How to Fix Grainy Video: 5 Proven Methods to Make Your Videos Clearer

Don't worry if your recently shot video is grainy, noisy, blurry, or hazy. With this smart solution and step-by-step guide on how to fix a grainy video, you can easily remove noise and improve video clarity to achieve professional-quality results—even for beginners.
how to fix grainy video

Have you ever captured a video only to find it unexpectedly grainy, noisy, or blurry? Grainy video is a common issue that many encounter, especially when shooting in low-light environments or with entry-level equipment. Understanding why your video looks grainy and how to effectively fix it can dramatically improve your footage's clarity and overall quality.

UniFab-denoiser performance

In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore what video grain is, the main causes behind grainy footage, and five proven methods of how to fix grainy video—ranging from AI-powered tools to practical adjustments you can make yourself. Whether you're a beginner, content creator, or video editor, these step-by-step solutions will help you clean up grainy video and achieve professional-quality results with ease.

Let's dive in and discover how to make a grainy video clear and visually appealing.

Grainy Video Meaning

Video grain refers to the small, visible texture or “noise” that appears on footage, often resembling tiny dots or speckles scattered throughout the image. This effect originated in analog film as natural film grain, created by light-sensitive particles on the film. In the digital age, grain is usually caused by electronic noise or image artifacts from camera sensors and processing.

grainy video

Unlike the artistic texture of film grain, digital video grain—also called noise—is generally unwanted, as it degrades image quality and clarity. It is often the result of low light conditions, high ISO settings, camera sensor limitations, or compression artifacts.

Common Types of Grainy Video and Their Causes

While experimenting with methods of how to clean up grainy video, it's important to recognize the various types of noise and their sources. Different types of grain result from distinct technical factors during shooting or processing. Understanding these helps to choose the best correction method.

  • Random Noise: Caused by sudden fluctuations in natural or artificial light, creating unpredictable speckles across frames.
  • Read Noise (Banding Noise): Electronic interference occurring as the camera sensor reads data, often appearing as horizontal or vertical band patterns.
  • Fixed Pattern Noise: Caused by inconsistencies in individual pixel sensitivity on the sensor, resulting in repetitive noise patterns.
  • Digital Camera Grain: Resulting from low lighting, high ISO, or incorrect camera settings leading to amplified noise.
  • Film Grain: Visible texture from shooting on actual film stock, often more natural and aesthetic but noticeable when enlarged.
  • Black & White Grain: Grain or artifacts typical of old black-and-white footage shot with lower-spec equipment.
  • Luminous Noise: Occurs due to fluctuations in lighting and sensor response, producing bright speckles or spots.
  • Color Noise (Chrominance Noise): Colored pixels or blotches appearing mainly in shadows or highlights, degrading color accuracy.

By identifying the grain type, you can better target your denoising approach and tools to fix grainy video.

Why Does My Video Look Grainy

Before getting into the solution and steps for cleaning up grainy video, you must be aware of the exact reasons for the grain or noise. Knowing the exact reason for the video grain or noise will help you target the specific solution for it. 

What causes grainy video

  • If the camera is out of focus from the main subject while shooting.
  • Using poor or low-quality camera.
  • Camera malfunction with signal interference during data transmission.
  • Excessive zooming on the video footage.
  • If your hand or camera is shaking.
  • If any object moves very fast during the shoot.
  • Inappropriate camera settings with low aperture & high ISO settings.
  • Inadequate lighting with overexposure to light or night shooting.
  • Video file compression can cause video grain.
  • A camera with a small sensor can cause grain in the video.

If you're wondering, Why is my video grainy? or Why does my video look grainy?—now you know the main causes! Let's explore how to fix it.

How to Fix Grainy Video with AI-Powered Tool

If you want to know the smartest and easiest solution on how to clean up grainy video, here you will get multiple options to do that with step a step guide. From using high-end AI-powered digital noise reduction tools to multiple plugins, you can try various methods to fix grainy video. 

Method 1: How to make a grainy video clear using UniFab Denoise AI

UniFab Denoise AI leverages advanced artificial intelligence to automatically detect and fix grainy video issues by removing digital noise, while preserving important details such as textures and colors. This grainy video fix method is ideal for users seeking a powerful yet easy-to-use solution to clean up grainy video with minimal manual effort. Additionally, UniFab supports enhancing video resolution up to 4K, allowing you to both reduce grain and upscale your footage for clearer, high-quality results.

Best for: All levels, especially when you want automation and the best possible result.

Easily fix grainy video with a single click!

  • Fix grainy video while preserving important details.
  • Upscale video resolution up to 4K for improved clarity.
  • 30-day free trial for full features, without watermark!
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UniFab Grainy Video Fix Performance

unifab denoise video effect

Advantages of UniFab

  • Efficient Noise Reduction: UniFab Denoise AI can reduce grain and noise, delivering a cleaner, more polished video.
  • Detail Preservation: Unlike other tools that blur details, UniFab ensures that key features, like faces and textures, remain sharp and clear.
  • Smooth, Natural Finish: The tool eliminates grain without over-smoothing the video, maintaining a natural look throughout.
  • Balanced Highlights: It handles high-light areas well, preventing overexposure, which can be an issue with some other denoising tools.
  • Overall Quality Boost: While effectively reducing noise, UniFab enhances the overall video quality with improved clarity and sharpness, offering a superior viewing experience.

