How I Process My Fuji XT3 RAW Files

Summary

In this video, the creator discusses their journey in finding the best way to process RAW files from the Fuji XT 3 camera. Initially disappointed with the results in Lightroom, they explore four different methods: direct import into Lightroom, using Lightroom's enhanced details feature, using Capture One software, and employing the Rhydian X Transformer plugin. After extensive testing, including printing and social media simulation, the creator concludes that while there are minor differences in the editing process, the final output in real-world applications is largely indistinguishable between methods. They recommend Capture One or the Rhydian X Transformer for a better editing experience and choose the latter for its seamless integration with their existing Lightroom workflow. The video also includes a sponsorship acknowledgment for Squarespace, a platform for building websites.

Takeaways

• 📷 The Fuji XT 3 camera produces RAW files that may not look great when initially imported into Lightroom due to the unique X-Trans sensor.
• 🔍 Lightroom is not the optimal software for processing Fuji RAW files, which can lead to a 'crunchy' appearance and the infamous 'worm effect'.
• 🔧 After research, the creator found that using Lightroom's enhanced details feature can clean up the file but results in a loss of detail and a softer image.
• 🌟 Capture One software was praised for its excellent handling of Fuji RAW files, producing high-quality images that rival professional standards.
• 💡 The Rhydian X Transformer is a Lightroom plugin that converts Fuji RAW files to DNG and handles sharpening, noise, and lens correction, with results comparable to Capture One.
• 🖨 In real-world scenarios like prints, phone viewing, and social media, the differences between processing methods are negligible to the average viewer.
• 🎨 For the best editing experience and to avoid a 'crunchy' look, the creator recommends using either Capture One or the Rhydian X Transformer plugin.
• 📚 The creator chose the Rhydian X Transformer plugin for future use due to its seamless integration with Lightroom and similar results to Capture One.
• 🤔 The necessity of switching to a different software or plugin depends on the user's specific needs, workflow, and whether they are exclusively using Fuji cameras.
• 👍 Squarespace is thanked for sponsoring the channel, and the creator encourages viewers to check out their website-building platform.
• ✅ The creator appreciates the advice and feedback from the community, which helped in making the video and exploring different processing methods for Fuji XT 3 files.

Q & A

What was the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video was discussing and comparing different techniques for processing RAW files from the Fuji XT 3 camera.

How many different software techniques were tested for processing the Fuji XT 3 files?

Four different software techniques were tested.

Which software was initially used to process the Fuji XT 3 files, but found to be unsatisfactory?

Adobe Lightroom was initially used but was found to not be the best software for processing Fuji RAW files.

What is the name of the newsletter mentioned in the script?

The name of the newsletter is not explicitly mentioned in the script, but it is associated with the speaker's website.

What is the name of the plugin that the speaker decided to use for processing their Fuji XT 3 files?

The speaker decided to use the Rhydian X Transformer plugin for processing their Fuji XT 3 files.

What is the advantage of using Capture One for processing Fuji RAW files according to the video?

Capture One does an excellent job of processing Fuji RAW files, providing a clean, smooth, and high-quality result that is comparable to professional standards.

What is the primary reason the speaker chose not to switch to Capture One despite its advantages?

The speaker chose not to switch to Capture One because their entire workflow and ecosystem is based around Adobe Lightroom, and changing to a new system like Capture One would be a significant disruption.

What is the name of the company that sponsored the video?

Squarespace is the company that sponsored the video.

What is the purpose of the Squarespace platform mentioned in the video?

Squarespace is a platform that allows users to create and manage websites using a drag-and-drop interface.

What is the offer code that the speaker provides for a discount on Squarespace?

The offer code provided for a discount on Squarespace is 'heturn'.

What is the main concern the speaker has with the RAW files from the Fuji XT 3 when processed through Lightroom?

The main concern is that the images look 'crunchy' or over-sharpened, with a loss of detail and the infamous 'worm effect' when zoomed in.

What did the speaker conclude about the necessity of using advanced techniques for processing Fuji XT 3 files?

