Film Grain Presets
Chooses a predefined group of settings.
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Stylize & BlurIntermediate
FilmGrain
Film-style grain and texture
Adds configurable film-style grain using stock presets, blend modes, grain size, strength and tonal controls.
FilmGrain
DaVinci Resolve · Fusion
FilmGrain is a finishing tool for adding organic texture, integrating clean CG/graphics and reducing the sterile look of heavily processed digital images.
Overview
What FilmGrain does
Film presets provide a starting character, from coarse small-gauge textures to finer 35mm-style grain. The preset is only a base; final strength should be tuned to the shot and delivery codec.
Composite Type changes how grain interacts with image luminance. Overlay/Soft Light can feel embedded, while Screen/Multiply bias the texture lighter or darker.
Grain should be evaluated during playback and after compression. Extremely fine or strong grain can become noisy mush in online encodes.
Mental model
Treat FilmGrain as a separate texture layer blended into the picture rather than as random digital noise.
Common uses
Add organic texture to digital footage
Integrate CG or titles into live-action material
Restore texture after denoise/beauty processing
Create retro 8mm/16mm looks
Hide slight banding in gradients
Flow anatomy
Inputs & outputs
The port structure shows how this node fits into a Fusion graph.
Input
Source image for the operation.
FilmGrain
Fusion node
Output
The processed result from this node.
Inspector
Important parameters
Start with these controls before reaching for more complicated workarounds.
8mm
Uses a coarse small-gauge 8 mm grain profile.
8mm 50D / 100D / 250D / 200T / 500T
Chooses among 8 mm grain profiles modeled on different film speeds and stocks.
16mm
Uses a medium-strength 16 mm grain profile.
16mm 50D / 250D / 500T / Archival / Archival Print / Reversal
Chooses among 16 mm grain profiles with different stock and archival characteristics.
35mm / 35mm 200T
Uses a finer 35 mm grain profile.
Composite Type
Defines how grain is blended with the image.
Overlay and Soft Light are useful starting points for integrated texture.
Composite Type: Overlay
Uses Overlay for composite type.
Composite Type: Multiply
Uses Multiply for composite type.
Composite Type: Darken
Uses Darken for composite type.
Composite Type: Lighten
Uses Lighten for composite type.
Composite Type: Screen
Uses Screen for composite type.
Composite Type: Subtract
Uses Subtract for composite type.
Composite Type: Hard Light
Uses Hard Light for composite type.
Composite Type: Soft Light
Uses Soft Light for composite type.
Composite Type: Linear Light
Uses Linear Light for composite type.
Composite Type: Vivid Light
Uses Vivid Light for composite type.
Composite Type: Pin Light
Uses Pin Light for composite type.
Composite Type: Custom
Uses Custom for composite type.
Opacity
Controls the overall visibility of the grain layer.
For final delivery, subtle values are often more convincing than obvious grain.
Tip: Check the encoded result, not only the viewer.
Grain Only
Shows Grain Only in the Viewer for setup or diagnostics.
Freeze
Freezes the grain pattern so it no longer changes from frame to frame.
Texture
Changes the spatial character of the grain pattern.
Grain Size
Controls the apparent particle scale.
Match size to image resolution and intended film-gauge character.
Grain Aspect Ratio
Adjusts the aspect ratio without changing the main scale control.
Grain Strength
Controls the contrast/intensity of grain particles.
Lower it before changing every other grain parameter if the preset feels too aggressive.
Offset
Sets offset for FilmGrain.
Symmetry
Adjusts how evenly the grain is distributed.
Softness
Softens the transition at the edge of the mask, matte or effect.
Saturation
Adjusts color saturation.
Advanced Controls
Opens per-channel and tonal-range controls for shaping the grain.
Red / Green / Blue
Sets film-grain strength independently for the red, green and blue channels.
Use channel-specific controls when the operation should not affect all components equally.
Shadows
Sets how strongly grain appears in the shadows.
Midtones
Sets how strongly grain appears in the midtones.
Highlights
Sets how strongly Film Grain appears in highlight regions.
Animate On Every Refresh
Enables animation for this part of the effect.
Practical setup
A reliable workflow
- 1
Finish major color and cleanup work first.
- 2
Choose a preset close to the desired texture.
- 3
Reduce opacity/strength until the grain stops calling attention to itself.
- 4
Check faces, gradients and dark areas.
- 5
Preview at playback speed and inspect the final codec.
Typical node chain
Composite / Grade→
FilmGrain→
MediaOut
Examples
Where this node fits in real work
Digital-to-film finish
Apply subtle fine grain after grading.
MediaInColorCorrectorFilmGrainMediaOut
CG integration
Add matched grain after compositing clean CG.
CG + PlateMergeFilmGrainMediaOut
Troubleshooting
Common mistakes
Adding heavy grain before tracking/keying/denoise work.
Using extremely fine high-contrast grain that breaks under compression.
Judging grain only on a paused frame.
Forgetting that static frozen grain can look artificial.
Production notes
Practical tips
Place grain near the end of the image pipeline.
Match grain size and strength across inserted elements and the plate.
Render a short compressed test before finalizing aggressive film texture.
Related nodes