Gear

FilmConvert Pro for Adobe Photoshop

Film Emulation and Correction Plug-In

The ongoing mission to find analog-looking output in a digital imaging world seems to be very popular with professional photographers, videographers, and designers. Whether for nostalgia, correction, or simply for effect, analog is appealing to many people. Rubber Monkey Software brings the world of analog to Photoshop (they also offer versions for Premiere, After Effects, Final Cut Pro, and Motion) with a very easy-to-navigate user interface to produce these effects with FilmConvert Pro.

According to Rubber Monkey, FilmConvert for Photoshop is more specific to digital cameras, and their simulation presets range from still to motion picture film types. The main preview window requires no real explanation and is intuitive for the user. Beginning with Exposure and Temp settings, the sliders are larger than some plug-ins. The image preview is nearly instantaneous and accurate to the rendered output. The film type is selected below by clicking on the text or toggling the arrow keys to find the look you prefer. Controls for balance, level, and saturation can be eyeballed on a well-calibrated display.

On the downside, the presets are abbreviated so figuring out which type of emulation you want may be tricky if you aren't familiar with each brand; however, the appearance is the key. In other words, how your images look after your adjustments is more critical than whatever name is on a given preset. Also, and this is a personal preference, each time you launch the plug-in, it returns it to its previous state. While this is great for projects, if you don't use the software for a period of time you may forget that clicking the reset button is a requirement with each use. Finally, the emulation options include 8mm, 16mm, and 35mm sizes for a several film types, whereas some competitive products have many more parameters and presets for greater control.

Company: Rubber Monkey Software
Price: $199
Web: www.filmconvert.com
Rating: 2
Hot:  Ease of use; real-time previewing
Not:  Manual reset with each use; limited presets; no user preset option

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