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RAF raw conversion to DNG

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Vincent AF

Vincent AF

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Does anyone use the Adobe raw converter to convert their RAF files to DNG files for further processing? What are your experiences with that? Pros and cons? I use the X-T10 at the moment.

Having shot with Nikon for quite some years, my workflow has always revolved around adobe camera RAW and Photoshop. Because of the different type of sensor of the Fujifilm X camera's, there is a lot of talk to use different RAW processing software, because adobe doesn't play well with the RAF files. I've used RawTherapee but I don't like the rendering of it. In the past I have used SILKYPIX, but that was for my Nikon RAW files. Does anyone have some sound advice for best processing of Fujifilm RAW files? Is converting to DNG a possible work around?
 
The Adobe RAW concerter is the same in all Adobe applications

The ACR raw engine with RAF files have pros and cons

pros : excellent for shadows and highlights recovery, one of the best, excellent work flow in both LR and PS

cons : a tendency to smear small details and to color bleeding This is really noticeable in some squbjects such trees bushes foliage, grass./ Unability to sharpen without artefacts creation One solution is to sharpen after raw conversion using the now freware Nik Sharpener Pro

Fo foliage just use the freeware from Fuji whose UI is a bit odd but gives excellent results

All in all if you are flexible in programs use, no issue at all
 
One thing I noticed with a DNG I processed in LR, was that it no longer identified the file as from a Fujifilm camera and the film simulations disappeared. Has anyone else seen this? It may be a reason NOT to convert.
 
baobob said:
The Adobe RAW concerter is the same in all Adobe applications

The ACR raw engine with RAF files have pros and cons

pros : excellent for shadows and highlights recovery, one of the best, excellent work flow in both LR and PS

cons : a tendency to smear small details and to color bleeding This is really noticeable in some squbjects such trees bushes foliage, grass./ Unability to sharpen without artefacts creation One solution is to sharpen after raw conversion using the now freware Nik Sharpener Pro

Fo foliage just use the freeware from Fuji whose UI is a bit odd but gives excellent results

All in all if you are flexible in programs use, no issue at all
Click to expand...
 
No, will use LR only as long as it will be avilable outside the cloud.

Otherwise, storage is cheap and the smaller file size is not really important to me.
 
Last edited:
baobob said:
The Adobe RAW concerter is the same in all Adobe applications

The ACR raw engine with RAF files have pros and cons

pros : excellent for shadows and highlights recovery, one of the best, excellent work flow in both LR and PS

cons : a tendency to smear small details and to color bleeding This is really noticeable in some squbjects such trees bushes foliage, grass./ Unability to sharpen without artefacts creation One solution is to sharpen after raw conversion using the now freware Nik Sharpener Pro
Click to expand...
Sorry to original OP for jumping in here, but I have just started a new thread in the Mac forum as I am about to finally leave Aperture and go to Lightroom CC and am worrying a little about RAF files from Fuji X Pro 2, which of course are not recognised at all in what remains of Aperture.
baobob said:
Fo foliage just use the freeware from Fuji whose UI is a bit odd but gives excellent results

All in all if you are flexible in programs use, no issue at all
Click to expand...
Flexible and able. Three programmes necessary for these files to get the best out of them, really really bothers me.
 
jayboo said:
baobob said:
The Adobe RAW concerter is the same in all Adobe applications

The ACR raw engine with RAF files have pros and cons

pros : excellent for shadows and highlights recovery, one of the best, excellent work flow in both LR and PS

cons : a tendency to smear small details and to color bleeding This is really noticeable in some squbjects such trees bushes foliage, grass./ Unability to sharpen without artefacts creation One solution is to sharpen after raw conversion using the now freware Nik Sharpener Pro
Click to expand...
Sorry to original OP for jumping in here, but I have just started a new thread in the Mac forum as I am about to finally leave Aperture and go to Lightroom CC and am worrying a little about RAF files from Fuji X Pro 2, which of course are not recognised at all in what remains of Aperture.
jayboo said:
Fo foliage just use the freeware from Fuji whose UI is a bit odd but gives excellent results

All in all if you are flexible in programs use, no issue at all
Click to expand...
Flexible and able. Three programmes necessary for these files to get the best out of them, really really bothers me.
Click to expand...
 
