Tag Archives: RAW

FUJIFILM Introduces Free X RAW STUDIO Software

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Fujifilm has created their own free RAW Conversion software program called FUJIFILM X RAW STUDIO. Designed as an alternative to the many existing RAW converters out there, Fuji’s new app takes an entirely different approach.

Instead of using the processing power of your computer to perform the conversions, you connect your camera via USB cable to your computer and use the camera’s image processor to do the work. Essentially, it’s just like doing your conversions in the camera, (found in the Playback Menu), except you’re converting RAW files that are already on your computer and using the computer screen instead of the camera LCD.

This means you can adjust the following parameters, which match exactly with what you have available when you do your in-camera conversions:

  • Push/Pull Processing
  • Dynamic Range
  • Film Simulation
  • Grain Effect
  • White Balance
  • WB Shift
  • Highlight Tone
  • Shadow Tone
  • Color
  • Sharpness
  • Noise Reduction
  • Lens Modulation Optimizer
  • Color Space
  • Rotate

 

If you’ve done any in-camera RAW conversions with your Fuji, you’ll recognize all of these settings. They appear in X RAW STUDIO exactly as they do in the camera. This gives you a lot of flexibility for adjusting your captures before exporting them to JPEG.

What you don’t get, are sliders. For better or worse, X RAW STUDIO doesn’t have any sliders, which means you can’t make fine tune adjustments like you can in other programs. In addition, aside from the film simulations, there are no presets or tool palettes. However, it does have batch processing and it lets you create and save Custom Conversion Profiles.

This mean you’re options are limited. However, this might appear to some people who get bogged down and find themselves spending lots of time sliding sliders and trying to choose the right preset. There’s something to be said for opening a RAW file, making a few simple tweaks and calling it good.

This is especially true for Fuji users who might already be happy with their images and colors, and who only want to change the film sim or make adjustments to things like HIGHLIGHT and SHADOW TONE or WHITE BALANCE. This offers an easy way to do that.

With this in mind, and given the fact that there are numerous, high quality RAW converters on the market, why might you choose FUJIFILM X RAW STUDIO? Let’s take a brief look at what it offers:

The program works with both Mac and Windows, and the the current list of compatible cameras includes the X-T2/3/4, X-Pro2/3, X100F/V, X-T20/30 and GFX models.)

With the three newest models, the X-T4, X-Pro 3 and X100V, you even have the option to save your current adjustment recipe as a preset within the program, and also save it as one of the CUSTOM presents inside the Q Menu.

1. Processing Power

RAW files from the newest X Series cameras and the GFX are quite big. They contain a ton of color and tonal information, and if you don’t have an extremely fast computer, it can take awhile to open and convert, especially if you’re editing lots of images or doing batch conversions.

By taking advantage to the powerful X Processor Pro chip inside your camera, you can offload the work to your camera and potentially decrease the time needed to perform your conversions. The Fuji cameras already have the capability to convert RAW files, and unless you have the newest, fastest machine, your camera may actually be able to do it faster.

I haven’t conducted any scientific benchmark tests, but in my quick and dirty view, once you connect your camera, open the app and choose your desired folder of images, X RAW STUDIO opens the file remarkably fast.

It only takes a minute or two to load an entire folder of 1,000 RAW files into the browser, and only 3 seconds per image, from the instant you click on a RAW file to the moment it’s ready to make adjustments.

Compare that to the latest version of Luminar, which takes about 20 seconds to open a RAW file on my Mid 2010 Mac Pro, or the time it takes to import a large number of RAW files into Lightroom, which could take as long as a decent coffee break with your New York Times app.

Previewing ACROS Film Simulation on a Fuji RAW file.

2. FUJI-Specific Adjustments

As I said, X RAW STUDIO doesn’t have sliders, but it does have those Fuji-specific adjustments, like HIGHLIGHT and SHADOW TONE, WB SHIFT, and all the Film Simulations. If you find yourself using those adjustment on your X Series camera or GFX, or if you like to do your RAW Conversions in-camera, then X RAW STUDIO will let you create a workflow that looks very similar to what you’re already used to.

