Using Fujifilm X Raw Studio

Continuing the blog serialisation of my popular X-Pro Series lust/hate/love story:

Part 110: Using Fujifilm X Raw Studio

In last week’s article I wrote about X-Pro2 SOOC Jpeg settings that MIGHT make the SOOC output of the X-Pro2 look a little closer to the X-Pro1.

I’m not much of a SOOC Jpeg shooter, but that exercise gave me chance to have a little play with the new (new for windows anyway) Fujifilm X RAW Studio Software.

You can download this software directly from Fujifilm, it’s free of charge and available on the following links.

Windows

MAC

As a quick overview, this software provides the functionality that you previously only had to make SOOC Jpegs using the camera’s in-built RAW convertor (you still do have that in-camera functionality)

So the options that you have to make Jpegs from the RAW within the camera can now be used on your computer.

Now I can’t see too many of you dumping your CC subscriptions or Capture One software for this.

You won’t be using Fujifilm X RAW Studio to make a layered luminosity mask or anything like that 🙂

But if you’re a Jpeg shooter and/or habitually used the in-camera RAW convertor then this free tool should really appeal to you.

The software lives on your device, but you connect your camera to your computer, and it’s the processor in your camera, rather than your PC or MAC that performs the RAW conversion.

It’s fairly snappy, I didn’t do a side-by-side, but I think quicker than (say) importing x number of compressed RAFs into LR6, building smart previews then exporting them to Jpeg 🙂

This won’t be an exhaustive review, more that I used it, I didn’t read the instructions and this is how I got on 🙂

I used this software on Windows

Despite the fact it’s the camera that’s performing the RAW conversion, the RAFs have to be physically on your computer for it to work (so NOT on the SD card of the camera)

This is the start up screen, and the app is waiting for me to connect a camera.

I thought I had….

Ah, that would be why then!! That’s a pretty comprehensive error message, certainly beats error code: 1234 for clarity!

Once the app is talking to my X-Pro2, then we’re in business!

We need to browse to where the RAFs are (within our computer’s file system) from the file tree on the left of the screen.

If you look closely you can see that it’s ignoring my X-Pro1 RAF in the same folder, older cameras are not supported by this app and if I remember correctly…. you can only convert X-Pro2 RAFs with a connected X-Pro2 camera, and only X-T2 RAFs with a connected X-T2 etc.

Where this app REALLY scores over doing this in-camera, is that you can see and appraise the changes before committing to them on your computer with the before/after split screen.

The Jpeg settings that you can change are on the right hand side and are as found within the camera/Q menus

Once you’ve made your changes, you can burn a Jpeg from the RAW file.

UNLIKE when you do this in-camera the resultant Jpeg has the same name as the RAF.

The following two images show what you can edit in this app:

As you can see, this is like having the in-camera RAW conversion menu – but on your computer.

I didn’t try (sorry) but it looks like you can save profiles and copy/paste settings between RAFs. That beats doing it image-by-image in the camera 🙂

Although Fujifilm X RAW Studio doesn’t really suit the way I personally work with RAW files, I have to say that I think it’s an amazing concept for a manufacturer to release.

I’m not trying to sound like a fanboy, but Fujifilm are renowned for their SOOC Jpegs. Many photographers use SOOC Jpegs, and/or use SOOC Jpegs as the basis of their edits.

Here we have a manufacturer giving us a fairly unique way to easily and quickly use the processor within the camera to get exactly what we want (within the confines of what the camera can do, like I said at the start, you won’t be making layers or masks etc in Fujifilm X RAW Studio)

There’s many posts on the internet about what’s the best SOOC Jpeg setting? and what editor achieves the most ‘SOOC like’ film simulations well now you can easily apply these settings and film simulations, and all without having to make one-image-at-a-time conversions in camera, then transfer the Jpeg to the computer in order to actually see the result properly.

This won’t really appeal to RAW shooters, but for those of you firmly entrenched in Fujifilm’s SOOC Jpegs, well your life just got a whole lot easier in my opinion.

Kudos Fujifilm, this is a very nice tool that you’ve given people.

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