User Guide - Volumetric Film Grain
Add realistic film grain with Color.io
Grain is the foundation of the film structure emulation in Color.io. Rather than overlaying grain textures like most other software, the structure emulator deconstructs your photos and rebuilds them pixel-by-pixel using synthetically generated granules. This results in an incredibly organic look because the underlying pixel structure of digital images is entirely reconstructed to match the grain distribution, density, rotation, size, and color gradation of real film.
1. Import or open an image
Drag and drop the image you want to edit into Color.io or select one you have already imported from the project window. You can also copy and paste frames and image from the clipboard via CMD/CTRL + V
2. Add film grain
Open the Texture panel in Color.io. On desktop devices it is located at the bottom right, on mobile, scroll the bottom bar to the right and tap "Texture" to open. Next, turn the Film Grain Wheel on the left hand side of the panel up to add film grain to your image.
100% Zoom Required: Grain in Color.io isn’t just an overlay—it’s part of a high-fidelity re-texturing engine that works at the image’s native pixel level. To accurately preview the grain simulation, you must view your image at 100% zoom, where each image pixel maps exactly to one screen pixel. This ensures you're seeing the true texture and detail as intended.
3. Change grain roughness and color
Grain in Color.io is part of a physically accurate re-texturing engine — not a visual overlay. This means the grain is integrated directly into the image rendering process, simulating how film grain affects real photographic material.
- Film Resolution (Grain Roughness):
Instead of a generic “roughness” slider, Color.io uses a Film Resolution control that simulates grain scale in nanometers. Lowering the film resolution increases the size and coarseness of the grain, which also reduces high-frequency image detail. This creates a natural softening effect similar to how larger grain structures in real film slightly blur fine detail. In essence, your image is rendered through the grain layer, with every pixel mapped to a simulated grain particle. - Grain Chroma (Grain Color):
The Grain Chroma slider controls the saturation of the grain. Setting it to zero produces classic monochrome grain, while increasing the value introduces subtle color shifts, mimicking the chromatic behavior of color film stocks.
With Color.io you can edit images and build 3D LUTs with a powerful online raw developer and analog film look designer for photographers and filmmakers. Craft stunning film color in record time that works for any camera, in any software and on any device, directly in your browser.
