LR/ACR Preset: Kodak Ektachrome 100VS

Another day, another preset. And today is Valentines Day, so I am releasing a special release of one of the most popular emulations from my original Slide Film Collection. Kodak Ektachrome 100VS was the one emulation in that pack that I received the most compliments on, so recently I went out and bought two fresh rolls of E100VS and set out to make a new version, using my new emulation procedure.

Six hours went into this preset, starting with the analysis and general development to get it close, finishing with 3 more hours this morning fine tuning it. I hope everyone enjoys this as much as my first attempt.

For those of you still using my original MikeyG!s Color Slide Film Collection, those presets are still fine, however they are not as accurate as those being released on LifeInDigitalFilm currently. While developing my Kodak B&W collection I developed as more through and accurate way to simulate film, and that method is being utilized in this preset. (More Information on my development process can be found at the Flickr Presetting Lightroom Group) If the old emulation still works for you, wonderful! I just ask you give this newer one a shot, as I feel it is much more accurate in it's depiction of the capabilities of this film stock.

Also, this can be a finicky preset under certain circumstances, so I highly recommend reading the readme.txt file in the download archive. You may find it of help, however I don't feel like getting technical on the blog today.

This preset was not free for me to make. I used 2 rolls of E100VS and Lab processing to get the final results. Between film costs and development costs this emulation cost about $25 USD to develop. I can back that off to about $12-$15 when I consider that about half of each roll got shot on personal projects, however ther was still a definable expense to do so. I would like to thank those who have purchased the Cold Storage preset collection for helping finance my site and emulations. For every 1 purchase made, I make enough to be able to purcahse and develop a roll of B&W film (lower since I do my own devloping). For every 3 purchases made I can develop 2 Color (C-41 or E-6) emulations (as I am currently still sending this out to a lab until I get better at color development). The purchases are also helping to purchase hosting for the blog, which will be migrated as soon as I finish getting my Wordpress theme the way I want it.

If you have not done so already, please consider buying the collection for $9.99 USD. There are links at the top right side of the blog, or click the following link for more information on the 12 exclusive presets available within: Cold Storage. Also included in that preset is a version of this same E100VS that I had Cross-Processed at the lab a while back.

Thank you,

Michael

Will be back tomorrow, I am getting better at these regular posts!

LR/ACR Preset: Kodak Kodachrome 25

LR/ACR Preset: Kodak Kodachrome 25, originally uploaded by GrayImaging.

Sorry for the few day delay in updates, got more than a few projects in the fire at the moment. I have had this preset complete for quite sometime now, as observant presetters may notice. Tonight is Kodak Kodachrome 25, which I used in my 100 style preset last week as the Koda preset.

It is an emulation of Kodachrome 25, which, in almost every sample I had possesses a very different color curve than its ISO 64 counterpart. That is not a bad thing, as it gives me more to preset. It tends to pound greens a tad harder, while taking it easy on the blues.

Get it HERE.

Also I would like to let you know that my Convert LR preset to ACR article has been published by Brandon over at x=blog. I completely rewrote the article and even made screenshots [which I never do here :^P (I never use emoticons either { ...or nested comments })]. I feel the post at x= is far superior to my roughly written process I posted a few days ago. Please check it out HERE.

If you have not seen the x=blog, please do so. It is a veritable treasure trove of great photography, processing, computer, and business tips.

LR/ACR Preset: Kodak Kodachrome 64

LR Preset: Kodak Kodachrome 64, originally uploaded by GrayImaging.

[Adobe Camera RAW preset added 01132009]

Finally I am back up and online, sorry for the extended absence, but I got a good belated Christmas gift for all of you. My Kodak Kodachrome 64 emulation.

Be warned, this is not as straightforward as most of my other presets. If you are of the school of thought that a preset is the last thing you do to an image, this may not be for you. This preset really needs attention after the preset has been applied. It is a little finicky in the contrast/brightness areas. I have not found an image yet that I did not have to adjust one or the other. Mind you, this will get a good approximation of the colors, saturation and response curve of the film, but you will have to pay attention to the brightness and contrast.

Also, if you use my Auto-toning presets, the Kodachrome Auto tends to overexpose, unless your original exposure was dead-on. Much like the actual film, you must have a good exposure when using Auto. Alternatively, just bring down the exposure, it will improve the image if it appears washed out.

This preset can require a bit more work to finesse out a good image, however I feel the results are great when you find the sweet spot. I could have spent much more time tweaking this preset, but I like the results...it just requires a little extra after the preset has been applied.

Also, if you read the readme.txt file in the zip, I have instructions on how to use the split-toning feature to simulate the discoloration of the 60's era and 70's era stock. Just in case you are interested.

So grab the file HERE. [man, I really need to get a download icon....]

