danielsterno
making soup from mud
FYI: http://www.fujifilm.ca/press/news/display_news?newsID=164
Fujifilm works for Raw Processing of X-Trans CMOS
FUJIFILM Corporation (President: Shigehiro Nakajima) and Adobe Systems Incorporated have been working together to improve image processing of X-Trans and EXR-Sensor based raw captures. X-Trans CMOS has a new type of sensor filter array developed by FUJIFILM to improve image quality. The release of Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 4.4 and Adobe Camera Raw 7.4 today offers significant improvements in the processing of X-Trans raw files for the X100S, X20, X-Pro1 and X-E1, resulting in better Moire reduction and enhanced performance in color reproduction.
“We worked closely with FUJIFILM to increase the quality of image processing of X-Trans and EXR-Sensor based raw captures,” said Tom Hogarty, group product manager, Adobe. “Lightroom 4.4 and Adobe Camera Raw 7.4 demonstrate the results of this cooperation and provides remarkable improvements in the raw file rendering.”
Lightroom is the essential digital photography workflow solution, helping amateur and professional photographers quickly import, manage, enhance and showcase all their images within one application. The Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in provides fast and easy access to raw image formats produced by many leading digital cameras.
Fujifilm works for Raw Processing of X-Trans CMOS
FUJIFILM Corporation (President: Shigehiro Nakajima) and Adobe Systems Incorporated have been working together to improve image processing of X-Trans and EXR-Sensor based raw captures. X-Trans CMOS has a new type of sensor filter array developed by FUJIFILM to improve image quality. The release of Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 4.4 and Adobe Camera Raw 7.4 today offers significant improvements in the processing of X-Trans raw files for the X100S, X20, X-Pro1 and X-E1, resulting in better Moire reduction and enhanced performance in color reproduction.
“We worked closely with FUJIFILM to increase the quality of image processing of X-Trans and EXR-Sensor based raw captures,” said Tom Hogarty, group product manager, Adobe. “Lightroom 4.4 and Adobe Camera Raw 7.4 demonstrate the results of this cooperation and provides remarkable improvements in the raw file rendering.”
Lightroom is the essential digital photography workflow solution, helping amateur and professional photographers quickly import, manage, enhance and showcase all their images within one application. The Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in provides fast and easy access to raw image formats produced by many leading digital cameras.
PatrickT
New Rangefinder User
Hooray! So is 4.4 actually out yet?
danielsterno
making soup from mud
Adobe Lightroom 4.4 and Camera Raw 7.4 released
Adobe Lightroom 4.4 and Camera Raw 7.4 released
Yeap:
http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/2013/04/lightroom-4-4-now-available.html
http://nikonrumors.com/2013/04/03/a...pport-for-d7100-p330-coolpix-a-and-more.aspx/
Adobe Lightroom 4.4 and Camera Raw 7.4 released with support for D7100, P330, Coolpix A and more
Read more on NikonRumors.com: http://nikonrumors.com/2013/04/03/a...0-p330-coolpix-a-and-more.aspx/#ixzz2PQ8epmg5
Adobe Lightroom 4.4 and Camera Raw 7.4 released
Yeap:
http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/2013/04/lightroom-4-4-now-available.html
http://nikonrumors.com/2013/04/03/a...pport-for-d7100-p330-coolpix-a-and-more.aspx/
Adobe Lightroom 4.4 and Camera Raw 7.4 released with support for D7100, P330, Coolpix A and more
Read more on NikonRumors.com: http://nikonrumors.com/2013/04/03/a...0-p330-coolpix-a-and-more.aspx/#ixzz2PQ8epmg5
willie_901
Veteran
I updated to LR 4.4 today.
The X-Trans rendering is better than 4.4 RC. The difference is not huge, But I believe it is real.
The color bleeding issue is essentially over. I took a close look at an image that went through PSE after being rendered in LR 4.3. A small No Parking sign (white with green letters) takes up a few % of the image. The color bleeding is reduced at least ten fold in LR 4.4. I then looked at a bunch of images from a D300 with Nikkor glass. At extreme magnification I also saw some color artifacts in white areas. It is less than the XTrans but it is different and not zero. I will say the improper use of the Defringe slider in the Lens Corrections Module can produce color artifacts in high contrast areas of XTrans images.
The default Shaprpening parameters do a fine job. My initial impression is for neurotic pixel peeping, the optimum Sharpening parameters are different between 4.4 RC and 4.4.
Unfortunately I can't comment on the infamous water color effect artifacts. I was never astute enough to see these in the first place.
The X-Trans rendering is better than 4.4 RC. The difference is not huge, But I believe it is real.