The speaker concluded that while advanced techniques like Capture One or the Rhydian X Transformer plugin improve the editing experience and the quality of the files, for most real-world applications like social media and prints, the differences are not noticeable enough to be necessary for everyone.

Outlines

00:00

📸 Fuji XT3 File Processing Techniques

The video begins with a greeting and an introduction to the topic of processing Fuji XT3 files. The presenter has been experimenting with different software techniques to process a single photograph taken with the Fuji XT3. The video promises to discuss four distinct methods and the presenter's preferred choice for future processing. The sponsor, Squarespace, is acknowledged, and the presenter also mentions a newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights and updates. The initial disappointment with the Fuji files in Lightroom is shared, followed by the discovery that Lightroom may not be the optimal software for Fuji's X-Trans sensor RAW files. The presenter outlines four methods tested: straight import into Lightroom, using Lightroom's enhanced details feature, using Capture One, and using the Rhydian X Transformer plugin. Each method is briefly critiqued based on initial observations.

05:01

🔍 Comparing Processing Methods for Fuji XT3 Files

The presenter dives into a detailed comparison of the four processing methods for Fuji XT3 RAW files. The first method, importing directly into Lightroom, results in images that appear over-sharpened with a 'crunchy' texture and the notorious 'worm effect.' The second method, using Lightroom's enhanced details feature, initially seems promising but loses significant detail, making the image softer. Capture One is praised for its excellent handling of the RAW files, producing smooth and clean results comparable to those from a 5D Mark 4. The fourth method, the Rhydian X Transformer plugin, converts Fuji RAW files to DNG and manages sharpening, noise, and lens correction, yielding results very close to Capture One. The presenter expresses satisfaction with the Rhydian X plugin but questions the necessity of such processing, especially for those who may not notice differences in real-world applications. Prints made from each method are shown, and the presenter admits an inability to distinguish between them, suggesting that for most consumers, the differences may not be significant. However, the presenter values the editing experience and recommends Capture One or the Rhydian X plugin for those seeking the best initial file quality.

10:02

👍 Final Recommendations and Sponsor Acknowledgement

The presenter concludes by recommending the Rhydian X Transformer plugin for their own workflow due to its seamless integration with Lightroom and nearly identical results to Capture One. They acknowledge the challenge of switching from Lightroom to Capture One, especially considering their existing catalog of images. For those who are exclusive Fuji users and new to photography, the presenter suggests considering Capture One for its superior performance with Fuji files. The video ends with gratitude towards viewers for their advice and support, and a reminder of the ongoing sponsorship by Squarespace, which is praised for its ease of use in creating websites. The presenter encourages viewers to subscribe and shares a discount code for Squarespace before signing off.

Keywords

💡Fuji XT 3

The Fuji XT 3 is a mirrorless digital camera produced by Fujifilm. It is known for its high-quality image sensor and is a popular choice among photographers. In the video, the host discusses the camera's RAW file processing and how different software can affect the final image quality, making it central to the video's theme.

💡RAW files

RAW files are a camera's native unprocessed image data, offering the most flexibility for post-production editing. The host compares different methods of processing RAW files from the Fuji XT 3, emphasizing their importance in achieving the desired image quality.

💡Lightroom

Adobe Lightroom is a popular photo editing and organization software. The video discusses its performance with Fuji XT 3 RAW files and the use of its 'enhanced details' feature. It is a key software mentioned for editing and is part of the host's workflow.

💡Capture One

Capture One is a professional photo editing software known for its powerful RAW file processing capabilities. The host compares it with Lightroom and discusses its superior handling of Fuji XT 3 files, positioning it as a preferred option for some photographers.

💡Rhydian X Transformer

Rhydian X Transformer is a Lightroom plugin designed to improve the processing of Fujifilm's X-Trans sensor RAW files. The host evaluates it as an alternative to switching to Capture One, noting its ease of use and comparable results.

