What to do in late 2023 into 2024

Here's a list of potentially interesting/fun things to do around l'isle de France.

Art/History/Automobile Photography Opportunities

21 September - l’Autodrome Italian Meeting Montlhery

12-13 October - 100 year celebration Montlhery UTAC

Calendar of Montlhery events - 2024

 

-------------- DONE ---------------

30 June - la traversee de Paris (a month earlier this year - went to Meudon where there were hundreds of cars - album on Flickr)  

 

 

22 juin 2024 ~ la 6ème édition du Festival Lotus Montlhery (WONDERFUL  event, Flickr album here) 

25-30 May - Rallye des Princesses 2024 (I wasn't here for this)

1-12 May - Foire de Paris Spaced out and forgot this was even taking place.  Ugh.

11/12 May - Vintage Revival Montlhery 100 year celebration!  Double Ugh!! I sat in the queue to enter the circuit for 2 hours.  As it approached midday I gave up and went home.  There were so many people and cars trying to get in, I still can't believe it.  Just insane.  I've been waiting two years to attend this event.  Such a huge disappointment.

21-27 April - Tour Auto 2024 a la porte de Versailles, Parc des Expositions  (Flickr set here)

14 April - rassemblement Vincennes en Anciennes old car show

17 March ~ Photo Foire ~ Chelles  ~ a GREAT show, but I didn't buy a thing

3 March ~ le carnival des femmes ~ depart pl. du Chatelet 14h30 (No Go)

24 February - 3 March ~ Salon International de l'Agriculture (No Go - way too many political issues)

11 February ~ Carnival de Paris ~ Promenade de Boeuf Gras ~ depart pl. Gambetta - No Go (wet, cold)

31 January - 4 February - Retromobile 2024  (Flickr) 

14 January - la traversee de Paris 2024 (Flickr) 

15 December 2023 ~ Noir et Blanc, BnF (Flickr) 

6 December 2023 ~ Van Gogh - (Flickr)

1 December 2023 - Nicolas de Staël ~ City of Paris Museum of Modern Art (Flickr)

30 November - 3 December ~ Salon des Vins des Vignerons Indépendants (Flickr) 

November 2023 ~ Les halles Saint Pierre - Two shows (Flickr)

 

 

RIP Ben Vautier 2024

Example ~ Sony "High Key" Creative Style recipe

Certain Sony model's Creative Style list is rather short.  I have a NEX-5T and A5000.  Neither come with "Deep" nor "Light" Sony Creative Styles.  I rather like "Deep" and "Light" as I feel the "Deep" Style matches Hasselblad "Natural Colors" and that "Light", when desaturated after export, does an outstanding job of creating a BW Print Quality image.

OK.  So two of my devices don't offer my current favorite in-camera styles.  Does this mean I'm dead in the water for "film simulations" on very early Sony cameras?  What are my in-camera color grading options?

Here's something I tried with an old Sony NEX-5T.

 

Sony "High Key" Creative Style recipe ~

Creative Style ~ 

    Standard

        +1 Contrast

        -3 Saturation

        0 Sharpness

    White Balance ~ 

    C Temp./Filter ~ 6200k

        A-B: B3

        G-M: G1

    Exposure Value ~

    variable +0.3EV to +1.7EV <- to get the "high key" effect

 

-------------------- Additional Recipes ----------------------

The above recipe is just one example of a wide variety of possible recipes.  Here's a list of in-camera jpg engine tools and a short description of what they might do to stretch and alter the color space. 

Creative Style -

Under each Creative Style we have...

Contrast - Some possibly interesting recipes involve the lack of contrast.  It's worth trying this setting -3.

Saturation - Softer tones seem to be all the rage these days, hence the "-" setting.  Furthering this idea it could be a good exercise to develop a recipe based on the "Neutral" Creative Style.

Sharpness - Looking at many of the Fuji "film emulation" recipes there is the thought that to look more like film it's a good idea to drop the sharpness.  I don't buy into that, but it's here as a selection to help give a softer image expression.

White Balance ~

High Kelvin temperatures bring warm tones, while low brings cold.  In the above recipe I set to the WB to 6200K and shot that regardless of the scene.  Full sun, shade, and building interiors were all shot at this WB value.  This approach can add further variability to images.

There is a potentially interesting WB, and that is one of the Florescent selections.  One of these gives nearly daylight WB, but stretches the color range.  It might be worth exploring.

White Balance editor ~

On any WB selection, there is an additional tool that can be brought into play.  While in the WB selector, tap the right side of the control wheel or the "options" button (depending on the Sony camera model) to bring up a color palette.  Using "up" and "down" arrows, we can move the tones in any direction.  So, for instance, if you are using a very warm tone WB and you want to add blues and/or greens, we can move the center point of the palatte in those directions.  This opens the door to a wide variety of in-camera colors.

 

-------------------- Additional Information ----------------------

Sony Creative Style ~ basic knowledge

Example ~ Sony "BW Print Quality" Creative Style recipe

Until recently I've been rather skeptical of being able to generate in-camera jpg's that had any decent sense of black and white imaging.  Between my complete lack of trust of any in-camera jpg processing engine and my utter disregard for the bulk of digital black and white work, I've stuck to what I've learned about RAW processing black and white images.

And then... an interesting thing happened when working with Sony "Picture Profile"s.  I found that I could meet in-camera the three base criteria that I hold to be self-evident (but which likely aren't at all self evident) for making a digital image that can rival the old black and white film chemical film/print process.  These criteria being...

1. Raise the mid-tones  
   
2. Dark regions are "open" with detail 
   
3. Retain a hint of tone in gently rolling off highlights  

With these criteria in mind, I wanted to see if there was a Sony "Creative Style" that allowed me to get around "Picture Profile" stills work limitations and make a beautiful black and white image that retains old film print-like qualities.  

Surprisingly, it didn't take much research to see that the Creative Style "Light" might fit the bill.  This style raises the middle of the luminosity curve in a way that satisfies all three of the aforementioned criteria.  Though...

To make this work, I needed to make one concession to my attempt to only use in-camera "min-lab" capabilities.  In the case of using "Light" for black and white work, I need to completely desaturate the image after image export since this Creative Style is really a color "look".  I'm not aware of a way fully desaturating Creative Styles in-camera.  Therefore, I would rely on whatever image processing app is available to me on the tablette or cellphone to perform the desaturation step.

Sony "BW Print Quality" recipe
Sony NEX-7, Sigma 30mm f/2.8 EX DN
f/6.3, 160th sec, -0.7EV
Snapseed desaturation, -20 vignette

 

Sony "BW Print Quality" Creative Style recipe ~

Creative Style ~ 

    Light

        0 Contrast <- contrasty sun/shadow scenes
        +1 Contrast <- normal contrast scenes   
        +2 or +3 Contrast <- flat illumination

        0 Saturation

        0 Sharpness

    White Balance ~ 

        C Temp./Filter ~ AWB

    Exposure Value ~

        -0.3EV ~ +/- this value depending on overall
            scene brightness, paying close attention to
            the dominant tone (light or dark)

Exported Image Operations ~

    Use a suitable image processing application to desaturate into BW

 

-------------------- Comments  ----------------------

This has been a rather fruitful adventure.  

What started as an exercise to attempt to match Fuji in-camera "Film Simulations" ends up with me understanding, borrowing, and creating a broad range of recipes that implement an interesting series of color-gradings to work with, as well as instilling in me a renewed appreciation for the power and flexibility of Sony's in-camera tools for jpg generation. 

I'm enjoying the in-camera color-gradings, and I'm particularly happy to see that I can actually make a correct black and white image as well.  Is there any wonder why I've taken to referring to my cameras as mobile "mini-labs?"  I can take the above example image straight to print, publishing, or sharing on the internet.