The color bleeding issue is essentially over. I took a close look at an image that went through PSE after being rendered in LR 4.3. A small No Parking sign (white with green letters) takes up a few % of the image. The color bleeding is reduced at least ten fold in LR 4.4. I then looked at a bunch of images from a D300 with Nikkor glass. At extreme magnification I also saw some color artifacts in white areas. It is less than the XTrans but it is different and not zero. I will say the improper use of the Defringe slider in the Lens Corrections Module can produce color artifacts in high contrast areas of XTrans images.
The default Shaprpening parameters do a fine job. My initial impression is for neurotic pixel peeping, the optimum Sharpening parameters are different between 4.4 RC and 4.4.
Unfortunately I can't comment on the infamous water color effect artifacts. I was never astute enough to see these in the first place.
danielsterno
making soup from mud
So with the enhancements in LR. Is Apple's Aperture product dead? Unfortunately that is what I use being I could never warm up to Lightrooms layering versus Aperture BUT looks like I may have to. Pity IMO.....
user237428934
User deletion pending
There are no real enhancements in LR 4.4 for me because I don't have a Fuji camera. The biggest improvements came with LR 4.0 when Aperture fell behind.
gavinlg
Veteran
Holy Crap Fuji is on a roll with their product improvement.
dcsang
Canadian & Not A Dentist
Just downloading 4.4 now - I've been using the RC for a while now and it was good and huge improvement over the earlier versions - can't wait to see what the final release holds now that I've got some nice shots from Las Vegas last month to process 
Cheers,
Dave
Cheers,
Dave
willie_901
Veteran
UPDATE
I just spent more time playing with LR 4.4 and XTrans raw.
As I mentioned earlier, the color bleeding is greatly reduced compared to LR 4.3 and 4.4 is a bit better than 4.4 RC.
I also believe optimizing sharpening is quite different in 4.4 compared to 4.4 RC.
What I discovered just now is the Luminance controls in 4.4 HSL Develop module have a significant impact on color bleeding and smearing artifacts. Increasing the Luminance can decrease color bleeding in very fine print (white on red). I also noticed what appeared to be green color bleeding into to tiny print was eliminated by increasing the aqua Luminance. In this case decreasing the aqua Saturation slightly made the print even crisper but the color did not wash out. I was suprised to observe detail smearing was also minimized by careful adjustment of the Luminence sliders. Please keep in mind these effects were most obvious in 1:1 and 2:1 expansions.
Luminance adjustment methods that improve D700 NEF rendering can severely degrade XTrans RAF rendering. For RAF rendering the Luminance sliders have a much greater impact on image detail compared to the NEF. Going back and forth between the Luminsnce and Saturation sliders really improved the fine details in several of my XTrans images.
So if you see bleeding or smearing in 4.4, the Luminence sliders along with the Defringe slider can make a big difference. I think the Clarity slider can do more harm than good as well.
Many images do not require these fine adjustments. I do not think this sort of fine adjustment is necessary for typical viewing. But for tight crops or large prints it can make a difference with some images.
Anyway, the Fuji critics can now reject the XTrans cameras because some XTrans images require a few extra minutes with the Luminance/Saturation sliders to get the most out of the raw data. Worse, you have to adapt to new rendering methods to make full use of the XTrans sensor.
So everyone is happy. With some practice LR 4.4 users can produce great results from XTrans raw. Fuji critics can continue to dismiss the XTrans sensor as problematic because RAF rendering can require completely different techniques than Bayer raw files. Furthermore, it may even take a few minutes more to optimize XTrans raw in LR to make the best possible large prints compared to Bayer images.
I just spent more time playing with LR 4.4 and XTrans raw.
As I mentioned earlier, the color bleeding is greatly reduced compared to LR 4.3 and 4.4 is a bit better than 4.4 RC.
I also believe optimizing sharpening is quite different in 4.4 compared to 4.4 RC.
What I discovered just now is the Luminance controls in 4.4 HSL Develop module have a significant impact on color bleeding and smearing artifacts. Increasing the Luminance can decrease color bleeding in very fine print (white on red). I also noticed what appeared to be green color bleeding into to tiny print was eliminated by increasing the aqua Luminance. In this case decreasing the aqua Saturation slightly made the print even crisper but the color did not wash out. I was suprised to observe detail smearing was also minimized by careful adjustment of the Luminence sliders. Please keep in mind these effects were most obvious in 1:1 and 2:1 expansions.
Luminance adjustment methods that improve D700 NEF rendering can severely degrade XTrans RAF rendering. For RAF rendering the Luminance sliders have a much greater impact on image detail compared to the NEF. Going back and forth between the Luminsnce and Saturation sliders really improved the fine details in several of my XTrans images.
So if you see bleeding or smearing in 4.4, the Luminence sliders along with the Defringe slider can make a big difference. I think the Clarity slider can do more harm than good as well.
Many images do not require these fine adjustments. I do not think this sort of fine adjustment is necessary for typical viewing. But for tight crops or large prints it can make a difference with some images.
