CSHADE_APPLY_GRAIN

A preprocessor macro to enable procedural film grain in the CShade rendering pipeline.

What is CSHADE_APPLY_GRAIN?

CSHADE_APPLY_GRAIN is a macro that adds a dynamic film grain effect to the final image. It uses procedural noise (Simplex noise) to simulate the chemical grain texture found in traditional film stock, adding texture and a sense of “realism” to digital rendering.

Where to find it?

• Logic: The macro is checked within shared/cShade.fxh.

• Implementation: The underlying function CLens_ApplyFilmGrain is located in shared/cLens.fxh.

When to use it?

Use this macro when you want to:

• Break up clean digital gradients and reduce color banding.

• Achieve a classic “filmic” or “vintage” aesthetic.

• Add micro-texture to the image to increase perceived detail.

How to use it?

Define the macro as 1 before including the main CShade header:

#define CSHADE_APPLY_GRAIN 1
#include "shared/cShade.fxh"

Once enabled, the UI will provide options to adjust Grain Size, Grain Intensity, and whether to use a Time-based Seed for dynamic movement.

Why does it exist?

Perfectly smooth digital images can often feel artificial or “sterile.” Film grain introduces organic-feeling randomness that mimics the imperfections of physical media. Integrating it directly into the core pipeline ensures it can be applied efficiently as a final texture layer.