💡X-Trans Sensor

The X-Trans Sensor is a unique type of image sensor used in Fujifilm cameras, known for its color filter array that differs from the standard Bayer pattern. The video discusses the challenges it presents in post-processing with certain software, which is a central issue addressed in the video.

💡Enhanced Details

A feature within Adobe Lightroom designed to improve the detail and texture of an image. The host experimented with this feature on Fuji XT 3 RAW files but found it resulted in a loss of detail, making it a significant point of discussion.

💡DNG file

A DNG (Digital Negative) file is a non-proprietary, compressed, and lossless file format for storing raw image data. The Rhydian X Transformer plugin converts Fuji RAW files to DNG, which aids in processing and is highlighted as a solution in the video.

💡Sharpness

Sharpness refers to the clarity and definition of an image. The video discusses the issues with over-sharpening and the 'crunchy' appearance of images when processed through Lightroom, making it a critical aspect of the host's evaluation.

💡Print Marathon

The term 'print marathon' is used by the host to describe an intensive session of printing photos, which in this context, involves comparing the output quality from different processing methods. It illustrates the practical application of the discussed techniques.

💡Newsletter

The host mentions a newsletter as a way to communicate with the audience about behind-the-scenes insights, photo tours, and speaking events. It is a tool for audience engagement and part of the host's strategy for 2020.

Highlights

The presenter has been conducting a print marathon and compares four different processing techniques for Fuji XT 3 files.

The Fuji XT 3 files were initially disappointing when imported into Lightroom.

Lightroom is not the optimal software for processing Fuji RAW files due to the X-Trans sensor.

The presenter plans to use a newsletter for more in-depth content and behind-the-scenes insights.

Four methods tested for processing RAW files from the XT3: straight into Lightroom, using Lightroom's enhanced details, Capture One, and a Lightroom plugin called Rhydian X Transformer.

Straight out of the camera into Lightroom resulted in images that looked over-sharpened and had the 'worm effect'.

Using Lightroom's enhanced details feature improved the file but resulted in a loss of detail.

Capture One produced high-quality files that were comparable to 5D Mark 4 files in Lightroom.

The Rhydian X Transformer plugin converts Fuji RAW files to DNG and handles sharpening, noise, and lens correction.

The results from the Rhydian X Transformer were very close to those of Capture One.

In real-world applications such as prints, phone, and video, the differences between the processing methods are not noticeable.

The presenter recommends Capture One or the Rhydian X Transformer plugin for a better user experience with Fuji XT3 RAW files.

The presenter chose to continue using Lightroom and the Rhydian X Transformer plugin due to his established workflow and the minimal difference in quality.

For those new to photography or without an established catalog in Lightroom, Capture One is recommended for its ability to maximize the quality of Fuji files.

The presenter appreciates the feedback and advice from viewers on how to get the most out of Fuji XT3 files.

Squarespace is highlighted as a sponsor and is praised for its ease of use in creating websites.

A discount code is offered for new Squarespace users: 'heturn' for 10% off the first purchase.