Anyway, the Fuji critics can now reject the XTrans cameras because some XTrans images require a few extra minutes with the Luminance/Saturation sliders to get the most out of the raw data. Worse, you have to adapt to new rendering methods to make full use of the XTrans sensor.
So everyone is happy. With some practice LR 4.4 users can produce great results from XTrans raw. Fuji critics can continue to dismiss the XTrans sensor as problematic because RAF rendering can require completely different techniques than Bayer raw files. Furthermore, it may even take a few minutes more to optimize XTrans raw in LR to make the best possible large prints compared to Bayer images.
semilog
curmudgeonly optimist
Also, the default chroma noise reduction (25%) is far greater than needed. Even at ISO 6400 I'm generally putting the slider at 6-8%. Beautiful.
Every camera I use requires time in PP when it comes to RAW. If you feel your images are worth it, then time spent should not be a big deal. The wet darkroom took time, so does digital.
willie_901
Veteran
Every camera I use requires time in PP when it comes to RAW. If you feel your images are worth it, then time spent should not be a big deal. The wet darkroom took time, so does digital.
I completely agree.
willie_901
Veteran
Good advice. Again this is different than the D700.
dcsang
Canadian & Not A Dentist
I should look into that more - perhaps that (the default chroma noise reduction) can improve some of the images I've passed over in the past.
Cheers,
Dave
Cheers,
Dave
bwcolor
Veteran
I'm in the same position and will probably put together a system with L.R./P.S., or Capture One. After one year of silence, I think that it is time to move on.
David_Manning
Well-known
I'm an Apple Aperture user. I'd like to pass along my workflow/workaround for X-Trans RAW files.
Process the Fuji .RAF files in Adobe DNG Converter, a free download on the Adobe website. The .dng files CAN'T be imported into Aperture (!!!), BUT you can convert the .dng into a 16-bit .psd file which is easily read by Aperture. I use Photoshop 5.1 to do this second conversion step. Adobe DNG converter (this is the newest 7.4 which is the latest Lightroom engine)
Clunky? Yeah. The upside is you can recover the tremendous dynamic range the X-Trans Fujis provide.
I hope this helps someone else.
Process the Fuji .RAF files in Adobe DNG Converter, a free download on the Adobe website. The .dng files CAN'T be imported into Aperture (!!!), BUT you can convert the .dng into a 16-bit .psd file which is easily read by Aperture. I use Photoshop 5.1 to do this second conversion step. Adobe DNG converter (this is the newest 7.4 which is the latest Lightroom engine)
Clunky? Yeah. The upside is you can recover the tremendous dynamic range the X-Trans Fujis provide.
I hope this helps someone else.
Last edited:
David_Manning
Well-known
Just to add a bit to my last post (and I hope it helps somebody else), since I got my XPro1 I've been shooting RAW+jpg. The reason is I can import the jpegs to Aperture as a "first-look" editing tool. When I make selects, I revert to the previous procedure of RAW file processing/conversion.
The jpegs are stored by Aperture's storage scheme, but as of yet I'm storing the .RAF original files in a master file and I name the sub-files the same name as in Aperture for quick, easy reference.
It sounds complicated, but in practice it's not really (though it took me a bit to figure out how I would do it). The jpegs are great from the Fujis anyway, so any sharing/posting can be done immediately inside Aperture. I only need to process the RAW files when ready to print or make "exhibition-quality" online posts (and that verbiage sounds really silly, doesn't it?).
Again, I hope this helps other Aperture users shoot their Fujis to their fullest. I'm so impressed with Fuji right now...from their dedication to building professional-quality photographer-friendly cameras, to their aftermarket support. (another recent post on RFF was lamenting aperture-chattering in their Leica X2...I know Fuji worked quickly to resolve this same issue by acknowledging the problem and issuing firmware without making owners ship their cameras to the manufacturer).
The jpegs are stored by Aperture's storage scheme, but as of yet I'm storing the .RAF original files in a master file and I name the sub-files the same name as in Aperture for quick, easy reference.
It sounds complicated, but in practice it's not really (though it took me a bit to figure out how I would do it). The jpegs are great from the Fujis anyway, so any sharing/posting can be done immediately inside Aperture. I only need to process the RAW files when ready to print or make "exhibition-quality" online posts (and that verbiage sounds really silly, doesn't it?).
Again, I hope this helps other Aperture users shoot their Fujis to their fullest. I'm so impressed with Fuji right now...from their dedication to building professional-quality photographer-friendly cameras, to their aftermarket support. (another recent post on RFF was lamenting aperture-chattering in their Leica X2...I know Fuji worked quickly to resolve this same issue by acknowledging the problem and issuing firmware without making owners ship their cameras to the manufacturer).