Ultimate flexibility remains in the use of RAW processing software on the Big Computer.  Certainly I can control the results to a much greater degree than I can using the in-camera "mini-lab." But with care and a bit of knowledge and experience, I'm finding in-camera results more than acceptable.

Perhaps for the kinds of images I make these days, all that Big Computer heavy lifting isn't necessary.  I'll see what happens next.  Obviously, shooting RAW+jpg could pay off in having the best of both worlds in imaging flexibility.  Fortunately memory is cheap these days.

Limitation ~

Unlike with the "BW Print Quality" Picture Profile recipes, Sony Creative Style Light doesn't provide a direct way of creating in-camera black and white filters, though I've yet to fully explore the possibilities of modifying the white balance.

-------------------- Additional Information ----------------------

Sony Creative Style ~ basic knowledge

RawTherapee "BW Print quality" RAW processing recipe

Sony Picture Profile "BW Print quality" in-camera jpg recipe

Example ~ Sony "Natural Colors" Creative Style recipe

What started all this looking into Sony color grading recipes is that the Fujifilm Folks and Hasselblad Haulers seemed to be having a LOT more fun than the rest of us.  They claimed to have colors and recipes that were easily available to them that couldn't be duplicated.

Such is the power of marketing, or so said my Little Internal Voice of Skepticism.  I was determined to find a way to configure Sony in-camera jpg processing tools that met or exceeded the "filmic looks" of the well heeled "influencer in-crowd."

I've already proved to myself that Sony Picture Profiles could be used for stills and could compete head to head with Fujifilm "Film Simulations."  I also proved to myself that Hasselblad's "Natural Colors" could be had with a specific Picture Profile recipe.  All that was "missing" from my list of color-grading desires was easier in-camera contrast control, auto-exposure bracketing, and silent shutter support.

I took a look at Sony "Creative Styles" to see if there were any useful styles.  There are two, in fact.  I'll cover "Deep" here and "Light" in a future post.

It's too easy.  I can't believe it.  "Deep" matches Hasselblad Phocus color-grading at the 3FR format file to FFF demosaic step in the following first recipe.  The second recipe posted here matches the color-grading at the 3FR to FFF demosaic step with a Hasselblad "Nature" preset enabled.

 

Sony "Natural Colors Nature" recipe

 

Sony "Natural Colors" Creative Style base recipe ~

Creative Style ~ 

    Deep

        -1 Contrast

        -1 Saturation

        0 Sharpness

    White Balance ~ 

        C Temp./Filter ~ AWB

            A:B: A1

            G-M: M1

    Exposure Value ~

        variable depending on overall scene brightness, but usually simply 0EV

 

 --------------------------- recipe # 2 --------------------------------

Sony "Natural Colors Nature" Creative Style recipe ~

Creative Style ~ 

    Deep

        0 Contrast

        0 Saturation

        0 Sharpness

    White Balance ~ 

        C Temp./Filter ~ AWB

            A:B: A1

            G-M: M1

    Exposure Value ~

        variable depending on overall scene brightness, but usually simply 0EV

 

-------------------- Comments  ----------------------

I feel it might be helpful to describe what I've learned and how I've gotten to this so that others can quickly/easily sort this out for themselves if so inclined.

First, I loaded Hasselblad's Phocus software to understand how it manages colors.  It turns out to be a rather simple piece of software and the "magic" of 'blad "Natural Colors" is in the tone curve and gently soft color palette.  The tone curve is set for deeper/richer tones than, say, other camera manufacturer's "Standard." The color palette is subtly de-saturated.

Second, Hasselblad's Phocus "Nature" setting claims to use a "Standard RGB" curve modification.  Except the curves function is not "Standard RGB."  They've actually implemented something called "Weighted Standard RGB."  This prevents the colors from distorting as badly as the real "Standard RGB" algorithm, and gives a gentler increase in color contrast as luminosity contrast increases.

Next, I found that <RentWare> Standard camera profiles implement the same thing Hasselblad's Phocus software does.  This was a pleasant surprise.  It's a very simple exercise, then, to use <RentWare> Standard .dcp files in RawTherapee. Voila! I instantly have Hasselblad's ultra-magic "color science" [snark] on any camera I chose to use. 

Note: <RentWare> Standard camera profile is in a separate directory from manufacturer/model specific .../Camera/Standard.  They are _not_ the same thing.

Coming to Sony in-camera jpg processing, I made a Picture Profile recipe that matches Hasselblad "Natural Colors" and <RentWare> Standard, but with a few camera-imposed limitations. Looking a just bit further, I discovered that Sony's "Creative Style Deep" does an excellent job of matching Hasselblad/<RentWare> as well.

Bottom line - 

Sony "Creative Style Deep" = Sony Picture Profile "Natural Colors" = <Rentware> Standard camera profile = Hasselblad Phocus "Natural Colors"

 

Limitations ~

Sony Creative Style Deep is not available on my NEX-5T, nor on my A5000.  But it does come on the early NEX-7, A6000, A6300, and A7 cameras up through current models.

-------------------- Additional Information ----------------------

Sony Creative Style ~ basic knowledge

RawTherapee "Natural Color" RAW processing recipe

Sony Picture Profile "Natural Color" in-camera jpg recipe

Sony Picture Profiles ~ limitations

 

It's clear to me that Sony Picture Profiles are designed for video work.  Once setup, I imagine they are meant to be left alone. Because of this when working on an A6300 I've come across a few limitations in using the profile system for stills.  Here are four limitations.

Contrast control is a bit awkward.  In Picture Profiles contrast is managed in part by the Gamma black point.  "+" raises the shadows and "-" deepens the shadows.  That's not all.  There's the influence of the Knee function that sets the highlight rounding point and densities.  This is not a "show stopper", but changing these settings on the fly is a bit more complex than I'd like to tackle while working in the field.

The automated exposure bracketing feature is disabled when Picture Profile is selected.  Using the "mini-lab" in-camera processing that profiles enable, I want to get an exposure correct before exporting/uploading.  I don't want to have to adjust image densities on the tablette or cellphone, either of which only works in an 8-bit color space in any event.  I don't like the color distortions that come with even subtle "Curves" changes.  While not exactly a "show stopper," since I can manually adjust EV settings, the lack of auto exposure bracketing is something I've noted and wish were implemented differently.

Picture Profiles are not available when shooting on the silent electronic shutter.  I can't sort out why this would be the case, but on the A6300 it's not available.  This is a bother for the times I want to shoot something nicely color-graded and do it in absolute silence, such as when photographing in museums.  This is somewhat of a "show stopper" to me.

Picture Profiles are only available on certain models, starting with the A6300, A7II, A7RII, A7S, and the RX100IV cameras.  The problem is, with the exception of the A6300, I'm heavily invested in camera versions prior to those just listed.  While on the road I have no problem simply using the A6300.  Yet, what if I wanted to take advantage of the in-camera "mini-lab" on my other devices?  This is more of a "show stopper" as I'm not in a financial position to roto-till 95% of my camera body selection for the sake of gaining Picture Profile capabilities.  The costs are simply too high for this Old Guy living on a fixed income.

After returning from a trip to England I carefully reviewed the imaging results from the adventure.  Some Picture Profile recipes I found or created were more to my liking than others.  Discovery of what is possible was part of the whole exercise of shooting RAW+jpg.  If something fails, then I could process the RAW on the Big Computer back home.  For the works that I found acceptable, I could post straight to Flickr while on the road.  That was, afterall, the goal of this entire exercise.  Posting on the fly.