Transcripts

well hello everybody and welcome to the

channel or back to the channel and as

you can see I've been having a bit of a

print marathon and what you're looking

at here on the desk and on the screens

behind me is one photograph taken with

the Fuji XT 3 but it's been processed

four different ways so using four

different software's techniques what if

you want to call it and in today's video

I'm gonna go over those four techniques

and talk about which one I've decided to

use going forward when processing my

Fuji XT 3 files so before I get started

I just want to say a massive thank you

to Squarespace for continuing to sponsor

this channel going into 2020 so if the

website called Squarespace com /he

tamils or one more thing I just quickly

want to mention which I never ever

mentioned and that is I have a

newsletter and one of the things I only

do going forward in 2020 is to use that

newsletter and more and I don't mean in

a spammy way what I do at the minute is

I announced photo tours and speaking

events and all that kind of stuff

through the newsletter well I want to

use it more like a blog kind of thing so

you know newsletters that give a bit of

an insight into the behind-the-scenes of

some of my videos and trips and stuff

like that so if you're interested in

that kind of thing if you go to my

website click on any page go to the

bottom there you will see an option to

sign up to my newsletter ok so let's

talk about the Fuji xt3 when I purchased

this camera I'm not gonna lie I was a

bit disappointed by the files when I

imported them into Lightroom but then

after a little bit of research it

quickly became obvious that Lightroom is

not the best software to process the

Fuji RAW files and that's to do the

sensor and the I don't know I mean I

cook on Wikipedia and read out some

stuff about the x-trans sensor and it's

it's an array sensor not a conventional

bayer you know who cares right we are

I'm an average consumer and when I buy

something I expect it to work and that

isn't always the case so I look for the

simplest and easiest solution to correct

the any issues that I'm having I should

also say at this point you know I don't

have a very scientific background I'm

not an expert I just want to make a

video showing you guys

how I process my xt3 files so don't

really take it as like advice more just

just a bit of a guide okay because there

are many many ways to get great results

from the xt3

so here are their four methods that I

tested using RAW files from the xt3 the

first one was just raw file straight up

the camera into Lightroom the second one

was raw file straight out of camera into

Lightroom but using Lightroom's enhanced

details feature the third one was using

a completely different software

altogether which is capture one and the

fourth and final method I tested was

using a Lightroom plug-in called a

Rhydian X transformer so method number

one straight out of camera into

Lightroom the problem with the sensor in

the XT 3 and the problem with the way

that Lightroom sort of renders the file

is that it doesn't it doesn't look very

good the image straight of camera into

Lightroom looks very bitty I suppose you

would say very technical term not bitty

it looks very crunchy looks but looks

like it's been over sharpened and of

course you have the infamous worm effect

when you zoom into the image you can see

strange things going on so straight I've

come into Lightroom the images they do

not look great and I found it very

difficult to really try and correct this

the second method which is using light

rooms enhance details feature this got

me very excited because this would be

the easiest and fastest solution for me

and but unfortunately I found that

whilst using the enhanced details

feature did clean up the file and when

you initially look at it it does look

better but when you spend a bit more

time looking around the file you realize

that you've actually lost a lot of

information there a lot of detail is

lost not enhanced and the image looks

considerably softer than the original

file which actually looks too sharp

looks too crunchy

so enhanced details although did fix the

problem introduced many more problems

the third option capture one Wow I can

see why the pros use capture 1 the file

looks fantastic

looked as good as my 5d Mark 4 files

look in Lightroom capture one does an

amazing job of sort of no opening the

raw file it looks great sort of you know

nice and smooth and it looks like a

really nice clean file so capture one

yeah as I said before I can definitely

see why the pros use of that the final

and fourth method is a plug-in yridian X

transform II its you download it it's

about $36 and you install it as a plugin

into Lightroom very simple one-click and

it's in there and what that does is it

converts your Fuji raw file to a DNG

file and it takes care of sharpening

noise and lens correction so you don't

need to worry about any of that and I

have to say that this method the results

when you look at the DNG file are very

very close very close to the capture 1

results so the image looks cleaner it

looks better and especially on a 5k

monitor when you look at it at one to

one as well you can clearly see the

difference so I was very very impressed

with the yridian X transformer but it's

all of this necessary that's the

question is it all necessary

because whilst your pixel peeping at

300% on a 5 came on it so of course

you're gonna see those imperfections but

what about the real world so I did some

prints of them for prints here and each

print is a different method so you've

got Lightroom capture one Lightroom

enhance details in yridian text

transform a plugin and again I would say

that during all of my testing and the

