Coming Soon: Film Emulsion and Grain GHears.

The biggest request I got from day one was a way to get a realistic film grain look. So for those who asked, and for all of us who love that film grain look, I have cracked it.

The biggest problem I noticed with added film grain to video is that it just looks like noise. The kind of noise that you get from underexposed video. So after careful study, and a lot of trial and error, I've found a method that is very subtle and pleasing to the eye.

Now keep in mind, you will take a pretty hefty render hit with this. But the footage just looks beautiful.

OMG!

The vimeo compression pretty much kills the grain, so download the MP4 from the vimeo page. And keep in mind it looks spectacular on the ProRes file.

password is: ghrain

This is still a work in progress so any input is welcome.

Mine neither.

The heavier version is more noticeable but adding the grain alone IMHO doesn't change the character of the footage too my eyes.

But I'm also sure that if I saw it combined with certain film looks it would really make the footage "pop". I'm also sure it might be matter of taste.

Thanks @shian!

I like the rough grain so far.

What I noticed: To me it looks like the grain is moving a bit slow, like it had a different frame rate than the rest of the footage. Don't know if that is intended or due to the compression (I watched the original MP4).

A screen grab on my latest short film 'A Day in 1951' using Canis Majoris Night.

@tonalt that's Vision 800. Almost exactly what I'm using for the rough grain, only sharper (which can be controlled with the options you'll have)

The trick is getting it to move right AND (this is the tricky part) film is back lit, so the grain has this luminescent property, and combined with the medium which is emulsion the matrix of grains creates a softening effect, and that's where I'm trying to get this. It's working in some shots really well, in others not so much.

@seb3000 that was intended. I slowed it down so as not to be as distracting as noise, but to give it that subtle sparkle. There is an option to control the speed, so if you prefer it faster you can turn it back up.

The final problem will be to solve where in the stack to put it. Cuz in the shot with the candles it looks like noise, and that heavy of a crush would squash that in the shadows, but in this case the effect went on last, so it just grains up the shadows.

I'll get it right eventually. Just needed some new eyes, cuz I'm going batty trying to nail this down.

@stonebat the trick is where in the mix and how to blend it, otherwise it goes pear-shaped damn fast.

With current cinematic style tending towards lots of black (or at least, very dark) sections to the image, its important when applying grain to keep it from brightening the dark areas too much if at all.

That being said, the grain really should be applied very near last. Let us know how you sort this out, I'm very interested.

Did a quickie to enter Bloom's "The Sequence" challenge. Had to be under a minute. Didn't have anyone else to help so it's a one man band production...

Colored with ColorGHear using Shadow Lift, Spectral Enhancer and Toner with Desaturation.

No, I didn't really shoot up either......

Tony

@duartix yeah, I'm making it possible to have the user determine how much to apply the grain to various tonal areas. I solved the emulsion problem, but still playing with the grain itself. I feel like Khan in Star Trek II, "He tasks me.... he tasks me and I shall have him!"

@all The Episode of Femme Fatales I DPed (The Grindhouse Episode) "Hell Hath No Furies" airs this Friday on Cinemax

http://www.cinemax.com/video/?bctid=1698872214001

@psywhisper Really cool! I'd love to see this place in person! I'll definitely take a trip there one day...