~ Article by Danie Bester
If you are a lover of film photography or would like to transform some of your digital photos to take on a film look, then I have great news for you!
Sony and DxO Labs are offering FilmPack 3 Essential as a free download until 31 October 2013. With the film pack, you can simulate your digital images to a film look using all the major processes, including colour positive film, colour negative film, black and white film, and even cross-processing it! The film pack offers simulations by Fuji, Kodak, Polaroid, Agfa and Ilford, with the click of a mouse button!
Use the Film Pack with your Favourite Photography Software
Film Pack 3 is available as a stand-alone version, but will also install plugins for all your favourite photography software suites, including Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, and the DxO Labs software. FilmPack 3 is available for Windows and Mac.
The Salgado Method | Shoot Digital and then Convert to Film
The film pack is endorsed and used by some of the world’s leading fine art photographers in the world, including master photographer, Sebastião Salgado.
Salgado nowadays shoots with digital and then convert his images to his favourite film types namely the Kodak TriX400, or TMax 3200 films using the film pack. He shoots in RAW and thereafter demosaicing (remove digital artefacts and moire) the images. He then, print his digital images to a 35mm technical film internegative. Having actual negatives in hand, he then prints the negatives on silver halide paper after dodging and burning. Each print will, therefore, have a distinct and unique Salgado look.
I personally have seriously considered doing the jump to film for some of my personal fine-art photography projects, but this method used by Sebastião Salgado might just open some new creative avenues and will be worth investigating! The major advantage is that you can shoot digital and don’t need to carry a film with you. You can then convert your images onto a negative and then print peculiar images in the darkroom.
And even if you don’t want to go all hardcore, and make a film negative like Salgado does, you can still simulate the film look, by simply applying the software filters to your images with the click of a button and then print on the inkjet on your favourite fine-art paper.
Download the DxO Film Pack
The free license to install DXO Film Pack 3 Essential expires on the 31st of October, 2013. Take note that the free FilmPack is un-upgradable to newer versions, but following the link above also include links and promotional codes to the new versions of the FilmPack 4, Essential edition as well as the Expert edition. Visit the link below, and after entering your details, the download link and activation code will be sent to your email address:
Download the FilmPack 3 Essential (Free License) by DxO and Sony