Dfx User Guide - Tiffen.com

Category
Special Effects.
Looks: Black/White & Color 365
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Making Digital Look Like Film
The quest to make video and digital images look like film has been going on for
years now. Some have even grown entire businesses around this idea. Without
making judgements as to which medium is “better” than the other, let’s stick
with the notion that video/digital and film are completely different animals and
both have their advantages and disadvantages. There are a number of factors
to consider when attempting to achieve a film look: lighting, cameras and
lenses, filters, depth of field, grain and frame rate. While some of these items
are addressed during shooting, the Dfx Looks filters can simulate many of them
digitally.
Lighting
In our opinion, the most important factor in achieving a film look is lighting. Don’t
just blast a scene with light. Make sure that you employ modeling in your
lighting, making sure that the shadows have some detail and that you don’t
completely blow out highlights. Video and digital cameras have a narrower
contrast ratio than film and the limits of their brightness range are sharply
defined, whereas film gently rolls off in the whites and blacks. Remember, you
can always digitally make the shadows darker and the highlights brighter.
Going in the opposite direction is murder and yields lousy results.
Cameras and Lenses
Another factor in achieving a film look is the video or digital camera. They
frequently have their Detail or Sharpness settings cranked up. Detail controls
the sharpness of the image and creates jagged, aliased edges. The first thing
to do before shooting is to turn the Detail or Sharpness down. This can be
accomplished by adjusting either a menu or pot inside the camera. Once turned
down, it is harder to focus but will soften edges.
Depth of field also plays a role in the way film is perceived and is a measure of
the amount of picture that is in focus. Video and digital cameras differ from
35mm film in that they have a much greater depth of field. This is a result of the
Dfx User Guide
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