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RNI Film presets 3.0 for Lightroom and Photoshop

Feb 12, 2015 | Image Editing Software, camera equipment reviews | 0 comments

Written By Wim Arys

RNI Film presets 3.0 for Lightroom and Photoshop

Introduction

Film presets developer Really Nice Images has just released their latest version 3.0 of their acclaimed collection of vintage analog simulation presets for Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.

RNI Film presets

Agfacolor 40’s warm

They’ve been busy since version 2.1 (find my review here) and have added over 170 new presets to simulate more variations of film stocks, including some discontinued  ones. All the pre-existing presets have been reworked and fine-tuned to keep up with modern cameras and for an even higher degree of realism. One of the new features introduced is Analog Softness that emulates the lesser sharpness of analog prints and films.

RNI Film presets 3.0

Kodachrome 60’s – Lens 1 DR

Besides the possibility of using the Film emulations as Lightroom presets, they have now also included them as Adobe Camera RAW develop presets which can be used directly from Photoshop.

New RNI Film Presets

RNI’s folder structure has changed, with a new grouping of Black& White, Instant, Vintage, Negative and Slide films. New and revised emulations, alternative processes and warm/cool renderings for most films have been added, which does make finding the ‘look’ your after easier.

RNI Film presets 3.0

Agfa Pro 400 H

RNI Film presets 3.0

Agfa Pro 400 H Alt

RNI Film presets 3.0

Agfa Pro 400 H Cool

RNI Film presets 3.0

Agfa Pro 400 H Warm

 

It feels like RNI has matured since their last release and are moving even further away from the Instagram type quick fix to a very customizable range of realistic analog film emulations. I have always liked RNI’s presets, but with the added processes it now works a lot faster too.

Analog Softness

Analog 35mm films and Polaroid prints are not even half as sharp as digital images from modern cameras. In order to reproduce more realistic film emulations, some of the Instant and Vintage Presets contain blur commands that reduce the original image sharpness.
RNI Film presets 3.0

Kodachrome 50’s – Slide 8

RNI Film presets 3.0

Kodachrome 50’s – Without Lens softness

You’ll find this Analog Softness in some of the presets. If this is not the look you’re after, you can always turn the reduced sharpness emulation off by clicking the  “- Reset Instant Camera Lens Blur” or “- Vintage Lens – None” presets.
There is another way of applying analog softness in the “Essentials Toolkit” folder.  You can use five different grades of analog softness  can be to your image via “Vintage Lens” presets, which not only emulate softness but will also add some lens distortion and vignetting.

Essentials Toolkit

As you probably know, the Lightroom preset system work allows for stacking, which means that it does not reset all changes when applying different successive presets. This stacking is where the power of the Essentials Toolkit comes in. First select one of your favorite RNI film presets, and if you’re not totally pleased with your image, you can further apply grain, vignetting, contrast and vintage lens emulation to said image. A handy “Reset all Essential Toolkit” is also available if you think you’ve taken it too far and wanted to step back.

RNI Film presets 3.0

RNI Fuji FP 100C warm muted

RNI Film presets 3.0

RNI Fuji FP 100C alt

RNI Film presets 3.0

RNI Fuji FP 100C Warm mutes no blur

RNI Film presets 3.0

RNI vintage lens + 4

RNI Film presets 3.0

RNI smart contrast +2 2

Adobe Photoshop integration

RNI’s film presets are now accessible inside the Photoshop application through Adobe Camera RAW where you’ll find them in the 2012 processing tab, including the new alternate emulations.

RNI Film presets 3.0

Adobe RAW RNI 3.0 presets

Conclusion

RNI seems to have matured further in this 3.0 release, the film emulations look even more realistic, and it’s easier to tweak your images to your liking. I prefer RNI over other film emulations like VSCO and Alien Skin, but this is of course very subjective.

The addition of alternately processed films does make it easier in version 3 to find the look you’re after. The Analog Softness feature gives your image an even more realistic look without the need to work with layers in order to achieve this.

The new Photoshop integration now allows non-lightroom users to access this excellent vintage emulation, and I’m sure this will lead to more sales for RNI.

Pricing and availability

The RNI Film Presets 3.0 Package is now available for download via their website www.reallyniceimages.com.  The “RNI All Films” bundle retails at $122 or $49 for either their Instant, B&W, vintage, negative or Slide film emulations. Until 01/03/2015, existing version 2.1 owners are allegeable for a 50% discount. Mail them for details if you have not received this promotion via email.

Written By Wim Arys

Wim Arys, a visionary photographer and educator, shares his expertise and passion for capturing the essence of life through the lens.

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