RESOLVE 21 · PROCEDURAL TEXTURE / MATTE / WARP
Fast Noise.
Build one field.
Choose what it becomes.
Resolve FX Fast Noise is a procedural generator that can become a visible texture, an alpha matte, or a deformation field. Appearance builds the pattern; Adjustment shapes range and polarity; Position and Auto-Animation control placement, travel, and internal evolution; Output switches the entire pipeline between Composite Onto Clip, Put Into Alpha Channel, and Use to Warp Image. That separation is the key to using the effect predictably.
Preset · Scale · Detail · Evolution
Position · Velocity · Seethe · Start Frame
Composite · Alpha · Warp · Blend
Use Preview Noise as the diagnostic gate. If the field is wrong there, fix Appearance/Adjustment/Auto-Animation. If the field is clean but the result is wrong, diagnose Output, alpha routing, Input Alpha, Composite Type, or Global Blend instead.
Teaching proxy, not Resolve rendering. The SVG deliberately exaggerates field scale, anisotropy, detail, alpha isolation and warp lines so the pipeline is visible. It does not reproduce Blackmagic noise algorithms, composite math, color management, alpha internals or deformation precision.
Ten native Resolve interface views + an explicitly synthetic procedural-field teaching proxy
10 native views · 26 controls / routing decisions · 4 exercises01WHAT THIS GENERATOR ACTUALLY DOES
Pattern, motion and output are three separate decisions.
Fast Noise becomes much easier once you stop treating it as a single “noise strength” effect. Build the field first, animate it second, then route it into RGB, alpha, or warp.
Build the field first
Appearance defines the spatial structure of the noise. Preset sets the starting family, Scale and H/V Ratio define size and directionality, Detail Level and Detail Balance build the multiscale structure, and Evolution defines the internal pattern state. Until the field reads correctly in Preview Noise, Composite Type or Global Blend cannot fix it.
Motion is not one knob
Position/Rotation change field placement, Velocity X/Y automatically move it each frame, while Seethe changes its internal shape through Evolution. A texture that merely slides and a texture that actually evolves are different problems: field motion solves the first, internal evolution solves the second.
Output changes the generator’s job
The same procedural field can become visible texture, alpha/matte, or a deformation source. Composite Onto Clip mixes the pattern with RGB, Put Into Alpha Channel writes it into alpha, and Use to Warp Image turns noise into a deformation field. Set Output after pattern and motion, otherwise it becomes difficult to diagnose what is actually wrong.
Preview Noise is the fastest way to separate generator quality from compositing or warp behavior. If the raw field is already too fine, contrasty, or nervous, fix Appearance/Adjustment/Auto-Animation there. If the field is clean but the result is wrong, move on to Output, Input Alpha, Composite Type, and Global Blend.
02TEN NATIVE VIEWS · COMPLETE CONTROL MAP
Read the Inspector from field generation to routing.
The project captures document the real Resolve 21 interface state. The manual fills in Position Reference, Use OFX Alpha and Input Alpha behavior that is not visible in the saved panel states. Captured numeric values are examples, not presets.
APPEARANCE · BUILD THE FIELD
Shape the procedural pattern itself
- Preset
Starting noise family. The capture shows Custom, Default, Mist, Smoke, Water Surface, River, and Heat Haze. The manual clarifies that Default is the standard pattern and Custom is selected automatically after changing the parameters below.
CheckChoose a preset as a starting point and immediately inspect Preview Noise. Do not try to preserve a preset label after substantial manual tuning.
- Scale
Size of the noise pattern. A larger spatial scale produces broader masses; a smaller one produces denser structure.
CheckJudge it at final resolution and framing: a mask that looks soft in Viewer Fit can become much too fine at 100%.
- H/V Ratio
Controls the horizontal/vertical spread ratio. It is the main anisotropy control for stretched flow, water, haze, and directional breakup.
CheckFind the overall Scale first, then stretch the field. Otherwise ratio can hide an incorrect base pattern size.
- Detail Level
How many levels of fine detail are generated over the broad forms. More levels enrich structure but increase the risk of a busy or fizzy texture.
CheckMist and smoke rarely need maximum detail. For matte breakup, add levels only while they improve edge variation.
- Detail Balance
Weights the different detail scales. The manual specifically notes that 0.000 removes fine detail entirely.
CheckA/B 0.000 as a diagnostic: if the pattern already works without fine detail, extra microstructure may be unnecessary.
