Power
Overall grain strength.
← Fusion node reference
Texture & StylizeIntermediate
Grain
Procedural image grain
Adds procedural grain with direct control over strength, size, softness, spacing, aspect and per-channel variation.
Grain
DaVinci Resolve · Fusion
Grain is a technical noise generator for adding texture without relying on a specific film-stock preset.
Overview
What Grain does
Unlike FilmGrain, Grain exposes direct controls for the structure of the noise. Power sets intensity, Grain Size and Spacing shape the texture, and RGB Difference controls how independent the color channels appear.
The node is useful for reintroducing texture after denoise, matching a clean graphic to photographed footage or adding controlled noise before compression. Subtle values usually integrate better than obvious grain.
Mental model
Treat Grain as a procedural texture layer whose size, softness and channel separation can be matched to the image around it.
Common uses
Restore texture after denoise
Match CG or graphics to live-action footage
Add controlled analog texture
Prevent gradients from looking overly sterile
Flow anatomy
Inputs & outputs
The port structure shows how this node fits into a Fusion graph.
Input
Source image for the operation.
Effect Mask
Optional mask that limits where the node affects the image.
Grain
Fusion node
Output
The processed result from this node.
Inspector
Important parameters
Start with these controls before reaching for more complicated workarounds.
Red Difference
Varies the red-channel grain relative to the shared grain structure.
Green Difference
Varies the green-channel grain relative to the shared grain structure.
Blue Difference
Varies the blue-channel grain relative to the shared grain structure.
Grain Softness
Softens or hardens the generated texture.
Grain Size
Controls the apparent size of individual grain structures.
Grain Spacing
Changes the density and separation of grain elements.
Aspect ratio
Stretches the grain shape in one direction.
Alpha-Multiply
Multiplies the generated grain by the source alpha so transparent areas receive less or no grain.
Spread: Red / Green / Blue
Sets grain spread independently for the red, green and blue channels.
Spread Graph
Edits the curve that redistributes grain strength from input values to output values.
Spread In / Out
Sets the exact input and output values of the selected Spread-curve point.
Settings
Standard Fusion node settings for processing, masks, blending and animation.
Practical setup
A reliable workflow
- 1
Place Grain near the end of the image-processing branch.
- 2
Set Power low enough that the texture is not immediately obvious.
- 3
Match Grain Size to the resolution and source texture.
- 4
Increase softness if the result looks digitally harsh.
- 5
Review moving footage and final delivery compression.
Typical node chain
Image→
Grain→
Textured output
Examples
Where this node fits in real work
Texture after cleanup
Return natural-looking texture after a denoise pass.
MediaInRemoveNoiseGrainMediaOut
Graphic integration
Apply subtle grain to a clean graphic before compositing it into footage.
GraphicGrainMergeMediaOut
Troubleshooting
Common mistakes
Using oversized grain at high resolution
Applying excessive colored variation
Adding strong grain before heavy denoise
Judging grain on a scaled-down Viewer
Production notes
Practical tips
Judge grain at 100% and in motion.
Match grain strength to the darkest and flattest parts of the source.
A little grain can help hide banding and sterile digital gradients.
Related nodes