Grain?? Grain is not noise. We as digital photographers need to no longer say the word grainy unless the photo is known to be film. You can use noise in a lot of ways. Adobe says you...

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

Grain is not noise. We as digital photographers need to no longer say the word grainy unless the photo is known to be film.
You can use noise in a lot of ways. Adobe says you can use it to look like rain. Is this rain or noise ?

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

drklrd wrote:

Grain is not noise. We as digital photographers need to no longer say the word grainy unless the photo is known to be film.
You can use noise in a lot of ways. Adobe says you can use it to look like rain. Is this rain or noise ?

"Image noise" is the digital equivalent of film grain for analogue cameras. Alternatively, one can think of it as analogous to the subtle background hiss you may hear from your audio system at full volume. For digital images, this noise appears as random speckles on an otherwise smooth surface and can significantly degrade image quality. Although noise often detracts from an image, it is sometimes desirable since it can add an old-fashioned, grainy look which is reminiscent of early film. Some noise can also increase the apparent sharpness of an image. Noise increases with the sensitivity setting in the camera, length of the exposure, temperature, and even varies amongst different camera models.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Digital grain. It's a product of the process of capturing images with a digital sensor. Noise, from the EE world has a negative connotation. Grain belongs with photography and always will.
--Bob

drklrd wrote:

Grain is not noise. We as digital photographers need to no longer say the word grainy unless the photo is known to be film.
You can use noise in a lot of ways. Adobe says you can use it to look like rain. Is this rain or noise ?

CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida

rain

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Sometimes, depending on the whether.
--Bob

CPR wrote:

rain

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

Rain.

radiomantom Loc: Plymouth Indiana

Rain

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Yet another pointless point of argument, Grain vs Noise. Are visible pixels noise or grain when pixel peeking? You tell me. I know what both look like.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

I don't hear any noise.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

I think film grain looks better than digital noise. But today's best digital cameras have much less noise at a given ISO than film grain at the same speed.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Grain vs noise, really?
Next time ask JPG vs raw or better yet GIF vs PNG vs JPG vs raw vs DNG vs TIFF. You will have covered most of the formats folks use here but so not forget the other bitmap formats like BMP, PCX...

About to your question...
Grain is truly random. Noise is not.
Grain has random sizes. Noise is a single size: a pixel.
Grain was dark, black. Noise is usually a lighter color in dark areas.
Grain was 'wanted'. Noise usually is not.
Grain - as noise - is always present.

Like it or not grain and noise are here to stay.

As to your 'what is it?'
Post an original next time if you want to 'play games'.

drklrd Loc: Cincinnati Ohio

CPR wrote:

rain

It was rain. I have done the same though in photo-shop by adding a layer of noise manipulated to look like rain. Still amazes me what can be photo-shopped that looks real but isn't real.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Question: If this is true, why does Lightroom have a grain slider? Apparently Adobe disagrees.