Post Processing Question...

[DNBush]

I got into the Fuji system in part due to the Film Simulations.

It seems that, for RAW processing, in order to preserve the genuine Fuji simulations, you need to process the RAW file using X RAW Studio. Correct?

Now, for other edits like shadow/highlight adjustments, while some of that can be done in X RAW Studio it doesn't seem as full featured as using something like DxO (my favorite).

No problem. I process the file in X RAW Studio with the only changes being maybe selecting a different Film Simulation and then export it as a tiff file to preserve the Film Simulation.

So far, so good.

Now, open the tiff file in DxO and all my familiar tools are available to me except for noise reduction. DxO can't do that on a tiff file. That's a real bummer as DxO has probably the best NR.

What are my options?

 

[GMacF]

Capture One and Lightroom also apply the Fuji simulations - or at least their interpretation of them and FWIW I notice little to no difference.

I don’t use DxO, never liked it, but I know with Lightroom the AI Noise Reduction only works on the original RAF file. Once it has been converted to TIFF/DNG/JPG by whatever means then the noise reduction can no longer be used.

Not sure if this helps you or not.

 

[John Bean (UK)]

Capture One and Lightroom also apply the Fuji simulations - or at least their interpretation of them and FWIW I notice little to no difference.

The Lr simulations for my X-T50 and X100VI are surprisingly accurate. Adobe are a bit inconsistent in the accuracy of its simulations but Fuji are an exception - they're not external profiles like others but are built-in, presumably to keep the "secret sauce" hidden. I took this to mean that Fuji made some major contribution to their creation, requiring that they were not able to be copied/modified. No other brand is handled this way by Adobe.

I don’t use DxO, never liked it, but I know with Lightroom the AI Noise Reduction only works on the original RAF file. Once it has been converted to TIFF/DNG/JPG by whatever means then the noise reduction can no longer be used.

Yes, but at least in Lightroom the simulation can be loaded before using AI denoise or afterwards if you want. Big advantage.

--
John Bean [GMT]
RIP Elliott Erwitt 26 July 1928 - 29 November 2023

 

[GMacF]

I don’t use DxO, never liked it, but I know with Lightroom the AI Noise Reduction only works on the original RAF file. Once it has been converted to TIFF/DNG/JPG by whatever means then the noise reduction can no longer be used.

Yes, but at least in Lightroom the simulation can be loaded before using AI denoise or afterwards if you want. Big advantage.

Yes that was one of the appeals of moving back to Adobe after a few years of Capture One was that it could be a ‘one stop shop’ for 99% of my editing whereas with C1 I also had to run Affinity and a couple of other softwares alongside.

 

[Dimac]

You can still use the Fuji Raw Converter software (that actually uses the internal camera raw converter anyway) and apply another film sim and even correct essential basic settings as highlights and shadows and get a very good basis jpeg to work with for further fine tuning. If a jpeg is close to good and just fine tuning needed, you don't need the wider range of a raw.

 

[DNBush]

It appears that Topaz Photo AI will apply NR to tiff files. And it does a pretty good job. Maybe not quite at DxO's level but still for the relatively few times that I think I would need it, it should be good enough.

What I need to do now I guess is learn more about X RAW Studio and whether nor not it can do the other editing things (highlights/shadows, etc.) that I was using DxO for.

My use case is non-professional, rank amateur, hobbyist, travel photographer stuff. I want to keep it as simple as I can and yet still take full advantage of Fuji's film simulations. It would likely drive me crazy (OCD) using a program like Lightroom that, as someone said, mostly gets the simulations right. I want what Fuji put into their camera.

 

[Greybeard2023]

It appears that Topaz Photo AI will apply NR to tiff files. And it does a pretty good job. Maybe not quite at DxO's level but still for the relatively few times that I think I would need it, it should be good enough.

What I need to do now I guess is learn more about X RAW Studio and whether nor not it can do the other editing things (highlights/shadows, etc.) that I was using DxO for.

X raw Studio can do what you would have been able to do if you tried to reprocess the raw in the camera. Highlight and shadow processing may be limited depending on your original Dynamic Range and D Range Priority settings.