Vincent AF said:
jayboo said:
baobob said:
The Adobe RAW concerter is the same in all Adobe applications

The ACR raw engine with RAF files have pros and cons

pros : excellent for shadows and highlights recovery, one of the best, excellent work flow in both LR and PS

cons : a tendency to smear small details and to color bleeding This is really noticeable in some squbjects such trees bushes foliage, grass./ Unability to sharpen without artefacts creation One solution is to sharpen after raw conversion using the now freware Nik Sharpener Pro
Click to expand...
Sorry to original OP for jumping in here, but I have just started a new thread in the Mac forum as I am about to finally leave Aperture and go to Lightroom CC and am worrying a little about RAF files from Fuji X Pro 2, which of course are not recognised at all in what remains of Aperture.
Vincent AF said:
Fo foliage just use the freeware from Fuji whose UI is a bit odd but gives excellent results

All in all if you are flexible in programs use, no issue at all
Click to expand...
Flexible and able. Three programmes necessary for these files to get the best out of them, really really bothers me.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
jayboo said:
baobob said:
The Adobe RAW concerter is the same in all Adobe applications

The ACR raw engine with RAF files have pros and cons

pros : excellent for shadows and highlights recovery, one of the best, excellent work flow in both LR and PS

cons : a tendency to smear small details and to color bleeding This is really noticeable in some squbjects such trees bushes foliage, grass./ Unability to sharpen without artefacts creation One solution is to sharpen after raw conversion using the now freware Nik Sharpener Pro
Click to expand...
Sorry to original OP for jumping in here, but I have just started a new thread in the Mac forum as I am about to finally leave Aperture and go to Lightroom CC and am worrying a little about RAF files from Fuji X Pro 2, which of course are not recognised at all in what remains of Aperture.
jayboo said:
Fo foliage just use the freeware from Fuji whose UI is a bit odd but gives excellent results

All in all if you are flexible in programs use, no issue at all
Click to expand...
Flexible and able. Three programmes necessary for these files to get the best out of them, really really bothers me.
Click to expand...
 
Vincent AF said:
Does anyone use the Adobe raw converter to convert their RAF files to DNG files for further processing? What are your experiences with that? Pros and cons? I use the X-T10 at the moment.

Having shot with Nikon for quite some years, my workflow has always revolved around adobe camera RAW and Photoshop. Because of the different type of sensor of the Fujifilm X camera's, there is a lot of talk to use different RAW processing software, because adobe doesn't play well with the RAF files. I've used RawTherapee but I don't like the rendering of it. In the past I have used SILKYPIX, but that was for my Nikon RAW files. Does anyone have some sound advice for best processing of Fujifilm RAW files? Is converting to DNG a possible work around?
Click to expand...
Yes, it's part of my importing workflow into Lightroom (and/or photoshop). It works smoothly and certain modifications that the camera made to the RAF file is also imported into Lightroom/Photoshop.

I would try importing using ACR or Lightroom and modify the camera calibration so that the color is to your liking if you see any issues. Converting to DNG is part of my import workflow also. It's better to work with DNGs that to have sidecar files with other RAW formats.

--
Cliff
 
Last edited:
jayboo said:
Thanks Vincent. I haven't tried Silkypix. Wondering if maybe that for Fuji RAF files, then import into lightroom as Jpeg would work. Think I would feel much happier if I could do it in two steps rather than three or four. I have been looking at Rawtherapee which is also free, seems many like it. Whichever way I go is going to be a huge learning curve for me, I have been so set in my ways with Aperture, if it were just the Fuji Files problem then I think I could cope with that, but Apple ending support for Aperture means I have to make the break sometime.
Click to expand...
 
Vincent AF said:
Vincent AF said:
Thanks Vincent. I haven't tried Silkypix. Wondering if maybe that for Fuji RAF files, then import into lightroom as Jpeg would work. Think I would feel much happier if I could do it in two steps rather than three or four. I have been looking at Rawtherapee which is also free, seems many like it. Whichever way I go is going to be a huge learning curve for me, I have been so set in my ways with Aperture, if it were just the Fuji Files problem then I think I could cope with that, but Apple ending support for Aperture means I have to make the break sometime.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
jayboo said:
Thanks Vincent. I haven't tried Silkypix. Wondering if maybe that for Fuji RAF files, then import into lightroom as Jpeg would work.
Click to expand...
That's what I usually do with Photo Ninja when needed...but not for all files, just the ones where I'm going to be super-critical. But it also depends on your output. If it's virtually all to web galleries and albums, for screen viewing and personal (non-Pro) use, then the "issues" with LR/RAF files when they do occur are not really apparent (to me).

I've just processed four weeks worth of travel shots from Indian Ocean locations, and used LR for everything. These will go on Google Photos and Flickr. If I needed to choose a handful for print or large format display or my best shots of the year album, I'd try the other RAW converters (RT/RFC2/PN) along with LR and see which gives me the best output. LR is not always the worst. If you also work this way, it's not a big deal to have several programs as they are only used by exception. If however you agonise over every shot at 100%+ and cannot stand anything other than perfection, then LR/RAF may not be your best combination.
 
