Exposure 4

Background


Exposure progressed from modern film simulation like Portra NP on the left to a much broader array of tools like the variations on Calotype and early Kodachrome on the right.


What is Exposure?

In 2005 experienced photographers told us that in their transition to digital they missed the look of specific film stocks. With their help we created Exposure 1. Exposure’s accurate film simulation was a big hit, but photographers pushed us to revive more tools from analog photography, not just film.

Exposure now gives you easy access to effects from every stage of the photographic process. A few examples are blur from cheap plastic lenses, color shifts from cross processing, grain and contrast from push processing, and warped vignettes from low end cameras or from the printing process. With hundreds of carefully researched presets, Exposure beautifully renders looks that span the entire experience of film back to the earliest days of photography.

What began as a tool for the film generation of photographers has become a general creativity tool. Now even photographers who never touched film can experience the rich world of analog looks in a tool that makes it easy and fun to experiment. Enough telling, more showing! Go look at our example images and videos. Better yet, try Exposure yourself for free.

How was it made?

To model film stocks that were available during creation of Exposure, we did test shoots with the film and a digital camera under controlled lighting. We then measured the differences to create settings that mimic the look of these film stocks. For the grain we put the film under a microscope, literally.


Above are photomicrographs that we took while studying film grain.
From left to right they are Kodak TRI-X 400, Fuji Velvia 100, and Ilford Delta 3200.

To model discontinued films we couldn’t do these controlled experiments. Instead we relied on photo archives, and more importantly the professionals who created them. We quickly found that the anthropology of learning from film photographers was as important as the chemistry and math. Of course we do have rocket science math inside Exposure, but the advice of experienced photographers and film lab technicians is what makes our effects look human.

Here are some of the photographers who shaped Exposure. This list is certainly not complete, so if we have forgotten you then please let us know!

  • Nels Akerlund
  • Josh Carter
  • Tom Corbitt (Polaroid)
  • Cameron Davidson
  • Antoine Doyen
  • Marc Durant (Polaroid)
  • Andrew Durazo
  • Markus Haugg (Portra)
  • Steffen Jahn (Polapan, Polachrome)
  • Todd Jenkins (Panatomic-X, Tech Pan)
  • Larry Ketchum (Kodak EES)
  • Dennis Mook
  • Russell Morales
  • Taran Morgan
  • Brian Mullins
  • Greg Myhra (GAF 500)
  • Jing Quek
  • Michael Riedel
  • Jeff Simons
  • David Singer
  • Ellen Small (Scala)
  • Geoff Smith
  • Scott Stulberg
  • Tony Sweet
  • Richard Vallon Jr (Autochrome)
  • Ken Weingart (EPP Cross Processing)
  • Jeff Wendling
  • Jim White
  • Gregory Wiggs