How can I create my own film-style color profiles in Aperture 3?
Asked 2/15/2011
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I’d like to recreate the color response of specific films, such as Kodachrome, inside Aperture 3. I’m not looking for pre-made presets as much as I want to understand the process so I can build my own film-style looks for different emulsions over time.
Can film color characteristics be reproduced by building tone/color curves in Aperture 3? If so, where would I get the needed data, and what is the proper workflow for measuring or deriving those curves?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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If all you are interested in is the color profiles (not the grain or other characteristics) of film, then understand that you need to measure the curves separately per channel. This article is rather informative about how film captures light, which is needed to know how to create the color profile.
Basically, you are going to create a separate curve for each channel:
- Red
- Green
- Blue
In order to create these color profiles, you will need a standard target with known values. You will also need the film in question to take a picture of that calibration target. Assuming your scanner is accurate/calibrated, or you have a color densitometer, you will be able to extract the color profile from the differences in the target vs the film.
You can imagine how tedious the whole process is, particularly for a large number of films. Some films have been discontinued (like Kodachrome) and are no longer processed. You'll have to use a provided color profile for that one.
Originally by user3631. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user3631
15y ago
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Yes, in principle, but it’s not as simple as using one overall curve. Film color response needs to be measured per channel: red, green, and blue.
A practical workflow is to photograph a standard calibration target with known color values on the film you want to emulate, then compare the scanned or measured film result against the target’s known values. From that difference, you can derive separate RGB curves to approximate the film’s color response.
To do this well, you need:
- a calibrated color target
- the film stock you want to emulate
- an accurate, calibrated scanner or a color densitometer
The process is fairly tedious, and the result depends heavily on scan accuracy and calibration. Also, film “look” is more than just color curves: grain, contrast behavior, and other characteristics matter too.
If your goal is the look rather than the measurement process, plug-ins and presets can be a simpler route. For example, Nik plug-ins for Aperture were recommended by one answer, especially for black-and-white film styles.
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