In a way, those adjustments are like presets, they’re Fuji presets, and although they’re limited, they still give you a lot of flexility with regards to adjusting your images.

3. Fine Detail Reproduction

As many Fuji photographers have discovered, not all programs do an excellent job demosaicing the X-Trans files. While most RAW conversion programs do a decent job, some shooters are unhappy with the way that programs like Lightroom “smudge” fine details like foliage, skin and hair.

X RAW does a fantastic job here. I’ve been impressed with how good Luminar 2018 does with regards to sharpness and fine details on the X-Trans RAW files, but in a side by side test at 100%, X RAW STUDIO is noticeably shaper right out of the box.

This doesn’t mean that it’s “better.” Extreme pixel peeping is never the measure of what makes an image great, and while I’m very happy with how good X Trans files look when processed in Luminar, some more “critical” photographers may find that X RAW STUDIO give them the sharpness they desire with regards to fine details.

VELVIA in X RAW STUDIO

Photoshop’s version of VELVIA.

4. Oh… Those FUJI Colors

This is perhaps the main reason that many X Series photographers my decide to use X RAW STUDIO. As we all know, the Fuji colors are awesome, but not every software gets is right. If you shoot RAW, you’re at the mercy of Lightroom, Photoshop, Capture One, Luminar, Iridient Developer, etc… to demosaic your X-Trans sensor RAW file and try to match your Fuji colors.

Color is a very subjecting thing and there will always be differences when you cross devices. RAW conversions are also quite subjective. Extrapolating sensor data and converting it into an image is not a perfect process. There’s some “interpretation” going on there, especially when it comes to color.

And when it comes to the Fuji colors… between the inconsistencies of color reproduction and demosaicing  the X-Trans RAW files, nobody gets it perfect. This fact leaves many Fuji photographers frustrated by the color inconsistency between what they saw in their camera and what they see on the screen.

This is where X RAW STUDIO has a serious advantage. A Fuji-designed software program demosaicing a RAW file from a Fuji sensor and reproducing the Fuji color profiles, using the Fuji-designed image processor in a Fuji camera to perform the conversion gives you as close a consistency as you’re every going to find.

Who knows the Fuji colors better than Fuji? Since X RAW STUDIO effectively keeps all of the work “in house,” you’re going to see the colors of the Fuji film simulations match from camera to screen with a degree of exactness that you’ll never see with any other software. This is compounded by the fact that when you open up a RAW file in any other program, it trashes your film simulation profile, and you can’t get it back.

CLASSIC CHROME in X RAW STUDIO

Photoshop’s version of CLASSIC CHROME

Lightroom has their own Fuji Film Sim profiles in the Camera Calibration tab, and Iridient Developer has a pack of Film Sim profiles you can get, and while they’re all very close, they’re not perfect. With any other program you have to start from scratch if you want to try and reproduce those Fuji colors.

With X RAW STUDIO, VELVIA looks like VELVIA, ASTIA looks like ASTIA and ACROS looks just like ACROS. That said, programs like Luminar and Lightroom do a pretty good job. Also, not every Fuji shooter who shoots RAW cares about the Film Simulations, so this issue becomes a moot point.

However, if you crave those Fuji colors and haven’t been able to get the consistency you desire between camera and computer, this might be your solution.

ASTIA in X RAW STUDIO

Adobe Photoshop’s version of ASTIA.

The best thing is that FUJI X RAW STUDIO is a free program, so you don’t have to make any hard commitments. You could download it and only use it as needed. If you’re having issues with a specific image and can’t seem to get the color or sharpness you desire from your main RAW conversion software, you’d have this as an alternative solution, which is just how Fuji is describing it.

You can read more about the program and download FUJIFILM X RAW STUDIO here. You can also watch my video tutorial here:

3 Reasons Why I Recommend Shooting JPEG Instead of RAW

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Things sure change, don’t they? A few years ago, when writing about this topic, I was insistent that serious photographers should always shoot RAW. Now look at me. Now I’m all about the JPEG.

So what’s changed?

