Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda
Username  

  New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site
  New Feature: SMS Notification alert
  New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist
  

FM Forums | Photo Critique | Join Upload & Sell

  

Archive 2017 · Digital Kodachrome - Post-processing critique

  
 
rparmly
Offline

Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Digital Kodachrome - Post-processing critique


A little backstory: I got into photography about four years ago, right before my first son was born. The Canon 60D was my first real tool, and all I’ve known since I started shooting has been digital. Film has always had a certain appeal to me, but never such that I'd abandon digital and switch over. I love the freedom and flexibility of digital photography, but there is something about the character of film that grips me.

One film that I’m obsessed with is Kodachrome, the discontinued film from Kodak. The characteristics of the film are unlike any others I’ve seen, with a hard-to-describe depth and nostalgia that I’m struggling to capture with any of my digital files. Recently I’ve been working on some settings in Lightroom that capture the original beauty of Kodachrome, but don’t really trust my eye enough to know if I’m even remotely close.

The qualities I notice most in Kodachrome would be: 1) rich and deep warm colors, 2) slightly faded and perhaps even yellow-ish greens, 3) a slight blue cast to the film, though not such that it drastically cools skin tones, 4) high contrast without detail being lost in the blacks, 5) a subtle, fine grain.

Here are a few shots I’ve processed with the work-in-progress preset. I’d love to know what you think, and especially would love to hear from anyone who is more familiar with this film, with advice on what looks wrong with what I have so far.

PS: Not sharing these photos because they are anything incredible, artistically. They were just the ones I was using to develop this preset









Edited on Jul 24, 2017 at 12:26 PM · View previous versions



Jul 24, 2017 at 11:29 AM
sbeme
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Digital Kodachrome - Post-processing critique


Not sure I can comment on the emulation. However, if you are relatively new to digital photography maybe you are not familiar with the Nik Collection? Free via google, although I think they announced no longer supporting it.
Whatever. If you dont have it, download it now. Then navigate to Color Efex, one of the suite elements. In a pull down menu you will see many film emulations. You can apply them to your image, tweak them as desired, explore around.
In Silver Efex Pro, another suite member, there are a range of BW film emulations if you do BW as well.
I have never searched for LR presets as film emulations, but I suspect they are out there too.

Love the look, comp of the first image, great expression.
Ditto for #2, only wishing the car wasn't there.

Scott



Jul 24, 2017 at 12:25 PM
ben egbert
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Digital Kodachrome - Post-processing critique


Lovely subjects.

I was an old Kodachrome user and still like the look. A bot too saturated for some, but not me. I don't strive to duplicate it, but it does sway me in a certain direction.

Others here have a sharped eye for the nuances of color/contrast etc. I will say the first and last say Kodachrome most, and the last is just plain good to my eyes.



Jul 24, 2017 at 12:29 PM
AuntiPode
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Digital Kodachrome - Post-processing critique


When talking about the characteristics of "Kodachrome", the first question that comes to my mind is which Kodachrome? Some folks older than me remember and prefer the original Kodachrome. I started with Kodachrome II and Kodachrome-X. Kodachrome II had an ASA rating of 25 and, to my eyes, was the best color transparency film ever made. Of course that's largely a matter of taste. In 1973 I shot something north of 50,000 frames of Kodachrome II and perhaps two rolls of Kodachrome-X. Kodachrome-X, at ASA 64, was faster but had a higher contrast I didn't like at all. Unless a scene's lighting was quite flat, getting shadow detail without blowing the highlights was iffy at best. When Kodak changed to Kodachrome 25, I didn't like it nearly as well. I shot a lot of it to do my work, but the love just wasn't there. Sure the chemistry was more friendly to the environment, but the color.... <sigh>

When Paul Simon sang about Kodachrome, I always assumed he meant Kodachrome II. My Nikon F2, a sweet 50 mm Nikkor f 1.4 lens and a 36 exposure roll of Kodachrome II with a prepaid Kodak processing mailer .... then they took my Kodachrome away.

Sorry. Couldn't help taking a trip down memory lane.

Going only from memory, your processing reminds me more of certain dye coupled "chromes" than it does Kodachrome. However, memory is tricky and not always trustworthy. If I will have some time later I'll try to dig out some old Kodachrome work to refresh my memory and perhaps comment again.



Jul 24, 2017 at 04:56 PM
RustyBug
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Digital Kodachrome - Post-processing critique


+1 to Karen.

Trying to emulate Kodachrome ... quite the trick. But, if I were going to embark on that endeavor, I think my first stop would be to try and find the film profile curve.

I haven't found 25 yet, but here's 64.

http://125px.com/docs/film/kodak/e88-2009_06.pdf

The thing that catches my attention is the notation regarding .20 ND filter ... in addition to the weighting of the diff channels in the curve.

Here's 25 ... but without notation of the ND filter.

http://www.focale-alternative.be/blog/image/kodachrome.pdf



Jul 24, 2017 at 06:55 PM
CheechzeppLn
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Digital Kodachrome - Post-processing critique


Raw Photo Processor (RPP) has a film emulation presets that are pleasant. Your processing here reminds me of the technicolor 2strip they have as a preset called DUO. Below is an example.



Play the Blues
by Charles Romano, on Flickr




Another one of the emulations included is a Kodachrome 64, which is one of my favorite to use. Below is an example.



Greiss
by Charles Romano, on Flickr


Charlie


Jul 30, 2017 at 08:16 AM





FM Forums | Photo Critique | Join Upload & Sell

    
 

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username       Or Reset password



This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.