Until next time[ hopefully much sooner tha last time],
Micahel

LR Preset Collection: Kodak B&W Vol. 1

So once again I have had a lapse in new posts. Unfortunately it always gets that way this time of year. Upside, I get almost 2 weeks vacation after Christmas, so I will have more time for my fledgling photography business and more time to give to my blog. I refuse to promise a regular release schedule until I can get past Christmas.

However, although I have no new preset to release tonight, I am officially releasing my Kodak preset you all have been using. I have grouped up 9 of the Kodak presets from here, and 3 Presets from my 1st B&W set. I added my "curve" preset to the 3 re-released presets.

Other than the re-releases, If you have gotten all my downloads here so far then you have all this. But if you are just finding the site now, all my Kodak B&W films I have release to date are in this set.

As I go along, Ilford will get a set like this, along with Fuji, Rollei/Maco, and then a set of other film stocks. But for now Kodak is the set I have most complete so here it is:

Included Film Emulations (3 presets per film stock)

MikeyG!s Kodak BW CN Preset
MikeyG!s Kodak Copy Film Preset
MikeyG!s Kodak HIE Preset
MikeyG!s Kodak Panatomic X Preset
MikeyG!s Kodak Plus-X Preset
MikeyG!s Kodak Portra BW Preset
MikeyG!s Kodak T-Max Preset
MikeyG!s Kodak Technical Pan Preset
MikeyG!s Kodak Tri-X Preset
MikeyG!s Kodak T-Max 100 Preset *
MikeyG!s Kodak T-Max 400 Preset *
MikeyG!s Kodak Tri-X 400 Preset *

*- these are the re-released preset. All others are here on this blog and have sample pictures posted.

Get the file HERE

The collection has also been released by Pierre at PresetsHeaven. I ask you all to check out his site daily, as he produces some great presets and also distributes presets created by other talented individuals.

PS: (12/13/2008; 0703 CDT) I just discovered that I had goofed in my Panatomic X release, I accidentally placed my Plus-X Auto and Curve presets in with the PanX standard preset. This effects both the original PanX release and the Kodak Collection. I will fix the issue later today when I get back home. Sorry for the screw-up.

(12/13/2008; 1103 CDT) The corrected collection zip file is HERE. This link is hosted by LIDF, however please get it from PresetsHeaven and support Pierre.

Until Next Time,

Michael

LR/ACR Presets: Kodak Panatomic X, Kodak Gold 100 and 200

LR Preset: Kodak Panatomic X, Kodak Gold 100 and 200, originally uploaded by GrayImaging.

[Adobe Camera RAW presets added 01132009]

Sorry for the extended drought of my film emulating presets. I am back after a fairly long stretch of "real" work, and I have presets!

Tonight I release my interpretation of Kodak Panatomic X B&W film. It has been discontinued for quite some time, and I was only able to get a hold of a few samples, and no real film for me to shoot. That is to be expected from a film that was discontinued almost 30 years ago. I feel the emulation is as close as I can get with Lightroom as it stands. There is some nuance with the smoothness of the tone that I noticed in the original film that is impossible to even correctly approximate. I tried for the past two weeks to get the tone nailed, but I could not do it. I feel the overall look is right, and a perfectly exposed image will convert wonderfully. If Lightroom has to work to correct exposure expect the tone to not be so smooth. I can't explain why it works like this, but it does.

While the Panatomic preset is not perfect, I am still proud of it and hope you all enjoy it. You can get it HERE.

Also, as a bonus for you patience, I am also releasing my interpretation of Kodak Gold 100 and 200. I am not a big fan of Gold film, but it is one of the most commonly shot films in existence. Surely someone likes the look. There is an individual release for both 100 ISO and 200 ISO, this is due to a slight difference in the tone curve that is evident in brightly lit photographs. Not much else to say on these, which is why they are "bonus" presets.

Kodak Gold 100 is HERE.
Kodak Gold 200 is HERE.

Thank you to all who visit my site, and my apologies for the extended delay in releases.

Until Next Time,
Michael

LR/ACR Preset: Kodak HIE

LR Preset: Kodak HIE, originally uploaded by GrayImaging.

[Adobe Camera RAW presets added 01132009]

Sorry for the missed day all...I had to take it off, it was my first day in a very long time in which I developed my own film. Processed a roll of my favorite, Fuji Neopan 100 Acros. But anyways, that was the cause of the delay...photography.

But today I preset to you my humble interpretation of Kodak HIE infrared film. This particular film stock is no longer produced (production ceased in 2007) and the last rolls of stock are selling at quite high prices on eBay. I'm too cheap to pay $40 usd on a roll of film, no matter how spectacular, so this was as close as I could get with out real negatives in my hand to compare to.

