Why can shadow detail look smeared when editing Fuji X-Trans RAW files in Photoshop/ACR?
Asked 11/25/2017
4 views
2 answers
0
I’m editing Fuji X-series RAW files in Adobe Camera Raw and comparing Adobe’s Velvia-style camera profile with my own Photoshop adjustments. I prefer the color and contrast of my custom version, but the mid-shadow areas look softer or slightly smeared compared with the Velvia profile, even though I’m not applying extra noise reduction. I noticed the issue seems to appear after a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. I’m working in 16-bit, so I’m wondering whether this is a color-space/quantization issue or something else in the RAW-processing pipeline. What commonly causes this kind of shadow-detail loss, and how can I avoid it while keeping my preferred color look?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
1
Why do I lose details in the mid shadows?
I shoot Fuji X-series cameras. Adobe camera raw comes with a camera profile that matches the film emulations inside the camera. I like the colors produced by the Velvia profile (although they are nothing like the real Velvia), but I don't like how it crushes the blacks. The contrast is too high.
...
However, I feel like the velvia version has more detail in the mid shadows (the ones above the black, where you can see detail) compared to my version.
...
It seems that the hue/saturation adjustment layer is the culprit.
Could this be caused by some kind of quantization error because I use such a huge working space? I am using 16 bit, though.
How can I solve this problem? I much prefer the colors and contrast of my version, but I want the extra detail found in velvia.
Yes, 'digital Velvia' is not the same as Velvia film, but Fuji makes both so a Fuji digital camera is as close as you can get (digitally).
Ken Rockwell extols his love of Velvia film and doesn't correct for color and reciprocity precisely, he says: "Velvia makes nature look better!" and "Velvia has much deeper blacks than most other slide film. ... Therefore some people used to shoot it at ISO 40 to make it look brighter.".
So feel free to adjust a bit, and expect some flavor.
Fuji doesn't publish curves for it's digital cameras but they do for their film: FujiChrome Velvia 50 and Provia 100F. Comparing the curves for their film (since curves for their digital cameras isn't available) we see:
What could be causing this?
It's likely the combination of the way you expose, the estimate of the curves by Adobe and the slight difference in the slopes along with the greater (and uneven distribution) of the color's dynamic range are working together to produce the slight difference between the results.
You might want to purchase a ColorChecker Card and calibrate your monitor, be certain to shoot the card using the same lighting you intend to use in your photos (Sun or Sun + flash) and calibrate your monitor in a room with controlled lighting.
Then you can be certain of the best possible results without guessing where the problem lies.
Originally by user37074. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user37074
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Based on the answers, this is unlikely to be a 16-bit quantization or large-working-space problem. A more likely cause is the Fuji X-Trans RAW conversion pipeline in Adobe Camera Raw/Photoshop.
Fuji’s X-Trans files can be rendered differently by different RAW converters, and ACR has often been criticized for producing smeared or less distinct fine detail in some textures. That means the difference you’re seeing may be coming from how the RAW data is being interpreted before or during your Photoshop adjustments, rather than from your Hue/Saturation layer alone.
If the Velvia profile appears to preserve certain mid-shadow textures better, it may simply be using a rendering that interacts more favorably with the X-Trans data. To troubleshoot:
- Compare the same RAW file in another converter, especially Capture One.
- Check whether the softness is already present right after RAW conversion, before Photoshop layers.
- If another converter keeps the detail better, the issue is probably the demosaicing/rendering stage, not your color edits.
So the practical fix is to test a different RAW processor and determine whether ACR’s handling of Fuji X-Trans files is the source of the lost detail.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI8y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
Why does Adobe Camera Raw look different from Photoshop with Proof Colors set to Monitor RGB?
What should I choose when Photoshop warns that an embedded color profile doesn’t match my working RGB space?
Why does my custom X-Rite ColorChecker profile look wrong on a Sony a7R IV?
Why do my RAW files look fine in-camera and Lightroom but dark and oversaturated in Photoshop CS6?
How does Fujifilm X-Trans improve image quality compared with a Bayer APS-C sensor?