the fuji jpegs can't be beaten, especially the x-100 and x-a1
Rawtherapee comes with a bit of a learning curve to say the least. Once you figure out how to use it properly it can give you MUCH more detailed files than SOOC jpgs with the tonal distribution of your choice - depending on your camera model it's 12/14bit (RAW) vs. 8 bit (jpg).
You could use dropbox.
I find my converted picture to be over sharpened. Yet if I try to drop the sharpening level, the image becomes soft. Take a look at the eye of the prominent cow at full resolution. I can't get that type of sharp result without over sharpening. To me, the overall jpg looks better, and has a better balance of tones.
That's why I wrote "whether that's desirable is another question".
Sharpening depends very much on how you intend to print/view the image. So, it would be informative to tell a bit more about that. In any case, I'm not familiar with RawTherapee, but I would guess, if you can get an image that is much sharper than the ooc-JPEG (even if it includes artifacts), you should be able to adjust sharpening down. I use Aperture, and I can get all kinds of sharpening levels using your raw image. I have to say, though, that noise reduction and sharpening are very much linked, particularly since the image is under-exposed and at ISO3200, so you may want to include noise reduction in your quest to get a rendition you like.
Color balance is often a matter of taste. How did you do the conversion to monochrome, i.e., what filter(s) was (were) used?
In my experience Iridient Developer renders more detail to begin with, then responds nicely to R-L deconvolution or the new Iridient Reveal sharpening methods. There are several X-Trans specific RAW conversions methods and specific ones for B&W. You might download the free trial version and try it out. Be sure to turn down the default Iridient Reveal amount as I think it is set too strong initially.
Here is a quick-and-dirty attempt using Aperture. It's not perfect, but I only spent 1 minute on it. That's all I can do right now as Im getting ready for my son's birthday celebrations... One would need to spend some more time on noise reduction perhaps, but that too depends so much on how you intend to print/view the image. It might be acceptable already as it is. Perhaps others can help you out a bit more.Murrfk said:
