Using Built-In Granularity Curves

Choose a film stock from the Film Stock list to apply grain using built-in curves for Kodak emulsions.

To add grain using built-in curves for Kodak emulsions:

1. In the composite, select the layer you want to add grain to, or select an operator (such as Footage) to which you want to add grain.
2. Choose Operators | Grain Management | Add Grain.

The Add Grain Controls panel appears.

Note: The Add Grain operator works in context, like the Discreet Keyer and Color Corrector operators. This means you can see the rest of the composite while adjusting the grain.

3. Select a film stock from the Film Stock list.

The list includes six Kodak emulsions, B/W (Black and White), and Custom.

For extra information about B/W, see Applying Grain with a Uniform Spatial Distribution. To make a custom granularity curve, see Matching Grain.

4. To compensate for under or overexposure, set the relative exposure offset using the F-stop field.

The range of permissible f-stop values is from -3 to 3; values entered must be integers.

By default, the Red, Green, and Blue channels are all enabled.

5. If you do not want to add grain to a specific color channel, disable it.
6. Enable Exclusive to show the selected channel as grayscale. This is useful when viewing the blue channel, as the eye is less sensitive to blue than to other colors.

When you enable Exclusive, Red is enabled (selected for display) by default. Click Blue or Green to show either of these channels.

Note: While Exclusive is enabled, any changes made in step 5 (disabled channels) are ignored; you only see the one channel. When you disable Exclusive, all channels become enabled again.

7. Disable Proportional below the fields to adjust the channels independently.

You can apply changes to all channels simultaneously by enabling Proportional, but adjusting each one individually is far more accurate.

8. Drag the appropriate RGB Gain field to increase or decrease the color value for the selected channel.

The RGB Gain fields are translated as scaling factors for the built-in granularity curves.

The range of values is from 0 to 10.

Note: To scale the granularity curve using only the gain, use the Match Grain picker when you choose a film stock (in step 3). (When you use Match Grain with the Custom option, the sample determines the granularity curve itself.) To learn how to use the Match Grain picker, see Matching Grain.

9. Drag the appropriate X Radius and Y Radius fields for the selected channel to change the horizontal or vertical size of the grain.

The range of values is from 0 to 100.

10. After setting the Gain and Radius values for the necessary channels, check the result in various regions of the image (for example, shadows, midtones, and highlights).
11. You can compare the grain in the image to either the same image with another Add Grain setup or another image from the workspace.

For information on the Compare tool, see Using the Compare Tool.