by Nikita Petrovich·Color Grading
Images © Nikita Petrovich. Used for product review; image policy.
FX Grainny DCTL earns its place for packing posterization, pixel mix, grain and contour controls into a single DaVinci Resolve DCTL. Its 1.0.0 release built on the DaVinci Resolve 19.1 DCTL API, and recent updates have addressed Pixel Mix artefacts on near-even luminance and an encrypted-compilation error on NVIDIA GPU systems.
FX Grainny DCTL is a DaVinci Resolve effect that turns footage into a graphic novel style, combining grain shading with high-contrast art effects. You apply it by adding "NP FX Grainny" to a clip or node.
The core look is built from the Posterization and Pixel Mix settings. The Steps slider controls the posterization, where fewer steps produce a stronger, more stylized result, while the Blend sliders set the visibility of the grain and texture. A Colorize feature works best when the posterization Steps are set to five or fewer, and Source Contour lets you customize the contour color through HSV parameters, color picker controls, or by inverting the image in the contour area. Hovering over a parameter name shows a tooltip.
FX Grainny DCTL is compatible with DaVinci Resolve 21, 20 and 19, and the current release is version 1.0.3. A demo video is available on the developer's page.
FX Grainny DCTL is best for editors and colorists who want a graphic novel style with grain shading and high-contrast art effects inside DaVinci Resolve.
FX Grainny DCTL is completely free to download and use.
FX Grainny DCTL is listed as compatible with DaVinci Resolve 21, 20 and 19, so version 21 is supported. The effect is presented as a graphic novel style for DaVinci Resolve Studio. The current release is version 1.0.3, updated in June 2026. If you are on an older build than 19 or want to confirm exact compatibility, check the developer's page before installing.
FX Grainny DCTL is applied by adding "NP FX Grainny" to a clip or node in DaVinci Resolve. From there you build the base style with the Posterization and Pixel Mix settings, use the Steps slider to control the posterization, and set the Blend sliders to control how visible the grain and texture are. If you are unsure what a control does, hover your mouse over the parameter name to see a tooltip.
FX Grainny DCTL's Colorize feature works best when the Posterization Steps are set to five or fewer. Fewer steps produce a stronger, more stylized posterization, and the Steps slider is where you control that effect. Source Contour also offers color options: you can shift colors in the contour region with HSV parameters, pick a color through the UI elements, or invert the image within the contour area. Hovering over any parameter name shows a tooltip explaining it.
FX Grainny DCTL version 1.0.2 addressed an "Encrypted compilation failed" error that appeared on systems with an NVIDIA GPU, and version 1.0.3 fixed Pixel Mix artefacts on areas with almost even luminance values. If you run into GPU-related issues, make sure you are on the latest release, currently 1.0.3 from June 2026. For any further compatibility questions, the developer's page is the best place to check.
FX Grainny DCTL is listed as free in this catalog. Licensing terms can change over time, so check the developer's page for current details before downloading. The plugin is distributed through aescripts and works with DaVinci Resolve 21, 20 and 19, with version 1.0.3, updated in June 2026, as the current release. A demo video is available on the developer's page as well.
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