images they're all processed the exact

same way so in Lightroom I'm edited one

Master File and then synchronized the

other files or the yeah the other

Lightroom files with the exception of

sharpness with Lightroom I left that to

default which is 40 and the yridian x

transformer DNG the default is 0 so I

left those just as is and obviously

capture wanna couldn't synchronize that

file but I did process it exactly the

same way in which I process these and

pretty much it looks identical in terms

of color and sharpness you know

everything it wasn't processed any

differently and here we have four prints

now looking at these four prints you

cannot see a difference you can't these

are printed on a 3 a 3 paper so they're

a good size you know they know they're

not giant prints but they're a good size

and you know if you look at them through

a loop very close up then yeah okay you

can see minor minor differences but

looking at each print by itself you

cannot see a difference and I challenge

myself to try and pick which was which

and I couldn't I couldn't do it they all

look exactly the same which is

interesting and got me thinking I didn't

know the test where I sent each image

low resolution to my phone and as if it

was on Facebook or Instagram or whatever

and again I couldn't see a difference in

quality so it appears that the only real

noticeable difference between the files

and the only real problem with the XD 3

file straight into Lightroom occurs at

you know during the editing process I'm

not saying that the images are fixed

when you export them but when you're

editing you tend to be up close

one-to-one you tend to be looking at

high-res monitor so you start to see

these imperfections and problems but in

the real world within videos and in

print and on your phone which is where

95% of images are consumed you can't see

a difference which begs the question is

any of this necessary I still think it

is because the you really want to enjoy

the process of editing the images I know

I do I don't want to be looking at my

files and constantly thinking oh it

looks so crunchy you want the best biome

to work with from the offset so although

in the real world you can't see much of

a difference that's encouraging for

people who perhaps can't afford to start

changing their system and changing

the way they work or they can't afford

to buy a plug-in or they can't afford to

buy capture one or whatever it's not

completely necessary but if you want a

good user experience when processing the

raw files from the Fuji xc3

then I would recommend either capture

one or the yridians

X transformer plug-in now let me say

this the the method that I've chosen

going forward with all of my files from

my Fuji XD 3 is a radiant x transformer

plug-in and I'll tell you for why I'll

tell you why because it's a plug-in that

goes straight into Lightroom the results

are almost as good as capture one that's

very little between it very little

between it and my whole ugly hood my

whole ecosystem my whole workflow is

based around the Lightroom and to switch

from Lightroom to a whole new system

which would be capture one would be in

nightmare for me it just would be so I

would need to have seen a huge

difference between capture one and the

plugin and there wasn't a huge

difference it was pretty close

therefore I'm happy to stay with

Lightroom and use this plugin I've got

10 years of images catalogs no I can't

just switch like that but what I would

say is if you exclusively use X cameras

I use a Canon as well that's another

reason not to switch from Lightroom but

if you are an exclusive Fuji user

perhaps you're fairly new to photography

so you don't have years and years of

images backed up and cataloged and

categorized in Lightroom then I would

recommend capture one over the light I

really would

I can't I'm not in a position to switch

but if you are you don't you know you

don't have this whole ecosystem in place

yet then definitely look at capture 1

because it's a fantastic piece of

software and it squeezes every inch of

goodness out of those Fuji files

but sadly that is not the case for me I

will be sticking with Lightroom and the

X transformer plugin as well as that a

huge thank you to everybody who's

emailed me commented on videos left me

messages over the past month or so with

advice on how to get the most out of my

ex t3 files and if it wasn't for you

then I wouldn't be able to

make this video you know you've given me

so many different avenues to explore and

I appreciate all of them and I'm sorry

if you didn't get a reply but yeah it's

just there's so many it's very difficult

to reply to all of them so thank you

guys so much for watching and another

big thank you to Squarespace for

sponsoring this video if you don't know

whose Squarespace are well they are a

drag and drop all-in-one let's say your

website right and you go on and you make

your website using that their website

their platform I can't you know I can't

make websites that's all I have no

experience but I managed to knock out a

website in a couple of hours for my

Antarctica conference that I'm running

later on this year and it was so easy so

easy so if you want a photography

website and for your work go to

squarespace.com force he done it yeah I

use the free trial and if you like free

trial and use the offer code he turn and

you will get 10% off your first purchase

alright thanks so much for enduring this

video if you still with me now and

you're still with me after that massive

Squarespace plug then thank you and you

may as well subscribe if you're not

already so I'm gonna go and continue

processing all of my Fuji files so till

next time thank you for watching and

good bye for now