Tools
Artwork noise texture
Add a noise texture to your artwork
Add a layer of colour noise to your artwork to give it a printed texture.
Drop your artwork here
or click to browse, or paste
About this technique
Adding colour noise at low opacity with the overlay blend mode is a classic digital art trick. It adds subtle texture and colour variation that makes artwork feel more organic and cohesive, much like the natural grain of traditional media.
About this tool
Apply the classic digital art trick of adding colour noise at very low opacity with the overlay blend mode. The result is a subtle grain that breaks up flat fills, reduces colour banding in gradients and gives a finish closer to print or traditional media. It works well on exported vector illustrations, posters, covers and backgrounds.
Drop the artwork in, choose it or paste it. Set “Noise opacity” between 1% and 20%; it defaults to 2%, the usual value. “Noise scale” (1x to 4x) makes the grain chunkier. The preview updates on its own. If you don’t like the pattern, press “Regenerate” for a new one, and when you are happy, hit “Download PNG”.
The image is processed in your browser on a canvas and never uploaded. It accepts any format your browser can open and always downloads as PNG at the original size, so a large JPG photo may end up much heavier. The noise is random on every pass. It will not remove noise or sharpen an image.
Frequently asked questions
Why add noise to digital artwork?
Flat colours and perfect gradients can look sterile and show banding. A little noise hides that and gives a more organic texture.
What noise opacity should I use?
Somewhere between 2% and 5% is usually enough to notice without looking dirty. Above 10% the grain is very visible and works best as a deliberate effect.
What does the overlay blend mode do?
It lightens light areas and darkens dark ones based on the noise, without shifting mid-tones much. That is why the grain blends into the artwork rather than sitting on top like a grey layer.
Can I apply exactly the same noise to several images?
Not exactly: the pattern is random each time. With the same opacity and scale settings the look will be very similar, even though the grain is not identical.