LR Alternatives for Fuji

5teveO wrote:

OK so for an example I have ran through LR, C1, On1, Ex 7 and a bonus of a 2 second edit in Darktable just for fun

LR - NR -25 / Sharpening pushed to 80 - check the iris edges at 100% starting to get wormy as are most contrasty edges

Capture one - Probably the sharpest of the lot.. I think.. similar to LR colours which is reassuring.

Imho, the colours aren't that close between LR and C1 in your edits.

• LR renders the skin tone a lot warmer, with some strong yellow/orange tones (e.g. on the forehead above the right eye).
• Light streaks in the hair almost make it appear as if your son had some hair frosting done - ON1 does this even more strongly.
• The blue shirt and brackground also are lighter, with stronger contrast between the flatter sections of the fabric and the dark areas. Again, ON1 does this more strongly, where it reminds me of some of HDR edits...
• Interestingly the LR and ON1 lens profiles apply a very different correction, compared to C1, Exposure X7 and Darktable

Going off of your examples:

• Exposure X7 is a good base, but as you say it's rather flat to begin with.
• C1 is already better and appears pretty realistic/neutral; some might find it bland without edits
• As described above, LR is a bit warmer and to my eyes appears as if some base clarity is applied. Has a bit more pop, which might be a look some might go for, rather than the more toned down C1 look
• It feels like ON1 replicates the Adobe profile but with the knob at 11/10. For my taste, it's too much and not neutral enough as a starting point for an edit. It's almost cartoonish to my eyes.
• Darktable is difficult to judge, considering your note on colours. The blue being so far off compared to the competition leaves me wondering