FilmPack - Where in workflow?

DxO FilmPack
#1

I’ve got FilmPack6 and it’s one of those applications that I want to use more than I do.

But I’m never really sure where to use it in my LR/PS workflow. And so I wanted to put this out there to any FilmPack enthusiasts - Where in your workflow do you use FilmPack?

Me, I start off in LR, then I use PureRaw as a plugin, back in LR and ultimately in PS for any heavy-lifting.

Most of the time I only think to use FilmPack at the end. Is that when you use it? Or would it be better at the beginning - say after using PureRaw?

Again, just curious when other FilmPack users apply it in their workflow.

Cheers.

#2

That’s something I was wondering about as well. My main issue in this workflow is superposition of several film sims. I use Fujifilm. Say, I do demosaic/NR in PR2, then back into LR. At that point a profile will be applied. Default is one of Fujifilms own film sims. If I want to apply a FP filmsim, I need to export from LR as jpeg or tiff. What profile does FP expect? Adobe Color? Adobe Neutral? Provia (that’s Fuji’s standard rendering)?

I would not edit after the filmsim from FP is applied, because editing stuff like sharpening, blacks and whites levels changes considerably the rendering of the filmgrain. Though choice of workflow could be influenced by whether you edit for print or for screen. Screen is more like slides, and print is entirely something different, more darkroom-like. But in either case, I would not apply any sharpening or microcontrast once a filmgrain is appllied.

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#3

Thanks for this. Interesting and helpful. Cheers, Alonso

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#4

Personally, color rendering is one of the first changes I make, because I find it can dramatically affect my exposure settings. Granted, I’m not using FP as a plug-in, but rather integrated into PL5.

My work flow is to apply a preset (usually DxO Standard), decide on a film sim, then go back to exposure and tone sliders, then add in some ClearView (clarity in LR, I guess), then contrast/microcontrast. Then color vibrancy and saturation. Then DeepPRIME. Then local adjustments, if needed. Then “effects” like filters, film grain, creative vignetting, etc.

If I think an image will need cropping and/or perspective correction, usually I’ll do that pretty early on in order to decide if it’s worth progressing or not.

Note that in PL5, the application of the film sim’s color rendering and grain pattern are two separate steps - it sounds that that may not be the case in plug-in form?

#5

Imo, FilmPack is a set of effects (apart from its very useful contrast tools) and can be used anywhere in a workflow. No matter where it is used, the risk of using other tools before or after FP is, that one overcooks the images, unless one treads carefully.

It can help to play around with FP effects in order to find the ones that suit our personal taste and images - and establish the sequence of steps that serve our taste and images…

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#6

I’ve been experimenting with this. I’m using it as a Photoshop plugin. But so far, I’m processing the image and then when I think I’m pretty much at the end, I apply a film effect. Then back in PS I tweak it - maybe it’s too dark or maybe certain colours have become overcooked. But so far that’s how I’ve come to use it…