Technology for one. Cameras sensors have improved over the years and are now capable of recording a much wider dynamic range than ever before. Also, mirrorless cameras happened. With full-time live view, you effectively have a WISYWIG viewfinder, which means there’s no more guesswork when it comes to exposure. (DSLR’s have Live View Mode, but with a major autofocus limitation.)

Finally, my own viewpoint has shifted. Over the past few years, I’ve evolved my own mindset when it comes to photography and creativity. I feel I’ve come full circle and returned to the shooting mentality I had when I first stated with photography almost 28 years ago.

So what does this have to do with you?

I’ll tell you. I feel that my evolution and my current approach to photography has brought me a vast amount of creative liberation and freedom. In short, my “fun factor” with photography is higher than it ever has been.

At the same time, I see many other shooters getting bogged down with their workflow and struggling with certain aspects of their photography approach. My goal with this post is to help you become more efficient and more productive with your photography. Put simply, I want you to have more fun. After all, photography and fun sound like they begin with the same letter, right?

Before you start arguing with me on this, you should know that I’m full supportive of shooting RAW when necessary. Shooting RAW allows you to extract maximum quality and tonal range to your image. With certain types of photography, or if you’re shooting a critical assignment, then of course, you’ll probably want to shoot RAW. Or RAW+JPEG.

I still shoot RAW on occasion, but much less often than ever before and I would advocate you try the same approach. Here are my 3 reasons why you should seriously consider shooting JPEG instead of RAW.

1. You’ll Save Time. And Hard Drive Space

Picture this scenario: You go on a really cool photo trip to an amazing destination and shoot about a thousand photos, all in RAW. When you get back, your friends ask you, “when can we see your pictures?”

You say, “After I edit them and process all the good ones.”

However, a few things seem to interfere with your photo processing time. On Monday, you have to go back to work, and right after work, you have to pick up the kids from school. While they’re at soccer practice, you stop by Home Depot and buy lightbulbs, because the one in the hallway went out while you were on vacation.

Then you have to take the dog to the vet, stop by the grocery store and buy food for the week, pick the kids up from soccer and sit in traffic for 45 minutes. When you get home, you replace the lightbulb, cook dinner, do the dishes, watch the news and see who got indicted today, spend some time with your family, answer a bunch of emails, read Dan Bailey’s most recent blog posts, surf the web for awhile while your download your cards.

Then FINALLY, at around 10:30PM, you start editing photos, flag the bad ones, tag the good ones, pick out one or two keepers, open them up in Photoshop or Luminar and begin sliding sliders.

By now, it’s almost 11:00PM, and you need to go to bed because you have to work in the morning. The rest of the week played out very much the same, and then it’s the weekend, during which time you go off and take even more pictures.

Next Monday, you return to the office and your co-workers ask you, “when can we see your pictures?”

You say, “I’m still not done editing them.”

Meanwhile, Bob from Marketing just got back from his trip to Iceland, where he also shot a thousand photos, except he shot everything in JPEG. He’s already made a web gallery, posted a bunch of shots to Facebook, sent out a few images to potential clients and is inviting everyone over on Friday night to his Iceland Slide Show Party.

You get the idea…

Shooting JPEG saves you time. Lots to time. Time you could spend playing outside, shooting more photos, hanging out with fiends… you know, stuff that doesn’t involve sitting at your computer. Don’t you spend enough time there as it is?

And of course, shooting JPEG instead of RAW will save you a TON of space on your memory cards and hard drives.

I know what you’re saying, though, “but I wanted to make sure I nailed all my exposures.” 

Which brings us to #2.

2. Your Camera Will Nail It. (Most of the Time)

As I said above, cameras have come a LONG way. Today’s digital sensors are capable of recording a vast amount of dynamic range. Add to the fact that today’s image processors are incredible.

Most Fuji shooters know how good the X Series JPEGS are straight out of the camera, but the fact is that every modern camera has a highly advanced image processor that will make great looking JPEGS. You should take advantage of that feature. You trust the autofocus, right? Why not trust your camera’s sensor and image processor?