Lightly mulling over the subject of "film emulations" and in-camera color-grading I realized something that must be obvious to other people, but was entirely lost on me until now.  Back in the day when the Canon 5D MkII was introduced I very quickly learned that the in-camera jpg processor was junk.  It was such junk that I've assiduously avoided making in-camera jpgs ever since.

I "sorta" knew the following a decade ago when I picked up my first Sony A6000,  the Sony in-camera jpg engine is infinitely better than the earlier Canons.  When I looked at the file sizes of the A6000 in-camera jpg, they were smaller than RAW converted to jpg work.  I thought there had to be useful information missing from the Sony in-camera jpgs, so I've avoid until now using this in-camera jpg engine too.

The mind-changing thing that struck me was that I could accept Sony Picture Profile output and be content with the results straight out of the camera.  This, even with the smaller jpg in-camera file size.  Which led me to ask:  So why remain stuck with my avoidance of Sony's in-camera jpg engine?  Yes.  Ultimately, shooting RAW give more flexibility and all that.  But perhaps I'd not given the in-camera "mini-lab" it's proper due.  Maybe there was another way "to get there from here" that didn't involve the aforementioned "show stoppers."  

Again, it seems obvious now, but didn't while I was on this little Adventure.  Why not have another look at Sony "Creative Styles?"

If I got this right, perhaps I could color-grade the designed for stills work Creative Styles to look similar to the Picture Profile recipes and re-gain easily accessible contrast controls, exposure bracketing, and silent shutter.  And if I were really lucky, the Creative Styles I modified would be available on all my cameras going back to the NEX-5T and NEX-7.

The hope is that the in-camera jpg "mini-lab" processing is better than I've given it credit to be.

Example ~ Sony "Wet Plate Collodion" Picture Profile recipe

Here's a recipe that tries to emulate wet-plate collodion spectral response and soft early print tonalities.

 

Black and White Early Negative and Print Techniques recipe ~

Sony "Wet Plate Collodion" (hand rolled)

Picture Profile -

Black level: -15
Gamma: Cine2 <- which opens the shadows a bit more than Movie I used in the black and white recipes
Black Gamma: Middle 0
Knee: Auto, Max Point 100%, Sensitivity High <- to retain tone in the highlights
Color Mode: Black and White
Saturation: 0
Colour Phase: 0
Colour Dept: R+7, G-3, B-7, C , M 0, Y+7 <- blue filter effect where "+" makes a color darker and "-" makes a color lighter
Detail: Level 0

Additional Camera Settings - 

variable EV <- depending on scene brightness, using the EVF to confirm overall brightness

AWB

Taking this a small step further, I wanted to confirm that I could vignette the edges and tone the image outside the camera on a computer and retain the proper overall tonalities.  As we can see, the blue filter is very harsh on old skin.

 

 

---------------- Additional Information ---------------

Sony Picture Profile Help Guide - essential for understanding this Sony in-camera image processing tool

"Film Emulation" recipes - found on Reddit (which I don't care for, but this was the only place I've found these) 

"Kodak Portra 400 film emulation" recipe - Gered Hickey provides clear explanations for the choices made in creating this Picture Profile

"Tri-X film emulation" - Andrea Pizzini's AI generated B&W recipe (I prefer my version)

 #SonyPictureProfiles #FilmEmulations

Example ~ Sony "Black and White Orange Filter Print" Picture Profile recipe

After understanding that the Sony "Movie" Gamma selection in Picture Profile did the necessary heavy lifting of the mid-tones that make a digital black and white image nearly indistinguishable from a good silver-based chemical print, I took a quick look at how to implement in-camera B&W filters.

This turns out to be a trivial exercise as long as I remembered that Sony Picture Profile Color Depth "+" color shifts make specified colors darker and "-" color shifts make specified colors lighter.  Once this is understood, we can make just about any in-camera B&W filter we like.

As with my other examples posted to this blog, the following is straight out of the camera.  It's of course a jpg, and it is using the in-camera "mini-lab" image processing tools.

 

 

 

Black and White Print with Raised Mid-Tones Picture Profile recipe ~

Sony "Black and White Orange Filter Print" (hand rolled)

Picture Profile -

Black level: 0
Gamma: Movie
Black Gamma: Middle 0
Knee: Auto, Max Point 100%, Sensitivity High
Color Mode: Black and White
Saturation: 0
Colour Phase: 0
Colour Dept: R -3, G+3, B+7, C 0, M 0, Y -7
Detail: Level 0

Additional Camera Settings - 

variable EV <- depending on scene brightness

AWB

---------------- Additional Information ---------------

Sony Picture Profile Help Guide - essential for understanding this Sony in-camera image processing tool

"Film Emulation" recipes - found on Reddit (which I don't care for, but this was the only place I've found these) 

"Kodak Portra 400 film emulation" recipe - Gered Hickey provides clear explanations for the choices made in creating this Picture Profile

"Tri-X film emulation" - Andrea Pizzini's AI generated B&W recipe (I prefer my version)

 #SonyPictureProfiles #FilmEmulations #BlackandWhiteFilmEmulation

 

Example ~ Sony "Black and White Print" Picture Profile recipe

There are ways to process beautiful BW images from RAW files using RawTherapee (and many RentWare).  When I'm on the road I no longer carry the Big Computer with RT and I really don't want to spend the time processing images when I could be out and about doing other things.

Looking at Picture Profile color-grading leads naturally to the exploration of BW and what might be possible using in-camera tools. So, carefully reading the Sony Picture Profile guide, I wanted to see if I could accomplish three things:

1. Raise the mid-tones.  
   
2. Make sure the dark regions were "open".  
3. Retain a hint of tone to the highlights.  

Each of these goals are what we printed for working professional photographers back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and well before simple digital color image desaturation came to pass for black and white imaging.  Anything less than deep, rich, well expressed tonal ranges were unacceptable back in the day and prints could fail to be approved by customers unless "properly" made.  The lessons were deeply ingrained in how I see the black and white world.

To begin with, I took a look at an "AI generated" recipe.  There is _no_ magic in "AI", but it seemed as good a point departure as anything else.

Starting Recipe ~

Sony "Tri-X" (by Andrea Pizzini using an AI - YouTube video)

Picture Profile -

Black level: -5
Gamma: Cine2
Black Gamma: Middle -2
Knee: Auto, Max Point 100%
Color Mode: Black and White
Saturation: -5 <- not sure why this is the value the AI chose
Colour Phase: 0
Colour Dept: R 0, G 0, B 0, C , M 0, Y 0
Detail: Level -5

I find for the environments I photograph in that this recipe is simply too flat and "mushy" due to the soft rendering of "Cine2."  The results remind me of the vast majority of digital "BW film" emulations.  There is no pop and the BW is all too often dreck.  However, maybe people who've never professionally printed B&W film might find the above recipe acceptable.

I realize times have changed and many people don't know nor don't care about BW images that express rich tonal gradations.  Me being me, and yes, still being stuck in the past, I kept my fingers crossed and hoped I could find something in the little Sony A6300 camera/lens/minilab tool kit.

Here is what I came up with.

