Skip to content
ArcBrush ArcBrush Docs

Film Grain

Film Grain
Filter

Adds physically-modeled film grain with seven calibrated stock presets and per-channel control over grain size, intensity, and tonal response.

Film Grain simulates the look of real photographic film. Seven presets are calibrated against published datasheets (Kodak Vision3 250D and 500T, Portra 400, Tri-X 400, Cinestill 800T, Fuji Eterna 250, Ilford HP5+) so you can match a specific stock with one click, or use Custom and dial in your own look.

Per-channel intensity and size sliders reflect how real color negatives behave: the blue layer is loudest, the red layer is finest. The shadow, midtone, and highlight sliders shape how visible the grain is across the tonal range - Tri-X is shadow-heavy, Vision3 suppresses shadow grain. Irregularity adds clumpier “old film” noise on top of the Gaussian base.

Grain size is measured at 1080p and scales with image height, so a preset looks identical on a 1080p preview and a 4K export. Apply in linear light is on by default for physically accurate, shadow-heavy grain; turn it off for uniform-magnitude grain across all tones.

Parameters

Section titled “Parameters”

Pins

ImageImage
InputRequired
MaskMask
InputOptional
ImageImage
Output

Stock

StockChoice
Default: 0 Range: Custom / Kodak Vision3 250D (5207) / Kodak Vision3 500T (5219) / Kodak Portra 400 / Kodak Tri-X 400 (B&W) / Cinestill 800T / Fuji Eterna 250 / Ilford HP5+ (B&W)

Pre-tuned film stock emulation. Manual edits switch back to Custom

Intensity

Master IntensityNumber
Default: 0.50 Range: 0.00–2.00

Overall grain intensity multiplier

R IntensityNumber
Default: 0.42 Range: 0.00–2.00

Per-channel grain intensity (red)

G IntensityNumber
Default: 0.46 Range: 0.00–2.00

Per-channel grain intensity (green)

B IntensityNumber
Default: 0.85 Range: 0.00–2.00

Per-channel grain intensity (blue)

Grain

Grain SizeNumber
Default: 0.20 Range: 0.05–1.00

Master grain size (relative)

R SizeNumber
Default: 1.00 Range: 0.50–2.00

Per-channel size multiplier (red)

G SizeNumber
Default: 0.88 Range: 0.50–2.00

Per-channel size multiplier (green)

B SizeNumber
Default: 0.76 Range: 0.50–2.00

Per-channel size multiplier (blue)

SaturationNumber
Default: 0.70 Range: 0.00–1.00

Chroma weight of grain. 0 = monochrome, 1 = full color

IrregularityNumber
Default: 0.40 Range: 0.00–1.00

Variation in grain size for organic feel

Response

Shadow ResponseNumber
Default: 0.70 Range: 0.00–2.00

Grain gain in shadows

Mid ResponseNumber
Default: 1.00 Range: 0.00–2.00

Grain gain in midtones

Highlight ResponseNumber
Default: 0.40 Range: 0.00–2.00

Grain gain in highlights

Advanced

SeedInteger
Default: 1 Range: -1–999999

Random seed for grain pattern

Apply in linear lightToggle
Default: true

On: physically accurate (heavier shadows). Off: uniform across tones

Usage Tips

Section titled “Usage Tips”
  • Pick a stock preset to get the look, then drop to Custom and tweak from there.
  • Lower Saturation toward 0 for monochrome grain on color images, mimicking a B&W stock.
  • Connect a mask to grain only part of the frame, such as the sky or a face.
  • Raise Irregularity above 0.5 for vintage Super-8 or hand-processed looks.
Section titled “Related Nodes”