Film Grain Overlays: How to Use Them in Your Projects

A casual cinema-goer might associate film grain with the dust and hair flicker seen in older black-and-white movies or perhaps the visuals from old film projectors rather than the natural grain inherent to shooting with celluloid. Film grain actually originates from the physical structure of celluloid film itself. To cut a science book short, the emulsion layer is coated with tiny crystals called silver halides, which chemically react when exposed to light, creating an image. These crystals are transformed into metallic silver during the film's development, producing the final image.

The size and arrangement of these crystals vary depending on the type of film stock used, and this is where the grain effect comes into play. Each crystal catches light differently, and their distribution across the emulsion layer gives celluloid film its unique, organic grain.

If we compare it to digital cameras, raising the ISO makes the sensor more sensitive to light, which can produce more digital noise in low-light situations. Higher ISO or ASA stocks for film have larger grains to capture more light, resulting in a grainier image. Therefore, film grain isn't a flaw or a by-product of poorly calibrated film projectors; it's an intrinsic characteristic of the film itself!

The science behind film development is complex and can't be fully captured in just a few paragraphs. However, if you're interested in diving into the process, we recommend checking out Smarter Every Day's three-part series. In this series, host Destin takes viewers on a tour of the Kodak facility to explore how film is made. Each episode runs about an hour, so make sure you have a snack ready!

Importance of using film grain texture in video production

Since the start of the DSLR revolution, when DSLR cameras first achieved cinematic-quality video, film grain has become something digital filmmakers actively seek to replicate in their images to capture the organic feel inherent to film stock. Even today, new grain textures, plugins, and even digital cameras with built-in film grain settings are designed to evoke the look and feel of a bygone era.

The question, ultimately, is why? Why would anyone want to add an element to your image that reduces the original quality? A film grain overlay can reduce sharpness, yet filmmakers add it because of a subconscious bias we hold as a society about what "feels" cinematic.

Many other attributes of film contribute to this perception, such as a “letterbox”; those black bars at the top and bottom of widescreen films. Adding these bars to any image creates an immediate, subconscious link to cinema, making a regular landscape shot feel like a cinematic scene. 

This shot, for example, looks like nothing more than a scenic landscape shot found in a travel magazine. 

However, when we add output blanking to the image (letterbox bars), it becomes a cinematic establishing shot. More of a shot from a period drama or fantasy film, as opposed to a travel photo.  

There are other attributes like this, too, such as the 24-frame-per-second frame rate. 24fps has become a defining characteristic of film, and while directors like Peter Jackson and James Cameron have experimented with higher frame rates to disrupt this standard, audiences struggle to embrace them. They often claim that they look too much like soap operas rather than films. 

See, it comes down to how an image feels, not just how it looks. 

Film grain works the same way. When introduced into an image, grain aligns with our perception of cinema; it tells us we’re watching something "filmic" rather than commercial or standard digital content. It’s an emotional connection that goes beyond visual clarity. It evokes the essence of cinema itself.

How to get film grain textures

So, how do filmmakers apply film grain to a digital image? There are primarily three methods.

Software 

The first method is to have your software generate film grain. Many filmmaking software options, such as After Effects or DaVinci Resolve, include a feature to generate grain algorithmically. However, this grain isn’t tied to any specific film stock, so while it may add texture, it often appears more like random digital noise than authentic film grain.

Plugins 

The second method uses dedicated plugins, typically premium options like FilmConvert or Dehancer. These plugins offer a variety of grains that are often meticulously recreated from actual film stocks. 

Selecting a specific film stock grain can also adjust the chroma and contrast of your image. This method adds realistic grain and shifts the image’s tonality to resemble what you’d get if you had shot with the actual film stock. Of course, it’s never a perfect replica, but it’s quite close.

Film grain overlays 

The third and most popular option is using film grain overlays. These overlays vary in quality, but the best (and often pricier) options are created by shooting actual film with the lens cap on or against a black backdrop. When developed, the only visual element remaining is the film grain itself. This allows you to bring the overlay into your editing timeline and composite the film grain directly onto your image. This is the closest method to achieving authentic grain in your digital media.

These 4K grain overlays can be a fantastic way to enhance your video project's organic, cinematic quality.

While there are many premium overlays available, with distributors going to great lengths to ensure high-quality and authentic film stock, there are also plenty of free options on the market that can achieve a similar effect.

More importantly, the WeVideo stock library offers a diverse selection of grain overlays, from 8mm overlays to standard 35mm grain and even heavily scorched dust projection overlays. With such a wide variety, you’re sure to find the exact type of grain you need for your project. Let's take a look at how to apply one to your video.

Using film grain in WeVideo 

With your initial video edit in place, ensure you have at least one free timeline track where the grain will sit. You can add an extra video track by clicking the plus (+) track button and selecting video.

1. Search for grain overlays: Go to the top left to search through the video library. In the search bar, type "film grain." It's important to type “film” specifically, as just typing “grain” may bring up unrelated videos, such as grain being harvested, which isn’t useful here.

2. Choose the right grain overlay: Find a grain overlay that suits your video.

3. Method 1 - Blending with opacity: If the overlay is gray, add it to the new video track, select the “Edit” button, and adjust the opacity to 20-30% as needed.

Note: This may lower the contrast of the overall video. If this happens, go to the underlying video, click “Edit,” and increase the contrast to balance out the effect. Hit play to see the grain effect applied to your video.

4. Method 2 - Keying out the black for film burn effects: If your chosen grain has film burn and flickering, you can key out the primary color (usually black) to make the color burn overlay onto your video. This is a popular technique for transitioning in and out of different shots. 

By following these steps, you’ll be able to add and customize a film grain overlay in WeVideo effectively!

Film grain compression

One thing to remember when using whole film grain is that, much like adding spice to a dish, you only need a pinch to impact the video. You don’t leave the grain too visible. This is especially important due to how online video platforms compress video. The same goes for when editing within the WeVideo editor, the lower the opacity, the better. 

Tom Scott's interesting breakdown, “Why Snow and Confetti Ruin Your YouTube Video Quality”, explains that compression algorithms struggle with scenes containing numerous small, fast-moving objects like confetti or snowflakes. Since these elements move unpredictably, compression techniques find it difficult to encode the video efficiently, leading to noticeable quality degradation.

Film grain can have a similar effect. Because it’s an additional layer over the video—unlike grain embedded directly into celluloid footage—it can reduce clarity. Using too much grain, combined with platform compression, can result in a loss of quality that impacts the final viewing experience.

Conclusion

So, there we have it—film grain. It's not a detrimental artifact; it's an intrinsic element of film that digital filmmakers have tried to replicate for the past 15 years. Even today, filmmakers continually work to give their footage an organic, film-like quality. While many factors contribute to this look—such as dynamic range, color bit rate, and bit depth—film grain will undoubtedly help you get one step closer.