Elyharbour said:
One thing I noticed with a DNG I processed in LR, was that it no longer identified the file as from a Fujifilm camera and the film simulations disappeared. Has anyone else seen this? It may be a reason NOT to convert.
Click to expand...
I convert all my RAF to DNG using the DNG Converter and never experienced this issue. All the options under Camera Calibration are still available.
 
Adobe DNG Converter does not change X-Trans data to Bayer data. The program only repackages everything, and there are a few auxiliary options.

To confirm this, open one of your DNGs in Raw Therapee. You will see the information bar at the bottom report that the program performs X-Trans demosaicing.

One use of the Converter today is that it will convert compressed RAF files from the X-Pro 2 to DNGs. Raw Therapee today cannot handle compressed RAFs.

If you are familiar with Silkypix, try the free Fuji Raw File Converter, which is based on it and has the same idiosyncratic user interface.

I use Raw Therapee, then export a TIF to my favorite post-processing program (Picture Window Pro).

--
The comment above probably has an example in my photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/41790885@N08/
 
Vincent AF said:
Vincent AF said:
Thanks Vincent. I haven't tried Silkypix. Wondering if maybe that for Fuji RAF files, then import into lightroom as Jpeg would work. Think I would feel much happier if I could do it in two steps rather than three or four. I have been looking at Rawtherapee which is also free, seems many like it. Whichever way I go is going to be a huge learning curve for me, I have been so set in my ways with Aperture, if it were just the Fuji Files problem then I think I could cope with that, but Apple ending support for Aperture means I have to make the break sometime.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Elyharbour said:
jayboo said:
Thanks Vincent. I haven't tried Silkypix. Wondering if maybe that for Fuji RAF files, then import into lightroom as Jpeg would work.
Click to expand...
That's what I usually do with Photo Ninja when needed...but not for all files, just the ones where I'm going to be super-critical. But it also depends on your output. If it's virtually all to web galleries and albums, for screen viewing and personal (non-Pro) use, then the "issues" with LR/RAF files when they do occur are not really apparent (to me).

I've just processed four weeks worth of travel shots from Indian Ocean locations, and used LR for everything. These will go on Google Photos and Flickr. If I needed to choose a handful for print or large format display or my best shots of the year album, I'd try the other RAW converters (RT/RFC2/PN) along with LR and see which gives me the best output. LR is not always the worst. If you also work this way, it's not a big deal to have several programs as they are only used by exception. If however you agonise over every shot at 100%+ and cannot stand anything other than perfection, then LR/RAF may not be your best combination.
Click to expand...
I don't agonise over every shot, and fortunately do not do much landscape stuff, which is where many X trans issues seem to show up. But, I hate thinking I am not getting the best out of something, right now I look at my fuji files and know they are not as good as they could be, lots to try and learn I think.

Some love the processing part of photography, not me, I just like taking photographs lol!
 
jayboo said:
baobob said:
The Adobe RAW concerter is the same in all Adobe applications

The ACR raw engine with RAF files have pros and cons

pros : excellent for shadows and highlights recovery, one of the best, excellent work flow in both LR and PS

cons : a tendency to smear small details and to color bleeding This is really noticeable in some squbjects such trees bushes foliage, grass./ Unability to sharpen without artefacts creation One solution is to sharpen after raw conversion using the now freware Nik Sharpener Pro
Click to expand...
Sorry to original OP for jumping in here, but I have just started a new thread in the Mac forum as I am about to finally leave Aperture and go to Lightroom CC and am worrying a little about RAF files from Fuji X Pro 2, which of course are not recognised at all in what remains of Aperture.
jayboo said:
Fo foliage just use the freeware from Fuji whose UI is a bit odd but gives excellent results

All in all if you are flexible in programs use, no issue at all
Click to expand...
Flexible and able. Three programmes necessary for these files to get the best out of them, really really bothers me.
Click to expand...
 
jayboo said:
jayboo said:
But, I hate thinking I am not getting the best out of something, right now I look at my fuji files and know they are not as good as they could be, lots to try and learn I think.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
That's my problem as well, but I try to say "is this good enough and is anyone going to notice" and the answer is almost always "Yes" and "No"...but I still spend way too much time trying to tweak the last bit of IQ out of my shots, even though for my audience it's usually pointless. I do it for me...but when time is tight, it's important to know when to stop.

 
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