- Evolution
Changes the procedural pattern gradually — it represents progress through pattern state over time rather than a simple spatial offset.
CheckSeparate manual Evolution animation from automatic Seethe: both change internal state, so combining them can easily create overly nervous boiling.
ADJUSTMENT · RANGE / COLOR / POLARITY
Prepare the field for RGB, matte, or warp
- Brightness
Changes the gain of the noise pattern. This shifts the overall level rather than replacing Contrast.
CheckFor mattes, make sure Brightness does not push most of the field into nearly constant white or black.
- Contrast
Increases or reduces separation between light and dark areas of generated noise.
CheckExcessive Contrast turns organic texture into hard islands and can make warping discontinuous.
- Saturation
Ranges from grayscale noise at 0.000 to a fully colored pattern at 1.000.
CheckFor alpha/matte and most warp work, start grayscale; add color only when RGB output genuinely needs it.
- Color Tint
Sets the overall color of the effect/noise and changes the RGB character of the generated field without changing its spatial structure or temporal animation.
CheckTint is useful for visible texture, but return to a neutral color while diagnosing structure.
- Invert Dark Regions
Inverts dark regions to white and darkens edges in the noise pattern. This is distinct from a full Invert Pattern operation.
CheckInspect the raw field with Preview Noise so this switch is not confused with full mask inversion.
- Invert Pattern
Inverts the color/polarity of the entire noise pattern, swapping light and dark regions of the already-built field without rebuilding its geometry.
CheckFor mattes this is a fast way to swap affected and unaffected areas without rebuilding Scale/Detail.
- Allow Negative Values
Allows negative values in Output. This matters most when the field is used mathematically rather than merely as visible grayscale texture.
CheckDo not enable it automatically: compare warp/composite with it off and on because the negative portion changes modulation behavior.
POSITION · PLACE THE FIELD
Place and orient the pattern separately from animation
- Position X/Y
Location of the center of the noise pattern. The native capture shows a normalized center of 0.500 / 0.500.
CheckUse Position for composition and precise keyframes; continuous travel is usually better handled by Velocity.
- Rotation
Rotates the noise pattern around its center and is especially visible when reorienting an elongated structure created with H/V Ratio.
CheckIt is especially visible together with H/V Ratio. On an isotropic pattern Rotation may appear to do very little.
- Position Reference
According to the manual, controls effect positioning when a clip is resized or moved in the Timeline. The pattern also follows Sizing and FX Tracker adjustments on the Color page.
CheckIf tracking or sizing changes the relationship between pattern and subject, check Position Reference and transform order before manually compensating X/Y.
AUTO-ANIMATION · TRAVEL / SEETHE / PHASE
Separate spatial travel from internal evolution
- Velocity X / Velocity Y
How far the field automatically advances in X/Y each frame from its starting position. These controls can be keyframed to change direction without animating Position.
CheckIf texture looks like a sliding card, reduce Velocity and add moderate Seethe instead of more travel.
- Seethe
How far the pattern automatically evolves each frame from its starting Evolution value.
CheckHigh Seethe with fine Detail Level can create temporal fizz. Judge motion at 100%, not only a still frame.
- Randomize Start Frame
Offsets the starting phase/cycle relative to the current frame so reused effects do not look identical across clips.
CheckOnce you find a useful variation, lock the resulting Start Frame when repeatability matters.
- Start Frame
Reference frame/phase for the noise sequence. Useful when the same pattern must be reproduced or synchronized on another clip.
CheckFor matched shots use identical pattern settings and Start Frame; use Randomize only while exploring variations.
OUTPUT · TEXTURE / ALPHA / WARP
Decide what the generator should do to the image
- Preview Noise
Shows the noise pattern separately from the source clip so Appearance, Adjustment, and temporal behavior can be judged without composite or warp influence.
CheckUse it as a mandatory diagnostic view while tuning Appearance/Adjustment, then disable it before judging composite/warp.
- Output
Three roles from the native menu: Composite Onto Clip places/mixes noise over the clip; Put Into Alpha Channel writes the pattern into alpha; Use to Warp Image uses noise to distort the image.
CheckDo not choose role from the preset name. The same Smoke field can be visible texture, matte, or distortion source — these are different pipelines.
- Use OFX Alpha / FX Node
With Put Into Alpha Channel, the manual requires enabling Use OFX Alpha from the corrector node’s right-click menu. Alternatively, place Fast Noise directly in the Node Graph as an FX Node, where alpha can be used without the extra switch.