Black and White Raised Mid-Tones Recipe ~

Sony B&W Print (hand rolled)

Picture Profile -

Black level: 0
Gamma: Movie
Black Gamma: Middle 0
Knee: Auto, Max Point 100%, Sensitivity High
Color Mode: Black and White
Saturation: 0
Colour Phase: 0
Colour Dept: R 0, G 0, B 0, C 0, M 0, Y 0
Detail: Level 0

Additional Camera Settings - 

variable EV <- depending on scene brightness

AWB

---------------- Additional Information ---------------

Sony Picture Profile Help Guide - essential for understanding this Sony in-camera image processing tool

"Film Emulation" recipes - found on Reddit (which I don't care for, but this was the only place I've found these) 

"Kodak Portra 400 film emulation" recipe - Gered Hickey provides clear explanations for the choices made in creating this Picture Profile

"Tri-X film emulation" - Andrea Pizzini's AI generated B&W recipe (I prefer my version)

 #SonyPictureProfiles #FilmEmulations

Examples ~ Sony "Canon Portrait" Picture Profile recipe

Here are two images that I very quickly snapped that illustrate the Canon Portrait Picture Profile recipe that I found on-line.  

The setup was a Sony A6300, Nikon Nikkor-S 50mm f/1.4, and Lens Turbo II.  The very shallow depth of field was a challenge when trying to get my eyes somewhere near the proper focus.

AWB chose 3238 degrees Kelvin

AWB chose 4214 degrees Kelvin

It's easy to see that white balance plays an important role in how this recipe renders. I prefer the warmer tones and would need to pay close attention to what the AWB is doing when using this Picture Profile.

Canon skin tones (from rami6a5 • May 8, 2021)

Picture Profile -

Black level: -15

Gamma: ITU709

Black Gamma: Narrow +4

Knee: Manual, Point:75%, Slope:0 

Colour Mode: ITU709Matrix

Saturation: +3

Colour Phase: -4

Colour Dept: R-3, G-7, B-4, C-6, M-7, Y-5

Detail: Level +7

---------------- Additional Information ---------------

Sony Picture Profile Help Guide - essential for understanding this Sony in-camera image processing tool

"Film Emulation" recipes - found on Reddit (which I don't care for, but this was the only place I've found these) 

"Kodak Portra 400 film emulation" recipe - Gered Hickey provides clear explanations for the choices made in creating this Picture Profile

"Tri-X film emulation" - Andrea Pizzini's AI generated B&W recipe (which I don't care for, but set the foundation for something I later learned)

 #SonyPictureProfiles #FilmEmulations

 

Example ~ Sony "High Key Professional Negative" Picture Profile recipe

The following recipe at its base is much more subtle than the others I've posted here.  The trick to using this is to modify the exposure and white balance.

Increasing the exposure between +0.7EV and +1.7EV gives a "high key" effect.  The "knee" function keeps the highlights just within the tonal range of the final image.  Altering the white balance, for instance, in daylight to around 6000 or 6300 Kelvin can give certain effects that all the "cool cats" of today seem to drool over.

OK.  Certainly I exaggerate.  But not by much.  The colors from the altered white balance show up in the over-exposed yet tone retaining highlights.

 

 

"High Key Professional Negative Negative" (hand rolled)

Picture Profile~

Black level: -15

Gamma: Still

Black Gamma: Middle -7

Knee: Auto, Max Point 100%, Sensitivity Mid

Colour Mode: S-Gamut3.Cine

Saturation: -5

Colour Phase: 0

Colour Dept: R 0, G+2, B+5, C+3, M 0, Y +4

Detail: Level 0

Additional Camera settings ~

<tending toward over-exposure> EV *

AWB **

* Overexposure is essential for creating the "High Key" effect.  On a Sony A6300 I found that anything from +1EV to +1.7EV to be interesting.

** This recipe is very flexible.  For recreating an old Kodak Portra "feel", lower the Kelvin temperature a couple hundred degrees from what the AWB sets.  For creating something warm, increase the Kelvin temperature by several hundreds of degrees.

---------------- Additional Information ---------------

Sony Picture Profile Help Guide - essential for understanding this Sony in-camera image processing tool

"Film Emulation" recipes - found on Reddit (which I don't care for, but this was the only place I've found these) 

"Kodak Portra 400 film emulation" recipe - Gered Hickey provides clear explanations for the choices made in creating this Picture Profile

"Tri-X film emulation" - Andrea Pizzini's AI generated B&W recipe

 #SonyPictureProfiles #FilmEmulations

Example ~ Sony "Professional Negative" Picture Profile recipe

Fuji has an interesting "film simulation" they call "Pro Neg Hi."  I thought about it a bit and came up with what I feel is a pretty good Sony version of the concept, but I'm not yet happy with the results.  I'm posting it here as a work in progress.

Recipe ~

Sony "Professional Negative" (hand rolled) in-camera color grading

Picture Profile -

Black level: -6
Gamma: Still
Black Gamma: Middle -6
Knee: Auto, Max Point 95%, Sensitivity Mid
Colour Mode: Still
Saturation: -1
Colour Phase: +6
Colour Dept: R0 , G+7, B+6, C+2, M+2, Y+1
Detail: Level 0

Additional Camera Settings -

EV -0.3

AWB

So what's wrong with this?  In short, the color phase is shifted too strongly from red to pink (and all the other colors shifting with it).  If I knock the Color Phase back, the recipe becomes too similar to the other recipes that I'm working on and there's too little differentiation. 

In working on a "high key" color palette I think I've stumbled across something that'll be different enough from the other recipes and at the same time provide the foundation for something very flexible.  I'll post that recipe with comments next.

----------------- Additional Information ---------------

Sony Picture Profile Help Guide - essential for understanding this Sony in-camera image processing tool

"Film Emulation" recipes - found on Reddit (which I don't care for, but this was the only place I've found these) 

"Kodak Portra 400 film emulation" recipe - Gered Hickey provides clear explanations for the choices made in creating this Picture Profile

"Tri-X film emulation" - Andrea Pizzini's AI generated B&W recipe

 #SonyPictureProfiles #FilmEmulations

 

Example ~ Sony "Classic Chrome" Picture Profile recipe

As I look down at the camera and lens I have in my hand, it suddenly occurs to me what a marvelous tool this is.  It comes complete with a portable "mini-lab."  Which is to say, in-camera processing engines can be very useful and rather interesting.

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and all we had was film and paper, it took an enormous "eco-system" of materials and labor to get an image from the camera into a viewable form.  Now?  Well.  It's amazing, isn't it?

For example, take the following recipe.  It comes from Reddit and closely matches Fuji's "Classic Chrome" colors.  For an exact match all we need to do is drop the White Balance temperature a few hundred degress and use the White Balance tuner to move the center point into the yellow/red region.  Then it's impossible to tell if an image was made using a Fuji camera or a Sony, but takes more thinking and setup time.

A "mini-lab" in the palm of my hand.

 

Sony "Classic Chrome" (based on a recipe found on Reddit)

Picture Profile ~

Black level: -2

Gamma: Still

Black Gamma: Middle -2

Knee: Auto, Max Point 100%, Sensitivity Mid

Colour Mode: Still

Saturation: -2

Colour Phase: +1

Colour Dept: R+2, G+2, B-2, C+1, M 0, Y 0

Detail: Level -3 (though in truth I prefer the sharpness of the "0" setting)

Additional Camera Settings ~

EV -0.3  <- to keep the colors nice and rich

AWB  <- except when you need an exact Fuji "Classic Chrome" match where you drop the White Balance temperature a few hundred degrees and use the White Balance tuner to move the center point into the yellow/red region

----------------- Additional Information ---------------

Sony Picture Profile Help Guide - essential for understanding this Sony in-camera image processing tool

"Film Emulation" recipes - found on Reddit (I don't care for the site, but it was the only place I found Sony Picture Profile recipes based on Fuji "looks") 

"Kodak Portra 400 film emulation" recipe - Gered Hickey provides clear explanations for the choices made in creating this Picture Profile

"Tri-X film emulation" - Andrea Pizzini's AI generated B&W recipe <- which I don't care for, but, it turns out, provided an interesting starting point for something I hand rolled after considering what Sony Picture Profile tools are capable of

 #SonyPictureProfiles #FilmEmulations

 

Example ~ Sony "Natural Colors" Picture Profile recipe

I could have started this series of examples with following, a hand rolled Sony Picture Profile that is subtle and beautiful in a Hasselblad Phocus "Natural Colors" with "Nature" setting enabled kind of way.

