Getting The Film Photography Look with Dehancer
Introduction to Film Photography and the Dehancer Lightroom Plug-In
I've always been fascinated by the film look in photography, despite never having tried film photography myself. So, when Dehancer reached out for a review of their Lightroom plug-in, I was hesitant as I don't like change, but I was also intrigued.
I took it for a spin and after experimenting with various photos in different scenarios, - two night shots, a photo shot on a grey day, and a photo shot in beautiful light, I discovered some surprising results.
Exploring Film Profiles and Enhancing Images
I experimented with the CineStill 800T film profile for night photography, adjusting various settings like exposure, contrast, and color intensity. The Dehancer offers tools like expand, vignette, and film developer, allowing for detailed adjustments in the black and white points, contrast, color separation, and more.
Utilizing Advanced Features
I explored the film compression tool, which is excellent for managing bright spots in images, and played around with the print profile settings. The color head tool was particularly fascinating, allowing for intricate adjustments in color tones. The film grain tool adds realistic texture to photos, enhancing the overall feel.
Creative Use of Halation and Bloom Tools
The Halation and Bloom tools were standout features, adding soft glows and dreamy effects to the light sources in the images. I experimented with these tools to create atmospheric effects, especially in night scenes.
The beauty of using a tool like Dehancer on your night photos is that you can easily see what each feature does when you click on the checkboxes more easily than you can with images that were shot in the daytime. Each slider has its own unique, nuanced application and it really is a fascinating process editing with the sliders on a night photo. I ordered you to try it
Transforming Dull Images into Vibrant Scenes
In another photo, I took a lightless, grey photo from St. Ives, Cornwall, and used different profiles like ORWO Chrom UT 21 and Kodak 2383 to bring it to life. Adjustments in tonal contrast, color density, and film grain significantly improved the image's overall look. I was actually surprised at how I was able to take an ordinary photo and make it look kind of cool and interesting. It's definitely not a portfolio-worthy photo, but hey, very few photos actually are…
Quick Edits and User-Friendly Features
For a photo from Leicester Square, London, I used a preset, the 'Fuji Chrome Velvia 50 Plus 2383’, and made subtle changes to enhance its vintage vibe. The Dehancer’s user-friendly interface and efficient workflow made it easy to quickly achieve desired results. Using a preset is so quick, you can literally click on the button and then save your photo. I made one minor change to the halation and then did just that.
Demonstrating the Power of Halation and Bloom
I showcased the impact of the halation and bloom features using a recent night street photography photo, emphasizing its ability to create atmospheric and engaging effects with the Halation and Bloom tools. The beauty of using the bloom effect on an image such as this is that there are already glows coming from shop doorways and shop windows. So Dehancer had no problem creating that glow that emanated all over the sidewalk. It really is interesting to use the sliders and watch the effect take place in real-time.
Final Thoughts
I found the Dehancer’s film stock emulation and nuanced sliders impressive, allowing for a wide range of creative possibilities. This might seem like a very unusual analogy, but Dehancer’s sliders remind me of a Stanley Kubrick movie - it's pretty understandable on the surface, but there is a lot more nuanced detail underneath the surface.
I don't normally do reviews and I'm not like this tool I wouldn't have reviewed it at all. but I was blown away at how easy it is to get that film look using this app
Special Offer
For those interested, Dehancer is offering a 10% discount with the code JOEREDSKI at checkout.