RESOLVE FX · PROCEDURAL WEAR · FILM EMULATION
Film Damage.
Build defects as separate layers.
Variation beats maximum intensity.
Film Damage is a procedural wear toolkit, not a one-click film-stock emulation. Resolve separates base softening/color drift, vignetting, dirt, and five independent scratch layers. The practical skill is deciding which layer owns which defect, then judging the temporal layers in playback instead of approving a still frame.
Blur · Temp · Tint · Vignette
Dirt · Seed · 5 × Scratch
Changing · Moving · Flickering
Use the lab to freeze or animate Dirt, change Seed, add scratch layers, move the frame slider, and finally pull Global Blend down. The goal is to see the separation between spatial shape and temporal cadence—not to imitate proprietary Resolve pixels.
Independent teaching model only. It visualizes layer ownership, repeatable Dirt Seed behavior, Changing Dirt, scratch motion/flicker, vignette pressure, base color drift, and final Blend. It does not reproduce Resolve Film Damage OFX pixels, proprietary random generation, blur kernels, color math, or exact parameter ranges.
6 actual Resolve captures + independent layer/time teaching model
25 UNIQUE NAMES · 69 CONTROL SLOTS · 5 SCRATCHES01LAYER OWNERSHIP → TIME → RESTRAINT
A convincing damaged print is a system of weak defects, not one aggressive preset.
Separate what changes one frame from what changes across time. Then keep grain and global exposure flicker under their own tools so every failure has a clear owner.
Think in defect layers, not one vintage preset.
Film Damage combines several independent aging causes: base softening/color drift, edge vignetting, surface dirt, and up to five scratches. Believability comes from giving each layer one restrained job instead of making every defect shout at once.
Spatial shape and temporal behavior are separate decisions.
Dirt Size/Blur and Scratch Width/Blur define appearance in a single frame, while Changing Dirt, Moving Scratch, Moving Ampl./Speed/Rand., and Flickering Speed define behavior over time. A still frame cannot validate good temporal character.
Film Damage does not replace Film Grain or global projector flicker.
Blackmagic historically documents Film Damage as a damage layer and separately recommends Film Grain and Flicker Addition for a fuller damaged-film look. This is a useful architectural boundary: texture, exposure flicker, and scratches are easier to control when they keep separate owners.
Official Blackmagic Film Damage documentation separates Film Blur/Temp/Tint, Vignetting, Dirt, and Scratch controls; it also distinguishes dirt from dust and recommends separate Film Grain/Flicker tools for a fuller damaged-film treatment.
02REAL RESOLVE CONTROL MAP
Twenty-five unique names expand to sixty-nine control slots because the full Scratch schema repeats five times.
All six screenshots below are real project captures. The control map names the repeated Scratch schema once, then explicitly states that Add Scratch 1…5 each carry the same eleven controls.
AA · Base image
Start by removing digital sterility and adding only the color drift the look actually needs.
- Film Blur
Adds targeted defocus/softening to knock back digital sharpness slightly. It is not grain and it is not a restoration blur.
VERIFYJudge texture at 100%. If faces or fine structure visibly look out of focus, the control is probably too high.
- Temp. Shift
Creative warm/cool shift. Blackmagic relates the original warm bias to the feel of a film-projector lamp.
VERIFYDo not use it instead of upstream white-balance correction. Fix the technical balance first, then add intentional aging.
- Tint Shift
Creative yellow/magenta drift that suggests dye change but is not a measured dye model of a particular stock.
VERIFYWatch skin and neutrals: a small shift can become a global cast quickly when the base grade is already biased.
BB · Add Vignetting
Shape reach, edge severity, and asymmetry as separate properties.
- Focal Factor
Controls how far the vignetting reaches into the frame.
VERIFYCheck faces and important edge subjects: excessive reach reads like a modern digital vignette rather than optical wear.
- Geometry Factor
Changes vignette darkness and the character/definition of its edge.
VERIFYSet it after Focal Factor: the right depth cannot rescue the wrong reach.
