Free Film Grain Overlays

Features

• 35mm fine, 16mm medium and 8mm heavy grain, luminance-only or with color noise
• Dust and scratches, old-film flicker and vignette, and TV static
• 1080p, 24 fps, 6 seconds, on a neutral mid-grey base — set the blend mode to Overlay and it just works
• Apply any grain to a video with one click — rendered on our servers, nothing to download
• Free to use anywhere, including commercial projects — no attribution

Quick Facts

• There are nine clips, each 1920x1080 and 6 seconds long at 24 fps - 144 frames - except TV Static, which is 30 fps.
• The Overlay blend mode treats mid-grey (128 of 255 in 8-bit) as neutral, so a grey-based grain clip adds texture without lifting or crushing the picture underneath. Source
• Real film grain comes from the silver halide crystals in the emulsion, so its size and density vary with the stock - which is why 8mm looks coarser than 35mm at the same magnification. Source

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I use a film grain overlay in Premiere Pro or Resolve?

Place the grain clip on a track above your footage, set its blend mode to Overlay (Premiere: Effect Controls → Opacity → Blend Mode; Resolve: Inspector → Composite Mode), lower its opacity to taste, and loop or stretch it to cover the clip.

Why is the clip grey instead of transparent?

Overlay blend treats mid-grey as neutral: brighter pixels lighten the picture, darker ones darken it. A grey-based clip therefore adds only the grain texture, and every editor supports it — unlike alpha video, which many do not.

Are these really free?

Yes. The grain is computed, not scanned from licensed film, so there is no rights holder. Use the clips in personal or commercial work with no attribution.

Can I add grain without downloading anything?

Yes — click Use on a video, upload your clip in the overlay tool, and the grain is rendered on our servers (the clips are too large for the browser engine). The retro effects tool also has a built-in film grain preset with a strength slider that runs in your browser.

How do I cover a clip longer than 6 seconds?

Loop the grain clip. Each one is 6 seconds, or 144 frames at 24 fps, so a 30-second shot needs five copies laid end to end. Because the grain is random there is no visible seam at the loop point.

Will the grain work on a vertical 9:16 video?

Yes, but the clips are 1920x1080 landscape, so scale the overlay up to cover the full vertical frame rather than fitting it. Grain is random texture, so stretching it changes nothing you can see.