When working with digital we don't have the same grain as with film. Reading shows me Sebastao Salgado uses Dx0 for grain in the digital workflow to look like Kodak Tri-X.
If one wanted to have their pixelography look like film with the grain pattern is one of the two programs mentioned better than the other? Or, is there something even finer on the market now?
Topaz also has a plugin for this. All of them should have fully functioning demos.
"There are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something." - Thomas A. Edison
www.peterdesmidt.com/blog
Interesting topic. I haven't added grain in a long time but there are people who put it to good use even if it turns off a lot of purists.
I think AlienSkin Exposure 4 is the best. It is quite a piece of software and leagues better than their older versions. Very true representations I think. They've spent a lot of time trying to make it accurate by scanning in just grain:
http://www.alienskin.com/exposure/background.aspx
AlienSkin Exposure 4 interface. You can set grain size by format and/or relative size. You can also change the grain strength in each tone range instead of just globally:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images...interface.jpg/
Nik SilverEfex is good, actually excellent for digital b&w conversions. But it has less options as far as film grain is concerned. There really is no specifying of grain size and it is up to choosing the film stock and image size to change the effect. It is also more heavy handed, as you can see in the examples below. A bit too strong for an accurate representation. I can tone it back by moving the slider to reduce the effect. But again, just less options overall.
Nik ColorEfex also does film emulation. It is color but the grain remains the same. Their Ektachrome grain actually seems to be quite close to Tri-X in size and visibility.
Original digital image:
Tri-x film image in Rodinal:
AlienSkin Exposure 4 Tri-x:
SilverEfex Tri-x:
My website
"There is little or no ‘reality’ in the blacks, grays and whites of either the informational or expressive black-and-white image" -Ansel Adams
ColorEfex Ektachrome grain:
AlienSkin Exposure 4 also has many other processes and looks it emulates, and very well I think.
Cyanotype:
Platinum:
Wet Plate:
Even if the grain isn't 100% accurate in AlienSkin Exposure you can change its attributes to get it as close as possible.
My website
"There is little or no ‘reality’ in the blacks, grays and whites of either the informational or expressive black-and-white image" -Ansel Adams
I have played a little with DXO Filmpack. It is a very good grain system, better than Nik. I have not tried Alienskin, so cannot comment on that. (I use DXO for critical digital work, such as architecture, or really high ISO shots.) I have not decided whether I like added grain for my work - I tend to shoot "straight" digital.:-)
Ed Richards
http://www.epr-art.com
I just tried the Alien Skin, using the wet plate filter; for a digital filter, it looks not half-bad.
The interface is very dated, but it can be quite an effective tool, if applied reasonably.
that AlienSkin Exposure 4 "wet plate" image is pretty funny. we just need an app for that!!
Are these filters just for humor? Or are they used to dupe the unsuspecting when selling/showing prints?
No more than using antiquated techniques is meant to dupe buyers into thinking the prints are old. Unless you are a photojournalist or a forensic photographer, the only thing that matters is the image.
Ed Richards
http://www.epr-art.com
It's just a tool, use it or don't use it.
I'm pretty thrilled to have such a vast array of image-processing tools at my disposal, PS filters, darkroom, etc I can't fathom why anyone would dump on them.
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