- Tilt Amount
Breaks vignette symmetry and introduces intentional imbalance.
VERIFYWith Tilt Amount at zero, angle has no visible role; set asymmetry amplitude first.
- Tilt Angle
Rotates the direction of the asymmetry created by Tilt Amount.
VERIFYReview the whole moving shot: a strong fixed asymmetry quickly reveals the procedural effect.
CC · Add Dirt
Dirt is a separate procedural layer of larger particles with a repeatable random seed.
- Dirt Color
Sets particle color; Blackmagic gives a useful analogy: black is closer to dirt on a print, white to a defect on a negative.
VERIFYThis is a creative choice, not automatic source-type detection. Check how particle color sits in the current grading stage.
- Changing Dirt
ON makes the pattern change over time; OFF keeps it more stable and closer to dirt-on-lens behavior.
VERIFYMake this decision in playback. A still frame cannot reveal whether the pattern changes naturally.
- Dirt Density
Controls how many particles appear over time.
VERIFYHigh Density combined with large Size quickly makes the layer resemble an overlay pack.
- Dirt Size
Sets the average procedural particle size.
VERIFYScale should fit frame resolution and damage character; verify at 100%.
- Dirt Blur
Softens dirt-particle edges and reduces the sense of perfect digital graphics.
VERIFYDo not fix excessive Size with Blur alone: shape and softness are different properties.
- Dirt Seed
Selects a different but repeatable random distribution for the same settings.
VERIFYOnce the pattern is approved, lock the Seed or matching revisions and renders becomes harder.
DD · Add Scratch 1…5
Five identical Scratch groups provide five independent defect characters.
- Enable
Enables one Scratch layer. The same control repeats in Add Scratch 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
VERIFYDo not leave all five enabled by habit. One to three distinct restrained scratches are often more believable.
- Scratch Color
Color of one scratch line; visible color depends on damage depth and the chosen creative logic.
VERIFYAvoid the same bright color on every layer or they start to look like UI lines.
- Scratch Position
Horizontal scratch position in the frame.
VERIFYSeparate positions across layers and make sure a line does not sit on a face/title for the whole shot without intent.
- Scratch Width
Line thickness and part of the scratch’s perceived severity.
VERIFYAn overly wide scratch quickly becomes a graphic bar; judge Width together with Strength and Blur.
- Scratch Strength
Intensity of the individual line.
VERIFYFive medium-to-strong scratches at once almost always look synthetic.
- Scratch Blur
Softens the scratch and helps avoid a perfectly sharp digital line.
VERIFYJudge at real delivery scale: a very fine scratch can disappear after compression, while an oversharp one can ring.
- Moving Scratch
Enables jitter/meander for that scratch.
VERIFYNot every scratch needs motion. One nearly static line plus one unstable line is often more believable.
- Moving Ampl.
Controls how far a moving scratch travels away from its base position.
VERIFYLarge amplitude on a wide line quickly looks like an animated overlay.
- Moving Speed
Sets scratch motion speed.
VERIFYCompare against frame rate and the overall defect cadence; identical speed across layers feels mechanical.
- Moving Rand.
Adds irregularity to the trajectory instead of perfectly periodic motion.
VERIFYRandomness is useful for break-up but should not make the scratch teleport or twitch without intent.
- Flickering Speed
Varies scratch severity over time, creating a separate flicker character.
VERIFYThis is not global projector/exposure flicker for the whole frame. Use dedicated Flicker Addition for overall brightness instability.
EE · Final mix
Global Blend is the final wet/dry for the complete damage stack.
- Global Blend → Blend
Mixes the assembled Film Damage result with the source as a whole: base shifts, vignette, dirt, and all scratches.
VERIFYUse it after tuning the subsystems. If Blend is only hiding excessive Dirt or Scratch settings, fix that layer first.
03TECHNICAL BASE → DAMAGE → OPTIONAL COMPANIONS
Keep Film Damage independently bypassable, then add Grain and global Flicker only when the concept needs them.
Switch between the internal Film Damage decision order and a full archive-look pipeline with separate Film Grain/Flicker Addition ownership.