Steps: How to clean up grainy video

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Step 1

On your Windows/ Mac PC install & launch the UniFab program, go to "All Features", then choose “Denoiser” Module from "Video AI". Click the “Add” option to import the grainy video you want to denoise.

how to fix grainy video - step 1
Step 2

Here, you can customize and edit the video using various parameters, such as resolution, quality, codec, format, etc.

how to fix grainy video - step 2
Step 3

Click “Start” to clean up digital noise from your selected video. 

How to Fix Grainy Video with Other Methods

Method 2: How to clean up grainy video using video noise reduction plugins

Best for: Experienced video editors and content creators who want precise control over noise reduction using professional tools.

Using video noise reduction plugins is a popular way to fix grainy video, especially for those using professional video editing software. These plugins help clean up grainy footage by targeting and reducing various types of digital noise, including grain, pixels, and compression artifacts.

Common plugins like Magic Bullet Denoiser, Neat Video, Red Giant, Noiseware, and Nik Define offer both free and paid options, allowing you to choose one that fits your editing workflow.

Method 3: How to make a video less grainy by reducing the playback Window size

Best for: Viewers seeking a quick, no-effort visual improvement during video playback without permanent changes.

One simple trick to make your video look less grainy is by reducing the playback window size during viewing. When the video is displayed smaller, grain and noise become less noticeable, improving the perceived clarity. However, this method does not actually fix grain from the video file—it only minimizes its visibility on screen. Use this as a quick fix during streaming or previewing grainy footage.

Method 4: How to fix a grainy video using compatible video player

Best for: Users facing grainy playback caused by software incompatibility rather than actual video noise.

Sometimes, using incompatible video players can cause grainy video while streaming. Some video players have been encoded with such an algorithm that can't render certain types of videos that you might be streaming. As a result, you end up streaming video with unwanted grain and noise. In that case, all you need to do is change your video player instead of trying denoising, as there is no noise at all in the video. 

Method 5: How to make a grainy video clear using a powerful system’s hardware 

Best for: Users experiencing grainy or laggy video playback due to limited system performance on high-resolution videos.

To play any high-resolution video, your computer needs a significant amount of resources. So, if you are playing a high-end video in a system with limited Harward capacity, you will end up with grainy video during streaming. So, you should increase your system’s hardware strength to stream any high-resolution video without grain or noise.

Key Takeaways

  • AI-based tools like UniFab offer the most user-friendly solution.
  • Video editing plugins offer control for pros and enthusiasts.
  • Sometimes, playback tricks or hardware upgrades make all the difference for clearer visuals.

Tips to Prevent Grainy Video in Future Shoots

Preventing grainy video starts at the time of shooting. By following these simple yet effective tips, you can minimize video noise and capture clearer footage from the start:

  • Ensure Proper Lighting: Shoot in well-lit environments or use additional lighting like softbox lights to reduce sensor noise caused by low light.
  • Use a Camera with a Good Sensor: Cameras with larger sensors capture cleaner images with less grain, especially in challenging lighting.
  • Keep the Camera Steady: Use a tripod or stabilizer to avoid shake that can worsen graininess and blur.
  • Adjust Camera Settings Correctly: Opt for low ISO values and wider apertures to let in more light and reduce noise.
  • Regularly Clean Your Lens and Sensor: Dust and smudges can affect image clarity and contribute to grain.
  • Export Videos at High Quality: Avoid excessive compression during export to prevent introducing additional noise and artifacts.
  • Activate Built-in Noise Reduction: Many cameras offer in-camera noise reduction functions—enable these when appropriate.

Following these best practices will help you shoot videos that are naturally less grainy and easier to fix if needed.

Download the Best Tool to Fix Grainy Video

If you are struggling with unwanted grains or noise in your video and looking for the best option of how to fix grainy video, you can try any of the above-mentioned methods to make video clearer

However, if you don't want to get into any complex steps or technicalities, UniFab Denoise AI would be the best option for automatic noise reduction. Using this AI-based tool, you can eliminate digital grain from any video within a second, and your video will be crystal clear for your high-quality, seamless streaming. 

FAQs about How to Fix Grainy Video

What is the app that cleans up grainy video for free?

A great free app to fix grainy video is UniFab Video Denoise AI, which uses advanced AI to remove noise and enhance video clarity. It offers a 30-day free trial with no watermark, making it the perfect solution for cleaning up grainy footage effortlessly.

How to Fix Grainy Video Free Using Online Tool?

Yes, there are free online tools available to remove grain from videos. For a detailed review of the best options, check out our article Remove Grain From Video. It covers free online tools and provides alternative that can help you easily reduce grain and improve your video quality.

How to make pixelated video clear?

To make a pixelated video clear, you can use AI video enhancers like UniFab Video Enhancer AI or Topaz Video Enhance AI to upscale and restore lost details. Adjusting sharpness, reducing noise, and using high-quality playback settings can also help improve clarity. For a detailed guide, check out this article: How to Depixelate a Video.

What are the precautions to avoid video grain?

  • Shoot video with sufficient lighting conditions by avoiding overexposure to light or dense darkness of night
  • Use appropriate camera settings with proper wide aperture & low ISO settings
  • Use a camera with a wide sensor
  • Use a camera stand to avoid any kind of shaking
  • Activate the built-in noise reduction function in your camera
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I enjoy capturing life's beautiful moments and exploring innovation. Trying different video editing software helps me find the best tools for my work. My articles aim to help you discover video editing software that fits your style, as we navigate the ever-changing world of technology together.