CheckIf the pattern exists in Preview Noise but alpha appears ineffective, check node routing/Use OFX Alpha before touching Contrast.
- Composite Type
With Composite Onto Clip, selects blend mathematics. The visible capture shows Normal, Add, Subtract, Difference, Multiply, Screen, Overlay, Hard Light, Softlight, and Darken; the menu may continue below the captured area.
CheckTune the raw field and range in Normal first, then choose a composite mode. Otherwise the mode can hide generator problems.
- Input Alpha
In warp mode the manual describes two behaviors: Limits Warping Effect constrains warp to areas defined by input alpha; Gets Warped as Well warps the alpha channel itself too.
CheckFor local heat haze, build a proper alpha and use it to limit the warp rather than carving the area with extreme noise Contrast.
- Global Blend / Blend
Final wet/dry control for the already-selected Output role. It does not replace correct range, routing, warp mask, or composite mode.
CheckLeave it for last. If Blend must be reduced sharply to hide flicker, seams, or a bad mask, fix the upstream stage.
The most important routing trap is alpha. Put Into Alpha Channel does not magically make downstream nodes consume the OFX alpha on a normal corrector node: enable Use OFX Alpha from the node context menu, or use Fast Noise as a standalone FX Node. For localized warping, Input Alpha is a separate decision again.
03A REPEATABLE PROCEDURAL WORKFLOW
Family → field → range → motion → output → QC.
This order makes failures legible. It prevents a blend mode, alpha setting, or final Blend from hiding a generator problem.
Pick a starting family
Choose Default, Mist, Smoke, Water Surface, River or Heat Haze as a starting point. Any real manual shaping should be treated as Custom from there.
This is an editorial workflow, not Blackmagic’s internal processing graph. It separates generator design, motion, routing, and final mixing so one downstream control does not hide an upstream mistake.
Related reference: Analog Damage ↗ · Film Grain ↗ · JPEG Damage ↗
04FOUR REAL FAST NOISE DECISIONS
Matte, heat haze, visible texture and matched phases need different pipelines.
These are decision procedures, not numeric presets. The useful settings depend on resolution, framing, downstream effect and motion.
Soft procedural matte for a local grade
Create a living non-repeating matte without visible digital texture.
- 01
Start with Mist or Default and enable Preview Noise.
- 02
Increase Scale, keep Detail Level moderate, and bias Detail Balance toward broader forms.
- 03
Shape a useful matte range with Brightness/Contrast; keep Saturation at 0 for clean grayscale.
- 04
Add slow Seethe and minimal Velocity if the matte should evolve rather than merely slide.
- 05
Choose Put Into Alpha Channel and enable Use OFX Alpha, or use a standalone FX Node.
- 06
Check the matte in motion and around subject edges before the downstream grade/effect.
Localized heat haze through warp
Distort only the intended area without nervous fine ripples across the entire frame.
- 01
Choose Heat Haze or build a soft elongated field with Scale + H/V Ratio.
- 02
Reduce Detail Level/Contrast if the field turns into fine jitter.
- 03
Use Seethe for internal deformation and Velocity for slow drift; do not maximize both.
- 04
Switch Output to Use to Warp Image.
- 05
If the warp must be local, provide alpha and choose Input Alpha → Limits Warping Effect.
- 06
Inspect straight edges and fine text — excessive warp usually reveals itself there first.
Living light/dark texture over footage
Add organic variation without the feeling of a static overlay.
- 01
Build the pattern in Preview Noise starting from Default/Smoke.
- 02
Match Scale and H/V Ratio to the size of real objects in the frame.
- 03
Use Adjustment for soft contrast and polarity; use Invert Pattern if needed.
- 04
Add Velocity and Seethe so the field both travels and changes internally.
- 05
Output = Composite Onto Clip; start with Normal, then compare Multiply/Screen/Overlay/Softlight as appropriate.
- 06
Use Global Blend only after the correct composite math has been chosen.
Repeatable or intentionally offset variants across multiple clips
Synchronize noise across shots or deliberately offset identical settings by phase.
- 01
Copy identical Appearance/Adjustment/Auto-Animation settings.
- 02
For an exact match, use the same Start Frame and timing.
- 03
For similar but non-identical variants, use Randomize Start Frame on each instance.
- 04
Do not change Start Frame and Scale/Detail at the same time when you are testing temporal phase only.