My use case is non-professional, rank amateur, hobbyist, travel photographer stuff. I want to keep it as simple as I can and yet still take full advantage of Fuji's film simulations. It would likely drive me crazy (OCD) using a program like Lightroom that, as someone said, mostly gets the simulations right. I want what Fuji put into their camera.

 

[Truman Prevatt]

It appears that Topaz Photo AI will apply NR to tiff files. And it does a pretty good job. Maybe not quite at DxO's level but still for the relatively few times that I think I would need it, it should be good enough.

What I need to do now I guess is learn more about X RAW Studio and whether nor not it can do the other editing things (highlights/shadows, etc.) that I was using DxO for.

My use case is non-professional, rank amateur, hobbyist, travel photographer stuff. I want to keep it as simple as I can and yet still take full advantage of Fuji's film simulations. It would likely drive me crazy (OCD) using a program like Lightroom that, as someone said, mostly gets the simulations right. I want what Fuji put into their camera.

From what I understand, Fuji and Capture One have a long time working relationship. That was apparent to me when I got Xpro2 in 2016 and the C1 was by far the best choice of processing XTrans. Capture One color settings are a few general ones plus all of the film simulations on the camera. If the formulas are not supplied by Fuji - they are damn close. AS far as noise reduction Capture one allows for the use of both Prime Raw and Topaz to be spawned internally with the results returned to C1 by selecting "Open With" in C1.

In both cases one can choose to return either a DNG or Tiff. The DNG is closer to raw so that is my preference. From that point, especially with the DNG all the functionality of C1 is available. I do not know about Lightroom but I suspect it has equivalent features.

BTW many of these topics have been covered numerous times on these forums including this one and also the questions retained to processing cover in the Retouching forum. The site has a good search function. You might want to go to that and see if there are other resources available to answer your questions.

 

[DNBush]

It appears that Topaz Photo AI will apply NR to tiff files. And it does a pretty good job. Maybe not quite at DxO's level but still for the relatively few times that I think I would need it, it should be good enough.

What I need to do now I guess is learn more about X RAW Studio and whether nor not it can do the other editing things (highlights/shadows, etc.) that I was using DxO for.

My use case is non-professional, rank amateur, hobbyist, travel photographer stuff. I want to keep it as simple as I can and yet still take full advantage of Fuji's film simulations. It would likely drive me crazy (OCD) using a program like Lightroom that, as someone said, mostly gets the simulations right. I want what Fuji put into their camera.

From what I understand, Fuji and Capture One have a long time working relationship. That was apparent to me when I got Xpro2 in 2016 and the C1 was by far the best choice of processing XTrans.

Capture One color settings are a few general ones plus all of the film simulations on the camera. If the formulas are not supplied by Fuji - they are damn close.

AS far as noise reduction Capture one allows for the use of both Prime Raw and Topaz to be spawned internally with the results returned to C1 by selecting "Open With" in C1.

In both cases one can choose to return either a DNG or Tiff. The DNG is closer to raw so that is my preference. From that point, especially with the DNG all the functionality of C1 is available. I do not know about Lightroom but I suspect it has equivalent features.

Return a DNG from where? From X RAW Studio and then import it into C1?

My only issue with C1 is their pricing model. But I should probably give their free trial a go.

BTW many of these topics have been covered numerous times on these forums including this one and also the questions retained to processing cover in the Retouching forum. The site has a good search function. You might want to go to that and see if there are other resources available to answer your questions.

Oh I have but not exhaustively. Once I started getting all the help here I just kept milking the cow, so to speak. Very, very appreciatively I might add.

 

[Truman Prevatt]

It appears that Topaz Photo AI will apply NR to tiff files. And it does a pretty good job. Maybe not quite at DxO's level but still for the relatively few times that I think I would need it, it should be good enough.

What I need to do now I guess is learn more about X RAW Studio and whether nor not it can do the other editing things (highlights/shadows, etc.) that I was using DxO for.