It's surprising to me just how closely the following recipe matches RentWare's "RentWare Standard" _and_ Hasselblad Phocus' demosaic'd color managed color palette.  95% of the time there is no visible/useful/meaningful difference between any of them.

 

Bloom'n
Lille, France 2024

The naming of the following recipe is mostly arbitrary but obviously hints at what my goal was.  When I want to use in-camera color management for creating jpg's (as opposed to shooting just RAW and processing later on the Big Computer) I find I prefer this to Sony "Creative Look - Standard."

Sony "Natural Colors" Recipe (hand rolled)

Picture Profile~

Black level: -1

Gamma: Still

Black Gamma: Wide 0

Knee: Auto, 100% Mid  <- corrected from earlier posting

Colour Mode: Cinema

Saturation: -1

Colour Phase: 0

Colour Dept: R+1, G+2, B+2, C+2, M 0 Y +1

Detail: Level 0

Additional Camera settings ~

-0.3EV <- for color "richness"

AWB

----------------- Additional Information ---------------

Sony Picture Profile Help Guide - essential for understanding this Sony in-camera image processing tool

"Film Emulation" recipes - found on Reddit (which I don't care for, but this was the only place I've found these) 

"Kodak Portra 400 film emulation" recipe - Gered Hickey provides clear explanations for the choices made in creating this Picture Profile

"Tri-X film emulation" - Andrea Pizzini's AI generated B&W recipe

 #SonyPictureProfiles #FilmEmulations

 

 

Example ~ Sony "Classic Negative" Picture Profile recipe

Here is an example of Sony A6300 in-camera jpg processing using a hand-rolled Picture Profile.

The goal is to be able to share and post images to Flickr while on the road and while away from the Big Computer and not have things look too ghastly.

 

The naming of the following recipe is entirely arbitrary and is not at all meant to represent a commercialization nor "film" matching of something that anyone can sort out for themselves.  Rather, it was an appellation that seems common within the Fuji community, with my slight twist of adding "Sony" for différentiation.

 

Recipe ~

Sony Classic Negative (hand rolled) in-camera color grading

Picture Profile -

Black level: -2
Gamma: Still
Black Gamma: Middle -5
Knee: Auto, Max Point 102.5%, Slope: -5 <- updated 1 June, 2024
Colour Mode: S-Gamut3.Cine
Saturation: +14
Colour Phase: +5
Colour Dept: R+1, G+2, B+4, C+4, M+1, Y 0
Detail: Level -3

Additional Camera Settings -

EV -0.3

AWB

----------------- Additional Information ---------------

Sony Picture Profile Help Guide - essential for understanding this Sony in-camera image processing tool

"Film Emulation" recipes - found on Reddit (which I don't care for, but this was the only place I've found these) 

"Kodak Portra 400 film emulation" recipe - Gered Hickey provides clear explanations for the choices made in creating this Picture Profile

"Tri-X film emulation" - Andrea Pizzini's AI generated B&W recipe

 #SonyPictureProfiles #FilmEmulations

 

Sony in-camera Film Emulations ~ a few of starting point recipes

I'm learning that Sony camera can be rather sophisticated and feature rich. Exploring in-camera color grading and film simulations I _finally_ realized this and have started exploring some of the possibilities Sony offers with “Picture Profiles".  This feature started with certain models, A6300, A7II, A7RII, and A7S as well as somewhere in the RX100 series. 

 

Processed RAW with
Fuji Classic Negative .pp3 settings.
I'll posted in-camera processed
Picture Profile jpg samples later.

 

The color grading/film sim opportunities are nearly endless and I can understand why some people might be a little grumpy that something isn't the way they might want factory supplied and straight out of the box.  It feels to me as if Sony gives a solid platform to build from, rather than sticking to just a specific set of solutions.  I know that understanding/building things isn't for everyone, but...

My basic nature is one of curiosity.  I'm curious about many things.  When the Hive Mind agrees that something isn't possible or say things like "Sonys color science is awful", I'm of the manner to ask why such a thing might be so?  It's probably a bad habit I've developed over the years from writing research documents and precise, pointed, carefully considered white papers.

That's one way that I look at things.  Another way I see things is much more practical.  When faced with a problem, I like poking around to see if I can't come up with a solution and try to benefit from others prior work.  

This, for me, is a key. I come from a time when the internet was yet to be birthed and researchers and engineers were working in the spirit of knowledge sharing.  We could build solutions quickly based on prior works, particularly when openly shared.  There were no limits.  Literally.

Et voila!  This is the spirit in which I share what I've learned and what I'm sorting out.

Problem: Find visually pleasing color grades and film simulations for my Sony camera(s) that I can use when I'm on the road.  I never carry the Big Computer with me, so any heavy lifting from an image processing perspective is left for later after I return home.

Solution: Borrow and/or create from scratch various setting implemented in Sony Picture Profiles.  Choose a Picture Profile and shoot RAW+jpg.  Share in-camera color graded/film sim'd/processed jpgs while on the road.  Work on RAW files after I get home (if I feel the desire or need).

The following are a set of recipes that I'm taking with me on our next Road Trip.

Note: The following Sony Picture Profile settings assume AWB (Automatic White Balance).

Beginning with something that I stumbled on recently and can vouch for as being pretty darned nice for portraiture...

Canon skin tones (from rami6a5 • May 8, 2021)

Picture Profile -

Black level: -15

Gamma: ITU709

Black Gamma: Narrow +4

Knee: Manual, Point:75%, Slope:0 

Colour Mode: ITU709Matrix

Saturation: +3

Colour Phase: -4

Colour Dept: R-3, G-7, B-4, C-6, M-7, Y-5

Detail: Level +7

 -------------------------------------------

Fuji Classic Chrome (borrowed from Reddit)

Picture Profile -

Black level: -2

Gamma: Still

Black Gamma: Middle -2

Knee: Auto, Max Point 100%, Sensitivity Mid

Colour Mode: Still

Saturation: -2

Colour Phase: +1

Colour Dept: R+2, G+2, B-2, C+1, M 0, Y 0

Detail: Level -3

Camera setting on A6300 (not needed with Full Frame Sony cameras)

EV -0.3 

 -------------------------------------------

Fuji Classic Negative (borrowed from Reddit - but could use better corrections)

Picture Profile -

Black level:0

Gamma: Still

Black Gamma: Middle -4

Knee: Auto, Max Point 85%, Slope: +2

Colour Mode: Pro

Saturation: -1

Colour Phase: 0

Colour Dept: R+1, G+2, B+2, C 0, M 0, Y-1

Detail: Level -3

Camera setting on A6300 (not needed with Full Frame Sony cameras)

EV -0.3 

 -------------------------------------------

Fuji Pro Negative High Contrast (hand rolled)

Picture Profile -

Black level: -6

Gamma: Still

Black Gamma: Middle -6

Knee: Auto, Max Point 100%, Sensitivity Mid

Colour Mode: Still

Saturation: -1

Colour Phase: +6

Colour Dept: R 0, G+7, B+6, C+2, M+2, Y+1

Detail: Level -4

Camera setting on A6300 (not needed with Full Frame Sony cameras)

EV -0.3 

 -------------------------------------------

Hasselblad "Natural Colors" (hand rolled ~ the Holy Grail?  Who knows?)