- 05
Check clip joins in playback: an identical field can feel frozen, while widely different phases can read as a jump.
05CHOOSE THE RIGHT TEXTURE TOOL
Procedural noise, grain, analog damage and JPEG damage are different jobs.
Choose by the kind of signal you need. Fast Noise is the flexible generator here; the other effects model more specific image structures or damage.
| FX | When it fits |
|---|---|
| Fast Noise | You need a procedural field that can become texture, matte, or warp and animate without repeating footage. |
| Film Grain ↗ | You need photographic grain structure rather than a general procedural matte/deformation field. |
| Analog Damage ↗ | You need believable analog-TV/VHS degradation with signal/CRT/tape logic rather than an abstract noise generator. |
| JPEG Damage ↗ | You need block/frequency compression damage rather than an organic non-repeating field. |
06READ THE FAILURE BEFORE MOVING A SLIDER
Sliding cards, fizz, missing alpha and global warp point to different causes.
Use Preview Noise to decide whether the problem lives in the generator or after it. Then fix only that stage.
01Noise looks like a flat card sliding across the frame+
Likely cause: Velocity is present but internal state barely changes; Seethe/Evolution are too low.
Fix: Reduce travel and add moderate Seethe or keyframed Evolution. Compare in Preview Noise.
02Texture boils and flickers every frame+
Likely cause: Too much fine Detail Level/Balance combined with high Seethe or excessive Contrast.
Fix: Reduce fine detail and Contrast first, then lower Seethe. Check 100% playback and an encode.
03Put Into Alpha Channel is selected but downstream does not see the matte+
Likely cause: Fast Noise is applied to a normal corrector node without Use OFX Alpha enabled, or alpha routing is not connected.
Fix: Enable Use OFX Alpha from the node right-click menu or use Fast Noise as a standalone FX Node; then verify alpha output wiring.
04Heat haze warps the whole frame instead of a local area+
Likely cause: Output = Use to Warp Image is running without a suitable input alpha, or Input Alpha is not limiting the effect.
Fix: Provide a correct alpha and use Limits Warping Effect. Do not substitute an extreme noise Contrast for a spatial mask.
05Two clips with identical settings do not match in noise phase+
Likely cause: Different Start Frame/timing or Randomize Start Frame was used earlier.
Fix: Match Start Frame and timing; do not randomize afterward. For intentionally different variants, do the opposite.
06Composite mode produces a dirty or overly contrasty result+
Likely cause: Blend math is being chosen before the raw pattern and range are usable; the mode amplifies an already poor field.
Fix: Return to Preview Noise and Normal, fix Appearance/Adjustment, then compare Composite Type again and use Global Blend last.
07BEFORE DELIVERY
Approve the field, routing, motion and the encoded result.
Procedural detail and animated warp can look clean on a still yet fall apart in playback or compression.
08FAQ
Practical Fast Noise questions.
How is Evolution different from Seethe?
Evolution directly changes progress through the internal pattern state and can be keyframed. Seethe automatically advances that evolution each frame from the starting value.
Why does Put Into Alpha Channel appear to do nothing?
If Fast Noise is applied to a normal corrector node, the manual requires enabling Use OFX Alpha from the node right-click menu. Alternatively, use Fast Noise as a standalone FX Node and connect alpha routing.
How do I create localized heat haze?
Build a soft noise field, switch Output to Use to Warp Image, provide a spatial alpha, and use Input Alpha → Limits Warping Effect. The mask defines the area while noise defines the deformation character.
How do I get matching noise on two clips?
Match all Appearance/Adjustment/Auto-Animation settings, timing, and Start Frame. Do not use Randomize Start Frame once repeatability is required.
Which Composite Type should I start with?
Start with Normal and first make the raw field/range correct. Then compare the math you need — for example Multiply for darkening, Screen/Add for lightening, Overlay/Softlight for contrast integration — and only then use Global Blend.
Sources and boundaries
Control behavior is anchored by the Resolve 21 reference manual and ten native interface captures stored in the project. The live hero is an editorial teaching proxy and deliberately exaggerates field scale, alpha isolation and warp lines; it does not reproduce Blackmagic’s procedural-noise algorithm, composite math, color management, alpha internals or OFX deformation precision.
Verify exact menu contents, performance and behavior in the Resolve build you use. This page documents the visible controls and a repeatable workflow; it does not reverse-engineer the OFX implementation.