In most situations, your camera will nail it. If you’re not sure, just look at the LCD Screen or through your electronic viewfinder. The WISYWIG nature of todays mirrorless cameras and Live View mode on your DSLR shows you EXACTLY what the picture will look like before you press the shutter.

Add in the histogram and your EV+/- control and you have an amazing set of tools that can pretty much guarantee you perfect exposure most of the time. Even in tricky lighting.

You don’t always have to go by the histogram, though. In fact, you should only use if for reference, not as a rule. Your histogram doesn’t know what kind of image your trying to create, it only knows what tones are present in your exposure. So what if you lose your shadows. They’re meant to be black. Sometimes you can even blow your highlights and still have a great looking shot, like the example below.

Will your camera nail it EVERY SINGLE TIME? Of course not. There are sone times when you’ll want to shoot RAW, or RAW+JPEG. However, with most scenes, RAW doesn’t need to be your default tool, it should be the right tool when you really need it. (Note to Fuji users, you can always shoot RAW and then perform RAW conversions right inside the camera after the fact. This can be a really useful feature.)

And even if you do want to tweak your photos and give them a little bit of added life and pizzaz, there’s plenty you you can do with your JPEGS.

Unless you need to rescue extreme tones and control high levels of contrast, it’s nothing to add a little bit of vibrance or clarity to your image, or make fine tune exposure adjustment, or even apply a dramatic preset in a program like Luminar or ON1, you’ll be just fine. Your image will look great and you won’t suffer any noticeable loss in quality.

Learn to trust your camera. It works as advertised.

3. You’ll Walk Away With the Shot You LOVE

Before digital, there was no RAW, there was just film. You chose a specific film type based on the nature of your subject, the lighting conditions and what type of look you were going for.

You loaded the little green or yellow can inside your camera, you set your exposure and you pressed the button. When it was all said and done, you either nailed it or you didn’t. Of course, back then, we did lots of bracketing since there wash no such thing as LCD screens.

The result, however, was that the keeper frame WAS YOUR FINAL IMAGE. It was your JPEG.

There was no processing after the fact. You made creative decisions on the spot, took the photo and hopefully walked away with an image you loved. Although back then, you had to wait a few days or weeks with anticipation before you developed the slides to even see if you did indeed nail the shot.

Today, we have the luxury of Live View LCD screens, which again, gives you the ability to see exactly what your image will look like before you take it. This combination has allows me to take a full-circle shift in my approach to photography which has brought me an enormous sense of creative liberation.

Essentially, I’ve returned to shooting with a film mentality again, but with modern technical advantages.

My goal is to walk away from my scene with an image I love…

…as opposed to walking away with a RAW file that I need to process later in order to make it be the image I love.

I encourage you to try and take this approach and see what it does to your photography life. Trust your camera. Trust yourself. Have fun. Enjoy the process. Be free.

Cook Inlet Landscape, Alaska

Shooting RAW with the Fuji X-T1

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_DSF1304-2During the past few weeks, I’ve shot quit a few RAW photos with my new Fuji X-T1. However, since Lightroom is not yet able to read the RAW files, I’ve just been sticking them all in a separate folder for safekeeping until I can make use of them.

As good as the straight JPEGs from this camera are, I’m eager to see what the RAW files look like. A few months ago, I did a test of how much more color information, latitude and sharpness could be wrangled out of the little X20 when shooting RAW, and I was pretty impressed. Seeing how that camera only has a 2/3″ sensor, I’m hoping to be even more impressed by what the APS-C size 16MP X-Trans II sensor in the X-T1 can do.

Remember, when you’re shooting JPEG, you’re basically taking the 4,056 levels of color and brightness information that are captured by the sensor and letting the camera’s image processor compress it into an 8-bit file that only contains 256 levels of color and brightness information.

No matter how good the image processor is, invariably, you’re going to lose some info. When shooting in difficult lighting, you could lose a lot of info. Wouldn’t you rather make the decision about what’s lost and what’s preserved? That’s why we shoot RAW

Adobe finally updated Camera RAW to v.8.4 RC, which means that it’s a stable release candidate. This new version includes support for the X-T1, as well as many other new cameras, so I’m finally able to open and process my X-T1 RAW files in Photoshop.