Black level:0

Gamma: Still

Black Gamma: Wide0

Knee: Auto, Point 100%, Sensitivity Mid

Colour Mode: Cinema

Saturation: -1

Colour Phase: +1

Colour Dept: R+1, G+2, B+2, C+2, M 0, Y-2

Detail: Level 0

Camera setting on A6300 (not needed with Full Frame Sony cameras)

EV -0.3  

----------------------------------------

These are offered as starting points. There's nothing magic about them, so modifications to taste will be essential.  There's a lot to learn about what the various settings mean and how they interact.  This knowledge can be then applied to creating new color grades and film sims.

For my current state of work I've found the above Picture Profile settings to be good on an A6300. They may be subtly different on Full Frame.  I say this because with the A6300, the in-camera jpg processing tends to process images between +0.3EV and +0.5EV brighter than my Full Frame cameras and the colors can subtly shift.

Also note that colors can subtly shift by manually changing the White Balance and then adding back colors in different directions by using the White Balance Color Filter settings (ie: right click on a White Balance to open the filters settings).  This can be of particular benefit with the Fuji "Classic Chrome" Picture Profile.  If we drop the Kelvin temperature a couple hundred degrees and then dial back in a bit of warmth, there's a richness that easily matches anything Fuji ships from the factory.  Or so I've found (and as has been reported by others, too).

OK.  That's it for now.  I'm going to see what I can learn about raising mid-tones and rounding off (very gently, mind you) highlights in Picture Profiles so I can add in-camera black and white jpgs to my recipe list.

I'll post a few OOC jpgs from the above recipe list later.  I'm about to get really busy, but I'll do it when things calm down.

============================

------------ [Addendum 18 May 2024] ----------------

Sony Style Classic Negative (hand rolled)

Picture Profile -

Black level: -2

Gamma: Still

Black Gamma: Middle -5

Knee: Auto, Max Point 85%, Slope: +2 <- to crush the highlights (film-like???)

Colour Mode: S-Gamut3.Cine

Saturation: +14

Colour Phase: +5

Colour Dept: R+1, G+2, B+4, C+4, M+1, Y 0

Detail: Level -3

Camera setting on A6300 (not needed with Full Frame Sony cameras)

EV -0.3

Sony in-camera Film Emulations ~ dawn comes after darkness

[Edited for clarity]

Off-camera
RawTherapee processed
Fuji Classic Negative simulation

 

Fuji system users have been known to say they don't need to shoot RAW because the in-camera film simulations are so good.  Hasselblad Phocus users are known to comment how "funky" the software is, but how they love the results.  Sony, OTOH, has been bashed all over the 'net for having something called "bad color science."

Being a Sony user I've taken some interest in trying to understand Sony's perceived failures in color rendition.  What I've found is that Sony's supposedly "bad color science" applies _only_ to how photographers might view in-camera processed jpgs.  Conversely, Fuji "good color science" applies, again, _only_ to in-camera processed jpgs.  

RAW image processing can instantly wash away in-camera manufacturer processing differences. But...

Chez Hasselblad things are a little more complicated since their Phocus RAW software uses an uncommon RBG "curves" function that is, I'm convinced, their "secret" for how they manage their colors so beautifully. Look up "weighted-standard" RGB curves to see what I'm talking about.  This curve algorithm appears to be applied in-camera as well, so for the sake of this conversation, I'll remark only on in-camera processing.

Considering "color science", when we shoot RAW and unless we're using the manufacturers own image editing software, we are completely reliant on someone else's idea of what colors should look like.  Though, to be honest, a certain RentWare company has done an outstanding job matching a manufacturers colors for camera specific "looks."  

Further, if the goal is to make an image look like another taken with a different camera or if we wish to come very very close to Hasselblad's "Natural Colors" palette, that same RentWare company has done an outstanding job making everything look beautiful when using their "<RentWare> Standard" camera profiles.

In short, RAW file image processing is so flexible that just about anything can be made to look like just about anything else.  All it takes is desire and time spent sorting things out.

This leads me to feel that Sony bashing is minimally based on ignorance or, worse, based on some other agenda. Marketing?  Exclusivity?  Status?  For whatever the motivations, if you get enough people together _believing_ something is true, then they _must_ really be true, right? I quite nearly fell victim to something that is not at all true.

When reading comments coming out of this Hive Mind of Belief I was increasingly convinced I’d need to toss my Sony equipment and buy into a system that let me do what Fuji and Hassy guys are doing in-camera.  I assumed that things were so bad with Sony's in-camera jpg processing that there was no hope.  

OK, so in the Real World I shoot RAW and am plenty happy with the output after processing things through RawTherapee and the Gimp.  What's the problem?

The problem is what happens when I'm on the road and have only a small tablette or mobile phone to upload images to my Flickr stream.  I hate carrying the big computer with "real" image processing software and small processing apps like Snapseed on the tablette and mobile phone are nearly worthless for what I'm striving for.  

To my eternal shame, I shot an entire trip processing the jpg portions of my RAW+jpg file collection in Snapseed.  Someday I need to go back and re-process the horrors I posted.

To solve this On The Road problem, minor though it might be in the overall Cosmos Consciousness of annoyances, I thought I'd be happier if I could do something about the Sony in-camera jpg processing portion of my usual RAW+jpg file collection.

Making a bad assumption about one thing or another is my stock and trade.  No, I'm not very proud of that, either.  I assumed that Sony's Picture Profile collection applies to video only.  It doesn't.  It works equally well for in-camera jpg processing as it does for in-camera color-grading video.  Herewith began another hunt for esoteric, perhaps alchemical-level knowledge.

Here's what I learned that sets the foundation for Sony in-camera color grading/film simulations. 

• Understanding the Sony Picture Profile Guide is essential
• Factory supplied Picture Profiles are simply starting points
• Picture Profiles are fully editable, so take notes
• Matching a Picture Profile is relatively easy to do by inspection -
  
• Open the jpg 
• Compare it side by side to whatever RAW processed output is the target
• If I really need accuracy, I can measure the colors against a known standard color chart
  
• Note: When trying to precisely match Fuji film simulations, Picture Profile can be 70 to 90 percent of the solution, so...
• Note Continued: To jump that last 10 to 30 percent, White Balance, and White Balance Color Filtering can be used... but only if I absolutely, positively, without any wiggle room, must match of die Fuji's film simulations
  

If this seems all too much to assimilate, there is someone out there who will sell you some recipes and you can by-pass all understanding and go straight to an opaque solution.  Look up someone who goes by the name of "veresdenialex." But remember that I'm a cheap bastard and I feel it's worth trying to sort this out for myself.  It leaves me more money for wine.

To begin with, I borrowed a set of PP recipes from someone who posted to Reddit.  Independent of how I feel about Reddit as a platform, these recipes were an interesting jumping off point.  Here's the meat of what baddestbananaplanet posted.

prompt:

create special 5 different settings for sony picture profiles to replicate fujifilm provia, astia, velvia, classic negative and classic chrome

answer:

Sure, here are some custom Sony picture profiles that you can try to replicate the look of Fujifilm Provia, Astia, Velvia, Classic Negative, and Classic Chrome:

Fujifilm Provia:
Color Mode: Standard
Contrast: -1
Saturation: -1
Sharpness: -1
Color Phase: 0
Color Depth: R +2, G -2, B -2
Detail: -3

This profile reduces contrast, saturation, and sharpness to create a natural-looking image similar to Fujifilm Provia. The color depth settings adjust the color balance to emphasize reds and reduce greens and blues.