My use case is non-professional, rank amateur, hobbyist, travel photographer stuff. I want to keep it as simple as I can and yet still take full advantage of Fuji's film simulations. It would likely drive me crazy (OCD) using a program like Lightroom that, as someone said, mostly gets the simulations right. I want what Fuji put into their camera.

From what I understand, Fuji and Capture One have a long time working relationship. That was apparent to me when I got Xpro2 in 2016 and the C1 was by far the best choice of processing XTrans.

Capture One color settings are a few general ones plus all of the film simulations on the camera. If the formulas are not supplied by Fuji - they are damn close.

AS far as noise reduction Capture one allows for the use of both Prime Raw and Topaz to be spawned internally with the results returned to C1 by selecting "Open With" in C1.

In both cases one can choose to return either a DNG or Tiff. The DNG is closer to raw so that is my preference. From that point, especially with the DNG all the functionality of C1 is available. I do not know about Lightroom but I suspect it has equivalent features.

Return a DNG from where? From X RAW Studio and then import it into C1?

You select "Open With" in C1, the file is sent to Topaz or Prime Raw. Once you finish in those programs it is saved back to the original folder and imported into C1 as a DNG. In fact C1 has an option "Process With Topaz" which does the same for Topaz.

Raw Studio is a nice set up. However, it doesn't have geometric and keystone correction, cloning and healing tools, multiple layers, AI masking, regular masking, spot removal, etc. It seems that C1 decided to not invest in the AI noise reduction rather allow the use of other versions out there. They did the same with processing focus stacked images using Helicon Focus as a plug in. However, there HDR processing of exposure bracketed images works very well.

My only issue with C1 is their pricing model. But I should probably give their free trial a go.

BTW many of these topics have been covered numerous times on these forums including this one and also the questions retained to processing cover in the Retouching forum. The site has a good search function. You might want to go to that and see if there are other resources available to answer your questions.

Oh I have but not exhaustively. Once I started getting all the help here I just kept milking the cow, so to speak. Very, very appreciatively I might add.

 

[Ysarex]

It appears that Topaz Photo AI will apply NR to tiff files. And it does a pretty good job. Maybe not quite at DxO's level but still for the relatively few times that I think I would need it, it should be good enough.

What I need to do now I guess is learn more about X RAW Studio and whether nor not it can do the other editing things (highlights/shadows, etc.) that I was using DxO for.

My use case is non-professional, rank amateur, hobbyist, travel photographer stuff. I want to keep it as simple as I can and yet still take full advantage of Fuji's film simulations. It would likely drive me crazy (OCD) using a program like Lightroom that, as someone said, mostly gets the simulations right. I want what Fuji put into their camera.

From what I understand, Fuji and Capture One have a long time working relationship. That was apparent to me when I got Xpro2 in 2016 and the C1 was by far the best choice of processing XTrans.

Capture One color settings are a few general ones plus all of the film simulations on the camera. If the formulas are not supplied by Fuji - they are damn close.

AS far as noise reduction Capture one allows for the use of both Prime Raw and Topaz to be spawned internally with the results returned to C1 by selecting "Open With" in C1.

In both cases one can choose to return either a DNG or Tiff. The DNG is closer to raw so that is my preference. From that point, especially with the DNG all the functionality of C1 is available. I do not know about Lightroom but I suspect it has equivalent features.

Return a DNG from where?

The DNG is created by the sent-to app (eg. DXO Pure Raw or PL). Then back in C1 you can process the DNG and use C1's simulations of Fuji's film simulations. The only way to get Fuji's actual film simulations is from a Fuji camera.

NOTE: This DNG is not a raw file. It's basically a TIFF file in a DNG wrapper.

From X RAW Studio and then import it into C1?

X-Raw Studio won't export a DNG.

My only issue with C1 is their pricing model. But I should probably give their free trial a go.

BTW many of these topics have been covered numerous times on these forums including this one and also the questions retained to processing cover in the Retouching forum. The site has a good search function. You might want to go to that and see if there are other resources available to answer your questions.

Oh I have but not exhaustively. Once I started getting all the help here I just kept milking the cow, so to speak. Very, very appreciatively I might add.