Add Noise

Combines random or Perlin noise with source video using a customizable blend mode.

This plugin has been completely redesigned in FxFactory Pro 6 to support advanced source and mask selection, chromatic aberration and animatable parameters.

The user interface encourages progressive discovery of the large number of features. Built-in presets offer shortcuts to popular styles and techniques. Master advanced techniques once and apply them to other plugins that share the same design.

Compatibility

Add Noise is compatible with Final Cut Pro, Motion, Premiere Pro, After Effects and DaVinci Resolve.

Parameters

Presets

Presets contain a snapshot of your effect configuration. 23 built-in presets are available.

When you save parameter configuration to a file on disk, this file can later be loaded to recreate the same effect configuration. Presets generated in one video application can be used by the same plug-in running in a different video application.

Working with the Presets Browser

Preview

This parameter enables a canvas preview of the pixels selected through the Source and Mask parameter sections.

Previewing the Source and Mask

Add Noise

Noise

The following options are available:

  • Standard (default) — Frames created with standard random noise are optionally blended together, and rotated.
  • Perlin — Perlin noise can smoothly transition from one noise pattern to another. It is best when creating light leaks or adding noise at a very large scale. This type of noise cannot be rotated.

Intensity

Mixes random noise of the selected type with the original media. The higher the intensity, the more visible the noise.

Contrast

Adjusts contrast levels of randomly generated noise.

Scale

Controls noise size relative to the original video. At 50%, one pixel in your video is composited with one pixel of randomly generated noise. At lower than 50%$, random noise appears smaller than pixels in your video. This is helpful when simulating film grain at finer resolution.

Aspect Ratio

Stretches the noise pattern horizontally or vertically.

Angle

Controls the direction of noise. This parameter is only avaialable with Standard noise. Its effect is easier to understand when Aspect Ratio is different than 0.

Monochromatic

When turned on, the plugin uses black and white noise. When turned off, separate noise is created for the red, green and blue channels.

When using Monochromatic noise, two additional Tint Color parameters allow you to colorize the noise map. Note that Adaptive Tinting can further alter the look of the noise map, by pushing its colors towards the overall tint detected in your video.

Adaptive Tinting

Pushes colors in the noise map towards the overall tint of the clip. This parameter affects both types of noise, and works both when creating Monochromatic noise or when using RGB noise.

Adaptive Tinting enhances film grain simulation by color-matching random noise to the content of your video, among other applications.

Blend Frames

Controls whether successive frames of random noise are blended together in the transition from one frame to the next. This parameter is only available when Noise is set to Standard, since Perlin noise transitions smoothly by design.

Native Frame Rate

When enabled, one frame of random noise is generated for each frame of your video. When using Perlin noise, this parameter sets the speed at which the noise evolves to match the clip.

Frames Per Second

Controls how many frames of random noise are generated per second, when the Native Frame Rate parameter is off.

Blend Mode

Allows you to select the composite operation used to blend random noise with the original video.

The default composite operation is Overlay because it does not significantly alter the overall brightness of your video. Other blend modes provide less subtle results.

Source

Parameters in this section allow you to choose a set of pixels to apply the effect to, based on a number of techniques:

  • Luminance Range: select a range of pixels based on their brightness.
  • Color Key: select a range of pixels through a keying algorithm.
  • Edges: select pixels according to an edge detection algorithm.
  • Person Contour: select the main subject in the video frame through an AI-assisted algorithm. Works best with human subjects.
  • Object Tracker: select pixels by tracking one or more objects across the frame.
  • Face Detection: select pixels by detecting the location of human faces and tracking them across the frame for the duration of the clip.

Choosing Source Pixels

Original (left), selecting the darkest pixels (center) and lightest pixels (right)
Original (left), selecting the darkest pixels (center) and lightest pixels (right)

Mask

Parameters in this section define a shape used to crop the output of the effect with. When using an object tracker or face detection, the same mask shape is replicated for each object or face that appears in the frame.

  • Off: no cropping occurs.
  • Rectangle: crop the output to a rectangular shape.
  • Oval: crop the output to a circular shape.
  • Gradient: crop the output to a linear gradient.
  • Bar: crop the output to a two-sided gradient.
  • Custom: crop the output to a shape defined by a custom graphic.
  • Text: crop the outut to a shape defined by a title.

Choosing a Mask

Rectangular mask (left), gradient (center), gradient mixed with Person Contour (right)
Rectangular mask (left), gradient (center), gradient mixed with Person Contour (right)

Chromatic Aberration

Parameters in this section allow you to apply color distortions inspired by lens geometry, but with greater artistic range.

Using Chromatic Aberration

Original (left), distortion of the red and blue channels (center) and of chroma (right)
Original (left), distortion of the red and blue channels (center) and of chroma (right)

Center: Rig

When Source is set to either to use object tracking or face detection, this parameter lets you rig the location of the lens to a specific object or face.

Rigging the location of the lens to a face detection
Rigging the location of the lens to a face detection

Animation

This section allows you to animate effect parameters over time.

Build In/Out

Enable and control animation progress through a set of parameters.

When the animation is Off, no transition in or out of the effect occurs.

When the effect is set to build in and out by Trimming, the following parameters are displayed:

The Trim slider defines a range where the effect has been fully built. Any time outside this range is spent building the animation in or out. For example, if the Trim range is set between 20% and 80%, the effect builds in from the start of the clip up to 20% of its duration. The effects builds out from 80% to the end of the clip. If the clip were 5 seconds long, the build in and out animations last 1 second each.

When the effect is set to build in and out through a Duration, the following parameters are displayed:

The Build In (secs) and Build Out (secs) give you an exact way to decide how long each animation should last. Should your selection not be applicable to the current clip, a warning will appear in the output. For example, if your clip lasts only 3 seconds, it would be impossible to have the build in and out animations both last 2 seconds each (as the total would be 4 seconds).

When the effect is set to build in and out through Keyframes, a single parameter is displayed:

The Build In (Easing) and Build Out (Easing) parameters let you choose the animation curve when animating by Trimming the clip or by specifying a Duration.

The Progress parameter gives complete control over the animation to you. You will need to keyframe the Progress parameter using features of the video app. Note that there are no easing options when manually animating via keyframes.

Intensity

Turn this parameter on to animate the Intensity of the noise.

Intensity Animation

Scale

Turn this parameter on to animate the Scale of the noise map.

Scale Animation

Angle

Turn this parameter on to animate the Angle of the noise map, when Noise is set to Standard.

Angle Animation

Tint Color 1

Turn this parameter on to animate Tint Color 1 of a Monochromatic noise map.

Tint Color 1 Animation

Tint Color 2

Turn this parameter on to animate Tint Color 2 of a Monochromatic noise map.

Tint Color 2 Animation

Aberration Amount

Turn this parameter on to animate the Amount value specified under the Chromatic Aberration section. A number of standard controls allow you to control the animation:

Aberration Amount Animation

Animating the Aberration Amount with Directional (left) and Radial (right) Fringing

Seed

A number that controls random aspects of the effect.

Click the New button to assign a new seed value. When the seed value is changed, the effect uses a different random sequence to produce a different output.

Edit the existing value to manually assign a seed number. This may help you replicate a particular sequence of random events. In Final Cut Pro and Motion, hold down the Option ⌥ key to access the Edit button in the inspector.

Channel Selection

This section allows you to limit the effect to specific channels, leaving others unmodified.

Limiting Output to Specific Channels