Fujifilm Astia:
Color Mode: Standard
Contrast: -2
Saturation: -1
Sharpness: -2
Color Phase: 0
Color Depth: R +2, G +1, B +2
Detail: -3

This profile reduces contrast and sharpness while maintaining a slightly increased saturation compared to Provia. The color depth settings increase the red and blue tones to create a warmer image. 

 Fujifilm Velvia:
Color Mode: Standard
Contrast: +1
Saturation: +1
Sharpness: -1
Color Phase: 0
Color Depth: R +3, G -2, B -2
Detail: -3

This profile increases contrast and saturation to produce vibrant colors and high contrast, similar to Fujifilm Velvia. The color depth settings emphasize reds and reduce greens and blues.

Classic Negative:
Color Mode: Neutral
Contrast: -2
Saturation: -1
Sharpness: -1
Color Phase: 0
Color Depth: R +1, G +2, B +2
Detail: -3

This profile reduces contrast and sharpness while maintaining a slightly increased saturation. The color depth settings adjust the color balance to create a subdued, vintage look similar to Fujifilm Classic Negative.

Classic Chrome:
Color Mode: Standard
Contrast: -2
Saturation: -2
Sharpness: -1
Color Phase: +1
Color Depth: R +2, G +2, B -2
Detail: -3

This profile reduces contrast and saturation and adds a slight color cast to create a vintage look similar to Fujifilm Classic Chrome. The color depth settings emphasize reds and greens and reduce blues to create a warm color palette.

Coming back to the problem I'm trying to solve, what I want is Sony in-camera jpg color grading that I can use when I'm posting images during a Road Trip. For this reason I'm searching for recipes that are, to me, visually interesting.  I tried the above recipes and feel the best one from the above list is "Classic Chrome."  It does a good job matching Fuji's own "Classic Chrome."

Looking at "Classic Negative" I realized it wasn't quite close enough, so I rolled my own.  

As for "Provia", "Astia", and "Velvia", I felt I'd need to roll my own versions of those, too, but since Sony's native "Standard", "Vivid", and "Neutral" do for me a decent enough job out of the can, there'd be no need for me to work on those Fuji sims.  I don't find them visually interesting, so case closed on those three recipes.

This leaves a couple recipes that I wanted to pursue.  These being Fuji "Pro Negative Hi", the aforementioned Fuji "Classic Negative", and Hasselblad's "Natural Colors."  That last one, the Hasselblad "Natural Colors", being something of a current Holy Grail since the colors are legitimately beautiful.

I feel I've done enough damage for one day. I'll leave the next set of recipes for another blog entry.  There are more words that I'd like to share on this then.

Matching Hasselblad Phocus' "Nature" preset in RawTherapee...

Recently I've been taking a closer look at color management, color grading, and film emulations.  When a question came up about the possibility of matching Hasselblad Phocus "Nature" image tones in other image processing software, because the commenter seems to very much appreciate this look and see's it as very "film like", I thought it'd be interesting to see what I could do in RawTherapee.

The original conversation centered around LUTs and considered having someone (a pro, for instance) create a Phocus "Nature" emulation for LR/PS.  So that's where I started, where my target application would be RawTherapee in place of RentWare.  The only problem was, how?

I looked at exporting .xml files that Hasselblad uses to manage colors, but no one seems to know what the format is.  The one person talking about Phocus' .xml format indicated that all they could do was decode a file header, but that they had zero idea what the subsequent fields of information meant.

OK.  Blocked on that path. There are not enough hours left in this life for me to reverse engineer something as potentially complex as all that

Then I read that Phocus software can open non-Hasselblad file formats and I thought *bingo*, all I needed to do was grab a HaldClut template and apply the Phocus preset/look and import it straight into RawTherapee.  

I made HaldClut files for "Nature", "Product", and "Portrait"... and... nope... failure.  Nothing looked quite as expected. Applying these new Cluts did nothing to images in RawTherapee.  How could this be?  Phocus presets/looks seemed useless. So, no cigar.

Darn.  Now what? Decoding .xml was out.  HaldClut templates were seemingly out, too.  Perhaps the questioners idea of hiring a "pro" to come up with a color grade that matched Phocus' "Nature" was the best idea after all?

Being the cheapskate I am I couldn't let the idea go.  Loading up a few .tiff files I sat down to take another this time longer whack at all things Hasselblad Phocus.  Here's what I think I figured out.

Phocus -

• Imports Hasselblad RAW in the camera-original output format
  
• Performs a demosaic
• Applies a tone curve <- Important observation #1
• Applies a color grade <- Important observation #2
• Saves the resultant image as yet a second RAW-ish format (a 'blad specific dng or tiff called FFF)
• Then, and only then, provides users access to several Factory presets/looks as well as a suite of image controls for further processing an image
  

Then I considered the presets/looks and saw that various image processing tools were enabled.  Thinking that this is where the Hasselblad color "magic" lay, I scrolled through these now enabled tools. Turns out these tools are simply image controls a user can now apply, such as exposure and tints and sharpness.  With the exception of "Curves", NONE of the tools had any direct impact on color.

For instance "Product" and "Portrait" presets/looks modified sharpness one way or the other. I would have expected skin tone changes with the application of "Portrait" and maybe some color modifications with "Product."  This wasn't at all the case.  Further, applying the Factory "Nature" to an image showed only a gentle curves modification, but nothing else.

Fundamentally, Phocus is doing next to nothing color-wise when applying it's Factory presets/looks.  These are not really "looks" as we might know them from using other manufacturers equipment and software.  

Here's the trick/secret about Hasselblad Phocus: The software seems to assume the pre-applied tone curve and color grading are perfect starting points as is (see "Important observations #1 and #2 above). 

This left me to consider the "Nature" preset/look.  The "curve mode" determines changes in color and luminosity contrast.  Let me set this aside for a moment and I'll come back to this shortly.

At the base of all this, Phocus and LR/PS color profiles can look strikingly similar.  I see that when an Adobe CameraProfile->Adobe->AdobeStandard<camera-specific>.dcp is used and compare it with Hasselblad Phocus and its default colors.  In both applications colors can be gently muted and various pastel subtones can add a certain "richness" to images by default.

Now remember that both Phocus and LR/PS apply a demosaic, color base, tone curve, and a color grade also by default.  For my purposes it seems safe to say the the AdobeStandard<camer specific>.dcp output is equivalent to what 'blad's Phocus gives.

Finally getting to the crux of the matter and fully appreciating that the base starting points between Phocus/LR/PS are similar enough for government work and borrowing LR/PS camera profiles into RawTherapee:  To recreate Hasselblad Phocus Factory "Nature" look in RawTherapee could be as simple as applying the correct curve.  

And it helps to recall something important about curve modes and the implications of choices I make.  I noted that 'blad's software "Curves" was marked RGB.  In practice, different curve modes in RawTherapee act differently in the way they distort colors as the luminosity curve shapes are modified.  

In RawTherapee I discovered that choosing "Weighted-Standard" curve mode seems to be the Magic Ticket to matching Hasselblad Phocus RGB curve.  Which is to say that Phocus "Curves" doesn't strictly implement "Standard RGB", hence the "Hasselblad color palette" that some people seem to rave about.

The following illustrates how little I modified RawTherapee "curves" to match Hasselblad's Phocus.  It's not much, but it's enough to gently shift the colors as well as adding just the right amount of luminance contrast.

 

Here is my proof of concept in RawTherapee.  I've checked this using various color combinations and the basic processing applies across the board.  The following also illustrates how various curve modes (including "Standard RGB") affect color contrast and color distortion and in most cases fail to properly match Hasselblad Phocus "Nature". 

To summarize, matching Hasselblad's Phocus "Nature" Factory preset/look in RawTherapee is, in the end, trivially easy.

