Using Fuji Raw X Studio

Early this morning, I loaded up a simple film recipe on the Fuji X-S10 based on Classic Kodak Chrome that I had been enjoying on the Fuji X-T1. Since it was really for a different sensor, I found I wanted to tweak the look, so I used the same settings, but adjusted the film simulation to Classic Negative and set out on a photowalk.

I really liked the way the harsh light in the valley worked with the Classic Kodak Chrome film recipe to create a punchy image with Classic Negative. All in all, the film simulation captured the cools of the shadows and balanced them with the powerful bursts of sun rays that broke through the trees on the hill above the street I was walking along. Everything was great. See some of the original images below from my Twitter post.

However, in the middle of the day, I found that Classic Negative seemed a little contrasty for my taste and didn’t capture how the light felt. Then, when I got home and loaded the images in the computer, I remembered that I could use Fuji X Studio to process a different film recipe on a raw image. I hooked the X-S10 up to the laptop using a USB-C cable, making sure to set the Connection Setting to USB for raw conversion. This process allows raw files on the laptop to use the camera’s processor to process a film recipe that you set in the software interface for a bright, shiny, new jpeg!

So, I reached back in my archives and remembered a Portra film recipe that I loved and would give these images a brighter, warmer, more gentle look.

The software is easy to use. You load up the raw images you want to work on using the file navigator/browser window on the left. Then you can toggle different settings on the right for the different exposure options – all the settings typically baked into a film recipe, AND you can see as the selected raw image reacts in real time to every adjustment.