Build vignetting as optics
Use Focal Factor for reach, Geometry Factor for severity, then add Tilt Amount/Angle only when asymmetry has a visual reason.
The graph shows ownership and decision order, not mandatory node count. The useful separation is technical base → damage → optional grain/flicker → technical output, with real-time playback and export verification at the end.
04BUILD IT IN RESOLVE
Four exercises cover restraint, temporal Dirt, scratch variation, and the complete archive stack.
These are method exercises rather than presets. The right amount depends on shot scale, delivery resolution, compression, and how much genuine texture already exists in the source.
Restrained worn print
Create the feel of an old print without an obvious preset look.
PrepareTechnically correct base grade, 100% Viewer, and real-time playback.
- 01
Start with a small Film Blur, then add very restrained Temp. Shift/Tint Shift.
- 02
Build a light vignette with Focal/Geometry; keep Tilt near zero unless asymmetry is intentional.
- 03
Add Dirt at low Density with small/medium Size, audition a Seed, and lock it.
- 04
Enable one soft scratch with low Width/Strength and a little Flickering Speed.
- 05
Review in playback, then only lightly trim the complete look with Global Blend.
Damage reads as part of the image rather than a stack of obvious overlays.
Moving film dirt versus static lens dirt
Learn to separate spatial pattern from temporal behavior.
PrepareUse the same shot and the same Dirt Seed for both versions.
- 01
Set Dirt Color/Density/Size/Blur with Changing Dirt OFF.
- 02
Note the pattern and play 2–3 seconds: it should behave more stably.
- 03
Enable Changing Dirt without changing the other parameters.
- 04
Compare the cadence of changes rather than one still frame.
You can distinguish when moving film-transport character is appropriate and when static lens-like contamination is the better choice.
Three scratches with different jobs
Use the five Scratch layers as a variation system rather than a strength multiplier.
PrepareDisable all Add Scratch groups and build them one at a time.
- 01
Scratch 1: a thin nearly static line with a little Blur.
- 02
Scratch 2: a fainter moving line with small Moving Ampl. and a different Speed.
- 03
Scratch 3: an intermittently visible line using Flickering Speed and a different Position.
- 04
Leave Scratch 4/5 disabled if the image is already convincing.
Temporal character varies, while no line looks like a duplicated UI element.
Full archive stack with separate Grain/Flicker
Build a complete damaged-film look while keeping texture and brightness flicker under separate owners.
PrepareSeparate nodes/effects for Film Damage, Film Grain, and Flicker Addition.
- 01
First tune Film Damage without Grain/Flicker: base, vignette, dirt, scratches.
- 02
Add Film Grain as a separate texture layer and check at 100% plus the delivery codec.
- 03
Add Flicker Addition separately and establish the desired global brightness instability.
- 04
Bypass each stage separately, then the entire look.
- 05
Finally check scopes/skin/neutrals and playback at the real frame rate.
Damage, texture, and exposure flicker can be diagnosed, bypassed, and revised independently.
05DAMAGE IS NOT GRAIN, FLICKER, OR RESTORATION
Choose the tool by ownership: add wear, add texture, add exposure instability, or remove real damage.
| Tool | What it owns | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Film Damage | Blur/color drift, vignette, dirt, and five scratches with motion/flicker. | When you need procedural wear/damage as a separate finishing layer. |
| Film Grain | Procedural grain texture with separate geometry, tonal/RGB weighting, and compositing. | When the job is texture/grain structure rather than dirt, scratches, or vignette. |
| Flicker Addition | Dedicated temporal exposure modulation of the whole image. | When you need projector/exposure flicker rather than flicker of a single scratch. |
| Automatic Dirt Removal | Restoration/Revival: detection and repair of real temporally unstable dirt/dust. | When you need to remove real damage rather than add it for stylization. |
06SYMPTOM → CAUSE → FIX
Most failures are over-stacking, identical temporal behavior, or a creative control accidentally owning a technical problem.
