This article is an extract from the Fix It In Photoshop book, which is available as an eBook, paperback and in hardback. Please check out my store for more details. Here is how to automatically add a cool grain effect to your images using Adobe Photoshop:
We will use Photoshops Camera RAW app to do this. If you are editing a RAW file, it will automatically open up in the Camera RAW app, and you can jump straight to step 3. If however you are opening a JPG or other compressed format, there are a couple of additional steps to get set up. But once you have done this, you can go back and forth from the Photoshop main panel to Camera RAW whenever you need.
STEP 1: Make sure you have the image you want to edit inside Camera RAW selected in the Layers Tab of the Panels. Then right-click on the Layer and select ‘Convert To Smart Object’. You can also go via the Application Bar and ‘Layer >Smart Objects > Convert To Smart Object’. This ensures that any changes done in Camera RAW are stored in Photoshop, i.e., your edits are non-destructive.
STEP 2: Head up to the Application Bar and select ‘Filter > Camera RAW Filter’. Camera RAW then opens
STEP 3: If you are looking for that old-school grainy look to your images, then head to the Edit Panel and open up the Effects Tab. The Grain slider enables you to add a film grain effect, and the advanced options let you tailor the size of the grain particles as well as their roughness. Then press OK to commit the change.