Anyways, many people were up in arms of the cancellation of this film, so I guess it was special to many people out there. So have at it and hopefully it may get near-IR results.

Get it HERE.

I will recommend that you adjust the red and magenta channels give or take 20 clicks on the slider to find the best look for the image. I kept the reds conservative to get better overall appearance, but many photos need those channels kicked to the right a notch to get better IR effect.

Well until next time,

Michael

LR/ACR Preset: Kodak T-Max

LR Preset: Kodak T-Max, originally uploaded by GrayImaging.

[Adobe Camera RAW presets added 01132009]

So, my internet connection is back up. It was down all day and I thought I wasn't going to get tonight's release done. Trying to release 5-6 per week, and I have plenty of emulsions to emulate, so they should keep coming for a while. But anyways...

Tonight I bring to the world my rendition of Kodak T-Max. In the interest of honesty, I am not a fan of T-Max. At least not with my experience with the film. I always found it to be lacking in tone and character. But there is a whole world full of people who know more about photography than I who love this film. So even though not a film I love I emulated it anyways, I have shot enough to know somewhat what I was looking for, and hopefully this preset is sufficient.

Get it HERE.

This almost draws my Kodak B&W collection to a close, only have HIE infrared to go (which obviously cannot be emulated without a real IR converted camera, which I don't have access to.) I hope you have found these presets useful.

Also, when you post pictures processed with my presets onto Flickr, if you remember, please tag the photo "lifeindigitalfilm" and with the preset name. I would love to see your work using my presets. By no means do you have to, but I would appreciate it. And to those of you who already have, thank you.

Once again, leave feedback on the presets after you use them. Tell me what you think, what I should improve or do differently. I truly want these presets to be a viable choice for photographer who want the film look without having to get Exposure 2 or DxO Film Pack. The more feedback I get, the more I have to work from when I am ready to revise the presets.

I plan on also re-releasing all my previous presets as ACR settings. So far I am getting good results with the emulations processed with ACR. It's pretty straight-forward, just copy all the LR setting over to ACR, but it is alot of work. So, I will only release ACR presets after I complete each LR pack, not after each preset.

Until Next Time,
Michael W. Gray

LR/ACR Preset: Kodak Plus-X

Sample - Kodak Plus-X, originally uploaded by GrayImaging.

Sorry for the time away, but I have been feeling a little under the weather. Good news is that I have some more presets ready, which I will be releasing over the next couple days.

Today I present my interpretation of Kodak Plus-X black and white film. Plus-X is another classic film, it received a revamp back in the 2002, merging the Plus-X family into one emulsion, PX125 (which is still available today). The grain is finer than that of Tri-X and tones are smoother and more subdued than T-max.

You can get it HERE.

When using the preset, any preset by me (or anyone else for that matter) remember to play around with those sliders some. As long as you don't touch the color mixer on my presets you should retain the general tone and/or color of the film. Throw in vignettes, sharpen the hell out of the images, drop the contrast, whatever makes it look right to you.

Try the different versions of each preset. Take the standard preset and tweak it to your needs, when you find a look you like, right click on the preset and update it with your new settings. Work the picture up in color and toss the curve preset on it, it will leave all you basic tone adjustments alone. Or let Lightroom do the work and hit the Auto preset. Experiment. If you have any question regarding the use of my presets just ask in the comments under the applicable preset. I will give you an answer as soon as I get a chance.

Well until next time, my friends

Michael W. Gray

PS make sure you check out the sites to the right, such as PresetsHeaven & TWIP.

LR/ACR Preset: Kodak Tri-X

LR Preset: Kodak Tri-X, originally uploaded by GrayImaging.

[Adobe Camera RAW presets added 01132009]

So I have already released this film emulation once in MikeyG!s B&W Film Presets Vol 1. However after getting out my old negs and prints I decided that I had to have been a bit off. After studying the actual film, simulation programs and the tech papers I feel that this is a more accurate representation of the film. This version alters all colors on the grayscale mixer, not just primaries. To me it seems that by working the entire spectrum I am getting much smoother tones, more reminiscent of real Tri-X.

Grab it HERE.

This is a tricky preset to release, especially since this is the de facto king of B&W to many photographers out there. I pray that the world can accept this preset in all its flaws. I may get close, maybe even closer in the future, but I can never emulate any film 100%. The only way to nail the Tri-X look or any other film look is to shoot the film.

Which, although soapboxing here, brings me to a thought I need to bring up. Since I have started my film emulation presets I have gotten alot of good feedback, but I need to address 2 questions/comments that I have gotten in some volume:

1) Why bother? (film is dead)

I bother because film is the heart and soul of photography. There can be a certain sterility to digital images that was rarely seen on good old analog film. That warmth that film provided in tone, contrast and density made photography. If we can put some of that feeling back into our digital work, especially when its needed, it can only improve an image.

