[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.
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