Last Updated on 09/12/2016 by Chris Gampat
In July 2016, Really Nice Images (RNI) announced the availability of their RNI All Films 4 film-simulation plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop ACR and Lightroom. For digital photographers that long for the look of film but not quite ready to jump into film, digital film-simulation software like All Films aims to provide a solution for photographers looking for that aesthetic without incurring the potentially high costs of film processing and development.
RNI All Films 4 sets itself apart by using their proprietary technique to create near 1-to-1 emulation results from both existing and discontinued film stocks. Speaking of which, All Films 4 includes 58 different film stocks with over 300 presets including some iconic names like AGfa Optima, Kodak Portra, Ilford Delta, and Kodak Tri-X. In all, there are 5 categories of film including Negative film, Slide film, Instant film, Black & White, and Vintage films (hello, Kodachrome).
Adding to the appeal, RNI All Films 4 includes custom camera profiles for just about every camera manufacturer and major camera release over the last decade including Canon, Nikon, Sony, Hasselblad, Panasonic, Olympus, Pentax, Leaf, Sigma, Samsung, and more. Built for Adobe Photoshop ACR and Lightroom, All Films 4 is made to easily integrate into your existing workflows.
Included Presets:
Negative films:
Agfa Optima 100
Agfa Optima 400
Agfa Vista 100
Fuji Natura 1600
Fuji Pro 160C
Fuji Pro 160NS
Fuji Pro 400H
Fuji Pro 800Z
Fuji Superia 200
Fuji Superia 400
Fuji Superia 800
Fuji Superia 1600
Kodak Color Plus 200
Kodak Color Plus 400
Kodak Ektar 100
Kodak Gold 100
Kodak Gold 200
Kodak Gold 400
Kodak Portra 160C
Kodak Portra 160VC
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 800
Rollei Digibase
Slide films:
Agfa Precisa 100
Agfa RSX II 100
Fuji Astia 100F
Fuji Fortia SP
Fuji Provia 100F
Fuji Provia 400X
Fuji Sensia 100
Fuji Velvia 100
Fuji Velvia 100F
Fuji Velvia 50
Kodak E100G
Kodak E100GX
Kodak E100VS
Kodak E200
Kodak Elite
Kodak Elite Chrome 100
Instant films:
Fuji FP 100C
Fuji Instax Mini
Polaroid 600
Polaroid 669
Polaroid 690
B&W films:
Agfa Scala 200
Fomapan 100
Ilford Delta 100
Ilford Delta 3200
Ilford Delta 400
Ilford Delta 800
Ilford FP4
Ilford HP5
Ilford Pan F Plus
Kodak T-Max 100
Kodak T-Max 3200
Kodak Tri-x 100
Kodak Tri-x 400
Vintage films:
Agfacolor 40s
Agfacolor 50s
Agfacolor 60s
Agfacolor XPS 160
Kodachrome 1958
Kodachrome 1959
Kodachrome 2000’s
Kodachrome 40s
Kodachrome 50s
Kodachrome 60s
Kodachrome 64
Technicolor 2 (Approx)
RNI Toolkit:
– Lightroom Only
Jpeg tone compensation
Fade
Hard Fade
Grain
Slide Frames
Smart Contrast
Vignette
Analog Softness
Vintage Lens Effect
For the purposes of this review we will be focusing exclusively on the black and white film stocks.
Installation
Getting started is a simple enough process: download RNI All Films (there’s a Pro or Lite version) for either OS X or Windows and walk through the prompts. For this review, we used All Films 4 Pro for OS X.
Once you unpack the zip file, simply follow the instructions on the .PKG Installer which will walk you through the rest of the process, however, if you absolutely must install the plugins manually, RNI has you covered. Their step by step manual installation guide will guide you through the process. After you’ve installed the plugins, simply open up Lightroom or Photoshop as you normally would and you’ll find the tools available.
RNI promises photographers ease of use and the ability to focus on creativity; this is a definitely the case in terms of setting up and diving in.
Diving in
Whether you’re using Photoshop ACR or Lightroom to handle your digital processing, All Films 4 is extremely intuitive and easy to fine tune. My workflow revolves around editing in Lightroom and All Film’s integration with Lightroom means all my tools are conveniently stacked neatly under the Navigator (left-hand column). Simply selecting the desired film emulation and developing preset gives you the starting point for wherever your creative vision may take you.
RNI’s approach goes beyond adding a filter as the case is with many web-based editors, All Films allow provide a jumping off point and not a final destination. All Films works as part of the non-destructive editing environment so any changes made can be fully undone as well as tweaked for the desired effect.
Making adjustments to any of the film stocks is a matter of using the typical Adobe adjustment sliders – in Photoshop ACR you’ll do most of the tweaks prior to opening the RAW file or after applying the film stock in Lightroom. If you’ve ever used Photoshop or LIghtroom either will be a walk in the park; if you’re a Photoshop or Lightroom newbie, no need to fret as the entire process is not unlike adding a filter on Instagram but to a much more aesthetically pleasing effect.
So is it accurate?
The biggest promise made to users is a result that looks as close to film as you can get without actually picking up an analog camera and hit the darkroom (but you really should try it). That’s a tall order especially given some of the film stocks being emulated including personal favorite – Kodak Tri-x. After getting acclimated with All Films and only using their film emulation for editing my photos, ultimately the results are pleasing and very close to their namesakes. Although an image from a crop sensor camera will never look exactly like an image taken on a medium format camera, RNI does an amazing job of replicating the feel of film with a pleasing grain and accurate representation of grain pattern on their emulations.
Conclusions
Ultimately the decision to add All Films 4 to your workflow largely depends on how much you love the look of film and whether or not you have the time or patience to sit down and try to match the aesthetic yourself. Life comes at you fast and personally anything to save time in our workflow is worth the investment provided that the plug-in works as advertised. All Films 4 definitely meets and exceeds expectations.