shifting material` - Mother-of-Pearl: `made of mother-of-pearl` - Carbon Fiber: `made of woven carbon fiber` - Holographic Film: `made of holographic film` ## Tips - **Light the material.** Materials react to light, so pair the picker with [Lighting](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls/lighting). A hard side light shows the grain of wood; a soft light keeps silk smooth. - **Age the surface.** Use **Custom text (before)**, for example `weather-beaten`, or **Custom text (after)**, for example `with hairline cracks`. - **Use Styling for clothes.** To dress a person in a fabric, use the **Fabric** setting of the [Styling](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls/styling) picker instead. - **Furnish with it.** Pair the picker with [Furniture](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls/furniture), for example an armchair in velvet or a table in marble. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does the Material picker do? It describes a surface or a substance, such as silk, steel or marble. The description is added to the prompt of every image or video node it is connected to. The picker never runs a model. ### Does the Material picker cost credits? No. Pickers only change the prompt. You pay only for the generation node that uses it. ### Can I combine two materials? Yes. The picker accepts up to 2 materials. In Full mode, two picks become one phrase, for example Leather and Brass become "made of leather and brass". ### What is the difference between Material and the Fabric setting of Styling? Material describes any object or surface, and its wording reads "made of silk". The Fabric setting of the Styling picker describes clothing, and its wording reads "wearing silk".