• Open RAW image in RawTherapee (RT)
  
• Let RT demosaic the image as per normal
  
• Under RT Color Management select CameraProfile->Adobe->AdobeStandard<camera-specific>.dcp
• Under RT Color Management enable "Curve Tone", "Base", and "Look" tables
• Under RT Exposure apply a gentle "Weighted-Standard" curve (see above)
  
• Under RT LAB adjust Chromacity -1 or -2
  
• Save this sequence for later use

Lastly, if I select auto lens correction, my preferred vignette, and sharpening (a deconvolution - ie: Capture Sharpen) when I save the process steps the whole exercise of matching Hasselblad's Phocus Factory "Nature" preset/look in RawTherapee becomes a one button exercise.

All of which roundly exceeds expectations.

 

Read the Readme, Dumb~Me...

Important Note to Self: Read the ReadMe file!!!

I've experienced a couple challenges recently when trying Fuji film simulations in RawTherapee. Things just weren't working out as expected.

For instance, when downloading cinema oriented Fuji-look-alike LUTs I learned to be very careful to find out if the LUT collection was made for S-Log input.  Why?  S-Log on the video side produces a very flat file for a very specific set of reasons that have nothing to do with stills photography.  And I'm not sure how to create an S-Log image starting from a stills RAW.

No matter how hard I tried, applying a S-Log LUT to a stills image seriously distorts the colors and contrast.  What drives me crazy is that none of the cine LUTs I tried come with a ReadMe file that might explain any of this.  Apparently I'm not one of the "cool kids" who can figure this out before downloading and attempting something.  So to make my life easier I've learned to avoid cine LUTs in general.

Further narrowing my search a little to camera profiles and LUTs developed for stills work I have belatedly learned that some of these files were specifically designed for use with "linear" camera profiles in RentWare.  The devil is in the details.  This is very important as some camera profiles and LUTs both add not only the color grading/film simulation, but they're also managing the initial tone curve as well.  

Once I understood that some LUTs require a "linear" camera profile starting point I was able to achieve the film simulation I was looking for.  It's correct to the point I doubt anyone would be able to tell which camera was used with the Fuji film simulation.  

When working in RawTherapee I create a "linear" camera profile by simply de-selecting "Tone Curve" in the Color Management module.  There is no need to load a specially made for RentWare "linear" camera profile into RawTherapee.

One more step is required.  To ensure the camera profiles color grading function does not influence the film simulation result I simply  de-select "Look Table" in the Color Management module as well.  

Here's a quick look at how de-selecting these two components in Color Management compare to the RawTherapee default color managed state -

 

 

Resources -

An excellent look at how Fuji film simulations modify colors - 

https://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2020/08/18/fujifilm-film-simulations-definitive-guide 

Individual Cluts can be downloaded off this site.  I've found that I can load a RAW image into RawTherapee, deselect "Tone Cuve" and "Look Table" in the Color Management module, and then apply these film simulations without further image manipulation (as in the above image).

Another Fuji HaldCLut package - 

https://blog.sowerby.me/fuji-film-simulation-profiles/

Note: When using these HaldCluts I've found I need to lighten the tones while keeping the Color Management "linear."  I do this by modifying "Exposure" or by sliding the top end of the tone curve to the left using "Luminosity."  Doing these things allows me to match the output of the above Clut collection.

Summary ~ a comment I posted to pixls.us

I realize that something I posted to pixls.us works as a kind of Summary of Findings.  So I thought it might be interesting to share it here.

In addition to the many good comments, I’ll throw in my $0.02 worth. Keeping mind anything I say is worth the price you paid for it (ie: $0).

From looking at lenses for going on four decades to find a certain “magic”, here’s what I’ve learned.

    Until surprisingly recently, lens designers I’ve talked with felt that correcting for 7th order effects, while “do-able”, was a little over the top. People told me it was “unnecessary.” Modern optics can be corrected for 11th or, gasp, 13th order effects. There are a few interesting reasons to do this now.

    In general, vintage lenses typically were designed for either resolution or contrast. Modern optics can be found that strike an interesting balance between resolution and contrast (see previous paragraph). Which leads me to think the computing required to design lenses for 11th order effects was rather too great for rooms filled with human calculators (see Nikon’s 1000 and 1 Night series).

    In the vast majority of imaging systems I’ve looked at, resolution limitations are found in light sensitive materials (ie: film or digital sensor) and not in the lenses themselves when operating at their optimum aperture. OK. That’s a strong caveat, but someone sent me years ago a 75mm f/8 wide angle lens that covers at least 4x5 inches that is diffraction limited from wide open. So “softness” at wide apertures for some vintage optics is there because they’ve been designed this way.

    This is why I feel many vintage lens manufacturers designed their optics to a customer base (sort of). I’m thinking of old Nikon optics where they were designed for under-corrected spherical aberration behind the point of focus as well as providing a veiling spherical aberration wide open. This was, I’m convinced, deliberate to satisfy the Japanese market which valued a “delicacy” of rendition. Canon OTOH went the over way because of their customer base and over-corrected for spherical aberration behind the point of focus. Old Canon lenses can appear sharp wide open, but deliver nasty soap-bubble-ish background rendition as a result. Pentax, again in broad, designed their lenses to be more neutral.

    Modern Voighlander Heliar lenses bear little to zero rendition resemblance to lenses made for large format film in the early to mid 20th century. Which is to say, be careful of thinking naming conventions will render a scene similarly across the ages. Another example of what i mean is anything labeled “Sonnar.” How well a lens is corrected is more a function of careful design. Don’t believe me? Compare early Zeiss, mid-century Soviet, and the (justifiably) highly regarded 10.5cm/105mm Nikkor-P “Sonnar” designs. Out of focus rendition, chromatic aberration, flare, and astigmatism are treated widely differently depending on who designed the lens and is not something inherent in the basic optical layout. The Kingslake comments previously noted elsewhere in this thread about the Tessar formula being another excellent example. I’ve not encountered such a consistently horrid lens (and I’ve owned far too many of them) as the Zeiss 50mm f/3.5 or f/2.8 Tessar coming from the former Eastern Bloc. They blew it. It never gets “sharp”, really. f/8 seems the best it can do for an acceptable image.

    Modern optics can suffer from a surprising level of field distortion (barrel or pincushion). It appears to me that lens designers sometimes rely rather strongly on software to correct this kind of distortion since it makes it easier/cheaper to correct for chromatic aberration, astigmatism, and flare. In general, vintage lenses can be surprisingly “rectilinear” and I’ve not found it necessary to lean heavily on distortion corrections.

    Many vintage and most modern optics appear to offer pretty good field flatness. Zoom lenses can be another matter, particularly those designed for SLR and early DSLR. No, not all suffer from this, but I can pretty much find a weak spot in just about any zoom. There’s nearly always a “hole” somewhere in the zoom range, or so it seems.

    Even knowing all these things, trying to see an advantage of one thing over another can be difficult. I would enjoy buying a beer for the person who could sit down next to me and tell me which image was made with which lens. It’s impossible, of course. But because we’re on the “inside” and it matters to us, we often place a LOT of emphasis on the lenses we choose. I can’t tell the difference between images made with a new Sigma 24mm f/3.5 DG DN and an early '80’s Nikon Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 Ai. I could say similar things about just any of the lenses I own, vintage or modern.

So after all these years and all this thrashing and whinging and wrangling where did I find the “magic” I was looking for? I found it in careful image processing. This means tightly controlled color management, color grading, sharpness and local contrast controls, etc, etc, etc. This means being clear with myself on what I seek in and how to express a subject/scene in the final result.

OK. Enough of that. There’s much more I could say, but why? I’ve already said too much.