Adding 35mm Film Grain

[NewNightmare]

I am new to this forum and to producing and preserving movies of all sorts (mainly horror). I am confident with my editing skills and ability to create a fully authored BD, however I have learned that there are ways to improve the quality of a movie file (in this case, the file is in an MKV/M2TS format) by simply adding 35mm film grain to the file. This is one area I am not an expert in nor familiar with. If there is anyone out there reading this now that would like to offer me some pointers and/or assistance, I welcome your input with open arms. Thanks for taking the time to read this

Here is a link to an example of what I am trying to achieve:

http://gorillagrain.com/products

I would also be willing to send the file and the 35mm grain plate that I purchased to do this. I would also be willing to compensate you for your time. A bit of a trade, if you will. Please get back to me at your earliest convenience. Thank You

[spoRv]

Welcome aboard!

The forum is in the middle of an upgrade, so you should be patient for a while, but you'll receive help ASAP!

[NewNightmare]

Is it strange that I just got the jitters and an uncontrollable urge to jump up and down with excitement after reading your post?

[jonno]

Ah, lovely grain. I've yet to use it for a full feature, but it's incredibly useful in my cinema intro edits to marry up movie trailers from different sources (where some might be pristine 35mm scans and some from VHS!)

I went for Holygrain myself - their basic plates are terrific, but their damage layers (dust, scratches etc.) could be better, so I'll look into what Gorilla have to offer.

Anyway, your approach depends on your editing app - if you're using a commercial NLE or compositing software (e.g. Premiere / AE / FCP) it's simply a case of placing the grain clip in a layer above your main video, the enabling the overlay mode in blending/transparency settings. This will add the desired light/dark variation from the grain clip to appear over your own material, while still leaving it perfectly visible. I can come back with some pics if it will help, but it's really pretty simple.

(Most grain plates will run for a few minutes at best, so simply loop it to match the runtime of your main video).

Others may prefer to use VirtualDub (or even just AviSynth for all I know), but that's outside my own realm of experience so I'll leave them to comment on that!

[NewNightmare]

Ah, lovely grain. I've yet to use it for a full feature, but it's incredibly useful in my cinema intro edits to marry up movie trailers from different sources (where some might be pristine 35mm scans and some from VHS!)
I went for Holygrain myself - their basic plates are terrific, but their damage layers (dust, scratches etc.) could be better, so I'll look into what Gorilla have to offer.
Anyway, your approach depends on your editing app - if you're using a commercial NLE or compositing software (e.g. Premiere / AE / FCP) it's simply a case of placing the grain clip in a layer above your main video, the enabling the overlay mode in blending/transparency settings. This will add the desired light/dark variation from the grain clip to appear over your own material, while still leaving it perfectly visible. I can come back with some pics if it will help, but it's really pretty simple.
(Most grain plates will run for a few minutes at best, so simply loop it to match the runtime of your main video).
Others may prefer to use VirtualDub (or even just AviSynth for all I know), but that's outside my own realm of experience so I'll leave them to comment on that!

Thank You very much for that detailed response.  I haven't downloaded any kind of an app because I'm not sure what works best or what, should I say, is the "easiest" type of interface to use.  If you could let me know which app would be the most convenient and easy to use, along with a few pics of the process itself, that would be terrific!

Of course, I would much rather send the files to spoRv and let him work the same magic he did for The Arrival project. When I saw the difference in quality for the screen caps he posted, I just could not believe what a difference adding the grain plate did. Wow. Amazing work with amazing results

[spoRv]

If you are new to all of this, let me say something important: DO NOT use AviSynth, until you are ready to spend a lot of patience and time spent into learning how to use it...

Try Davinci Resolve: it's free, and it seems quite easy to use!

[jonno]

I'm an Adobe guy and the technique I described works great in Premiere. If you'd like to trial it, the Creative Cloud plans are a pretty good deal - it's a subscription service rather than a full purchase, so you get all their apps for a monthly rate (good for dipping your toe in effects or audio work too).

Have a look here: http://www.adobe.com/creativecloud.html (they have regional sites so you may get redirected)

[NewNightmare]

I downloaded Davinci Resolve and was presented with a problem almost immediately. The area where you are supposed to be able to search and add a media file doesn't allow me to search my C drive to the proper location where my media files are. I've tinkered every which way but to no avail. Something that should be so simple is turning out to be extremely frustrating.

I may have to try the Adobe Creative Cloud and see if that works, although I wouldn't want to pay for something if I'm in "test mode" and it turns out to not be what I'm looking for.

Would either of you consider applying the grain plate to the file with your programs if I were to send you the grain plate and the file? I actually came across a 4K Grain Plate that I am definitely interested in trying out. It seems like an easy way out, I know, but I really only planned to do this with this one particular project. If it turns out the way I expect it will, I will eventually have to learn how to do this on my own. As a form of compensation, I will send the finished product to the "taker". The file size is 7GB, so I would also need to know where to upload it so you can download it, should you choose to accompany me with this request.

Please get back to me at your earliest convenience. Thanks for the help guys, much appreciated

[dvdmike]

If you are new to all of this, let me say something important: DO NOT use AviSynth, until you are ready to spend a lot of patience and time spent into learning how to use it...

Try Davinci Resolve: it's free, and it seems quite easy to use!

I cant get any media into that no matter how hard I try!

[titanic]

If you are new to all of this, let me say something important: DO NOT use AviSynth, until you are ready to spend a lot of patience and time spent into learning how to use it...
Try Davinci Resolve: it's free, and it seems quite easy to use!

I cant get any media into that no matter how hard I try!

I just installed the software and tried it.
You see on the upper left that says library?
Well, i see the programme has created a folder in my hard drive:
Cvol0
well, in that folder i copied the video file i wanted, and then when i closed the programme and restarted it, it appeared there in the library and I inserted then into the project.
of course I guess i need a powerful pc, because the video freezes..