2) Why bother? (if you want it to look like film, shoot film)

I do shoot film. Quite a bit. But I find myself with a digital in hand more often than not. I grew up on film, and will shoot film as long as I can (just got some Ilford 400 hp5+ for the weekend). But for clients photos I almost always use digital, unless they request film. Film is my look, and I want it in my work. It may not be 100% accurate, but 90% approximation of the film I want is better than 100% of what I don't want. Quite frankly film is expensive, and I couldn't afford to shoot a wedding on film and make money. I can't get 10 pictures each of 30 poses in an hour with film, and turn a profit on it. Digital + Simulation gives me what I need with little extra overhead, aside from the work developing my presets or money spent on Exposure 2.

From the response in general I have received, from the download numbers I have seen, people like the film presets. I will keep on making and revising these to get ever closer to the impossible 100%. People are using my presets and enjoying my presets. Most importantly I am using my presets, they are making my workflow easier, and others can benefit from my efforts.

Sorry for the rant,
Michael

LR/ACR Preset: Kodak Copy Film

Kodak Copy Film Sample, originally uploaded by GrayImaging.

[Adobe Camera RAW presets added 01132009]

So after a bit of a battle with a cold, I'm back with my newest release. Today I bring an emulation of Kodak Copy Film. This was a film design primarily to reproduce continuous tone images, however was often used to make original images themselves.

I never got to personally play with this film, however the samples I studied in the emulation process impressed me. So I preset it to you HERE.

In the sample above, look closely in the image for the changes, they are very subtle. Maybe not the best image for a sample, but its already made, so I will leave it as it is. It is much more clear if you click on it and jump over to Flickr.

I hope you enjoy the preset. As always a readme text file is in the archive with more information on the film and my hints on how to tweak the preset for best results.

Also, unlike most of my other presets, this one does not adjust clarity. I felt being as it was a reproduction film that it would not be appropriate to induce clarity, so if the image looks soft, crank clarity up.

Until next time,
Michael W. Gray

PS: If you are on twitter and into photography please register yourself at the Twitterectory, a good resource for finding other in the same hobby/profession. If you already have, thanks...and follow me @mwgray!

LR/ACR Preset: Kodak Portra BW

Kodak Portra BW Preset Sample, originally uploaded by GrayImaging.

[Adobe Camera RAW presets added 01132009]

Presenting my next film. Nothing fancy this time, just another discontinued Kodak film. Portra BW was part of Kodaks original Portra line, and was discontinued with the recent revamp of the Portra line. Portra BW was replace with Kodak BW CN.

Not much to say about this film. Used it once, not overly impressed, but that could have been as much due to my lack of photography skills. But anyways I wanted to rescue it's tones from death.

Get it HERE.

LR/ACR Preset: Kodak Technical Pan

Greggie & Scottie, originally uploaded by GrayImaging.

[Adobe Camera RAW presets added 01132009]

Presenting final release for Halloween weekend. This one was hard, as it is a film I truly love, cannot get, and was extremely hard to emulate. I got about 10 hours invested in getting this preset as close to the original film as possible, but it is impossible to fully render this classic film with current digital technology.

Kodak Technical Pan is offically an extinct stock. The film was much more sensitive to the red spectrum than other panchromatic films, and was favored by astrophotographers for its ability to pick up this range of color. The film had a very very fine grain, leading it to be highly utilized by fashion photographers, military, and police due to the enhanced resolution that could be gained from such a fine grain.

The overall effect of the film has not been duplicated in the film world, and honestly, is impossible to properly emulate for digital. Given enough megapixels, such as a RAW file from a 50 megapixel medium-format, this preset MIGHT be able to make an image that looked as if it was shot om 135 format Tech Pan. Yes, it was that good.

This preset attempts only to capture the tonality of Tech Pan. Use it low contrast to simulate standard development, showing fine detail. Crank up contrast to get pictorial processing look. Once again, due to the uniqueness of this film, I know of no way to really nail the look of Tech Pan processed in Technidol, but this preset gets close enough to make my heart smile just a little bit.

RIP Kodak Technical Pan 1977-2004

Get it HERE.

LR/ACR Preset: Kodak BW CN

[Adobe Camera RAW presets added to zip 01132009]

Tonight I am proud to present my first film simulation preset that I am premiering on my blog. Tonight I am giving the world my simulation of Kodak BW CN.

I have attempted to get the tone and scale of the original film as accurate as possible. Obviously we cannot yet simulate grain in Lightroom, and that is the biggest problem I have with the preset (and all my film style presets).

Have fun with it and I will further expand this post in the next day.

Oh yeah, grab it HERE.

Until Next Time,
Michael