1 C1 neutral
In photography or digital editing, to add a grainy texture to an image for an artistic or film-like effect.
"She grained up the portrait in post-production to give it a vintage feel."
separable
grain up
C1 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To add a grainy texture to a photograph or digital image; or for grain crops to develop mature seeds.
In plain English
To make a photo look grainy (like an old film photo), or for crops like wheat to grow their seeds.
What does "grain up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 neutral
In agriculture, for cereal crops to develop and fill with mature grain.
"The wheat is graining up well after the recent rain."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To increase the presence of grain in something.
Actually means
To make a photo look grainy (like an old film photo), or for crops like wheat to grow their seeds.
Usage tip
In photography/editing contexts, 'grain up' is used by photographers who want a film-aesthetic look in digital work. In agricultural contexts it refers to cereals filling with grain at maturity. Both uses are quite specialised and infrequent in general conversation.
Words that pair with "grain up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
photo image filter crop wheat shot
How to conjugate "grain up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
grain up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
grains up
he/she/it
Past simple
grained up
yesterday
Past participle
grained up
have + pp
-ing form
graining up
continuous
Hear "grain up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "grain up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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