01The look reads as an obvious vintage preset.+
Disable half the layers. Keep one leading characteristic—such as blur + dirt—and only restore the scratches/vignette the shot actually needs.
02Dirt looks glued to the lens.+
If you want film-transport character, enable Changing Dirt and judge playback. OFF is correct only for intentionally static contamination.
03Scratches look like drawn vertical UI lines.+
Reduce Width/Strength, add Blur, separate Position and temporal behavior, and do not make all five layers identical.
04Temp./Tint damage skin and neutrals.+
Restore technical WB/base grade upstream. Temp. Shift and Tint Shift are creative dye-like drift, not white-balance owners.
05The vignette feels modern and graphic.+
Reduce Focal Factor and Geometry Factor first, then reassess Tilt. Strong asymmetry plus hard reach quickly reveals the effect.
06Temporal cadence repeats and feels mechanical.+
Separate Dirt Seed, scratch Moving Speed/Randomness/Flickering Speed, and the number of active layers. Different defects should have different jobs.
07After delivery the scratches/grain read differently from the Viewer.+
Check the real export at 100%: thin scratches and separate Film Grain are sensitive to scaling, sharpening, and compression.
Viewer first, scopes second
Film Damage is primarily a spatial/temporal effect. A 100% Viewer and playback matter more than scopes; Waveform/Parade/Vectorscope mainly help ensure base shifts and vignette do not break technical constraints.
Separate finishing node
In practice, the effect is easiest to manage on a dedicated creative node after a technically correct base grade. This keeps damage independently bypassable/mixable from WB, exposure, and the output transform.
Validate real-time cadence
Changing Dirt, Moving Scratch, and Flickering Speed cannot be approved from a still. Watch a continuous segment at the real frame rate before changing amplitudes or speeds.
07BEFORE YOU DELIVER
Approve Film Damage in motion, at 100%, and in the actual encoded delivery file.
A still frame can validate spatial shape, but it cannot validate Changing Dirt, Moving Scratch, Flickering Speed, or codec survival of thin defects.
08FAQ
The distinctions that keep Film Damage controllable instead of turning it into a generic vintage filter.
Does Film Damage include film grain?
No. Film Grain is a separate Resolve FX. For a fuller damaged-film look, Blackmagic has historically recommended combining Film Damage with Film Grain and Flicker Addition.
What is the difference between Changing Dirt ON and OFF?
ON makes the dirt pattern change over time; OFF keeps it more stable and closer to dirt-on-lens behavior. Judge the choice in playback.
Why would Dirt Color be white?
Blackmagic documentation gives a useful analogy: black is closer to dirt on a print, white to a defect on a negative. It is a creative analogy, not automatic process detection.
How many scratches are available?
Five independent Add Scratch 1…5 groups. Each repeats Enable, Scratch Color/Position/Width/Strength/Blur, Moving Scratch, Moving Ampl./Speed/Rand., and Flickering Speed.
Should all five Scratch layers be enabled?
No. They provide variation capacity. One to three restrained layers with different character usually look more convincing than five equally obvious lines.
Where should Film Damage sit relative to the grade?
There is no absolute rule, but a separate creative finishing node after a technically correct base image is easiest to manage. It stays easy to bypass/mix and does not become confused with WB/exposure/output-transform ownership.
Does Film Damage historically emulate a specific film stock accurately?
No. It is a procedural toolkit of recognizable defects, not a measured model of one stock, printer, scanner, or projector.
How is scratch Flickering Speed different from Flicker Addition?
Flickering Speed varies the severity of one scratch. Flicker Addition is a separate effect for global temporal brightness/exposure modulation of the whole image.
Sources and verification boundaries
Visible control names and grouping were checked against all six actual Resolve captures in the project archive. Film Damage behavior and historical control semantics were cross-checked against Blackmagic Design documentation. The interactive lab is deliberately a teaching model and does not reproduce proprietary OFX rendering, random generation, blur kernels, color science, or exact parameter ranges.
This web pass does not claim live Resolve-render certification. Final acceptance belongs to the installed Resolve build, the actual shot, real-time playback, and the rendered delivery file.