In addition, Adobe not supports the Fuji Film Simulations, which means that you can easily apply the X camera color profiles like Velvia and Astia to your RAW images. No more having to tweak them and hope you can get close. To find these profiles, click on the Camera icon in the ACR panel and click on the Camera Profile selection dropdown menu. You’ll find them all there.

Here are a couple of quick examples to see how much information is actually captured in the X-T1 sensor vs. what the camera distilled down into the straight JPEG.

Example 1: Skógafoss Falls, Iceland

First the JPEG, then the RAW. When I was shooting this scene, I knew that the camera would have a hard time with the extremely bright sunlit waterfall detail at top right when it distilled the file down to an 8-bit JPEG. In the JPEG, that detail is blow out, whereas in the RAW file, I was able to preserve it and keep it with tolerance.

Also, I have much more latitude to tweak the colors without running into oversaturation problems.

_DSF0846_DSF0846aExample 2: Snow Bike Commuting, Anchorage, Alaska

Last week, I shot some photos of my friend Eric riding with his son Finn in the clamp-on handlebar seat. We missed the direct sunlight by about 20 min, but since the ambient light was still good, I shot anyway. Since they’re in shade, though, they’re really dark. You can see that I’m able to lighten up the RAW file quite a bit and bring lots of color detail back.

_DSF8821-3 _DSF8821a

Example 3: Northern Lights, Iceland

I shot all my northern lights photos from Iceland in RAW, knowing that I’d be eventually be able to bring out more detail and reduce noise over what the JPEG could do. As much as Fuji X shooters love the X-Trans JPEGs, they do have limitations. As you can see, the RAW file lets me bring out so much more information that’s not present in the JPEG and drop down the brightness in that brightly lit building just a bit to that it’s not quite so blown out. You can also see that the building is sharper in the RAW version.

_DSF1304-2_DSF1304a

As much confidence as I have in the Fuji JPEGs, sometimes RAW is necessary if you want to preserve the maximum level of sharpness, exposure and color info in your image, especially in tricky light. Seeing how well the 16MP X-Trans sensor handles RAW gives me even more confidence to use the X-T1 in any kind of situation. Let me know what you think after seeing these image examples.

Read my extensive review and field test of the Fujifilm X-T1 here. It’s due to hit shelves any day now, so if you think this camera is a good match for your style, you can preorder it here. Thanks for reading and thanks for your support! EDIT: B&H Photo and Adorama both have X-T1 bodies in stock and are shipping right now! Body/lens kits should start shipping any day, so you can preorder and get it as soon as they become available.

Also, right now, you can save up to $250 on the Fuji XF lenses. This special deal ends March 22.

Order the Fujifilm X-T1 for only $1,299 (body only) at B&H Photo or Amazon

Preorder the Fujifilm X-T1 with 18-55mm lens for only $1,699 at B&H Photo – Amazon – Adorama

Radovan Gulch, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska

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In 1908, a young Croatian immigrant named Martin Radovan (changed from Radovanovich at Ellis Island), arrived in Cordova, Alaska with thousands of other workers to help construct the Copper River & Northwestern Railway line. Backed by J.P. Morgan and the Guggenheim … Continue reading →

How Good is RAW on the Fuji X20?

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As I continue to take my Fujifilm X20 on more adventures, I’m loving the feeling of complete liberation from having to lug around big gear like I’ve done for so many years. Camera bag? Forget it. I just wear it slung … Continue reading →

Shooting RAW with the Fuji XE-1 and the X20

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Last week I experimented with shooting RAW with the Fujifilm XE-1. I was pretty impressed by what I saw, especially considering just how awesome they do with straight JPEG. Yesterday, I went out to the Knik Glacier again and shot … Continue reading →

Another Example of Why I Always Shoot RAW

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Here’s an image that I shot while flying as a passenger in an Aeronca Super Chief on the north side of the Alaska Range. It’s one of my favorites of late, and it’s a great example of why I always … Continue reading →