The Preset Problem

Everybody it seems is selling presets.

There are presets specifically for use in Lightroom by the thousands and there are presets built into some raw editors like Exposure 7 and others.

Presets, especially for beginners, can seem like a great idea. After all a preset is merely a small program that adjusts the sliders on most editors in exactly the same way as the photographer who designed and sold them would set them.

Presets added to your work can make an okish image look pretty spectacular. But there’s a problem.

While it’s true every preset can be tinkered with in your editor one of two things tend to happen: Either the preset is overdone making the image look garish (and this is very common) or the preset makes your special photo looking like everyone else’s photo which has had the same preset applied to it (again that’s why a lot of images on Facebook look somewhat the same).

And, of course, this is at the heart of the film vs digital image argument.

Images shot on film look different from images shot on digital cameras.

There’s no secret to why. One is not “better” than the other but the tonal curve is different. Film captures a wider dynamic range of 13 stops compared to less (sometimes much less) stops on digital. And digital emulations of especially of black and white images are more digital noise than film grain especially when viewed close up.

There are lots of photographers who claim they much prefer the soft colour rendering of vintage film cameras as compared to the uber sharpness of digital images.

Of course if all you’re going is posting to Facebook then honestly it won’t much matter. But if you’re into making prints especially big prints you might want to shoot with film.

Here’s some videos and links to articles that you might find interesting:

Film vs Digital – A Photo Comparison

Digital Photos vs 35mm Film in 2022

5 Key Differences of FILM vs DIGITAL Photography

And for those of us with an hour and 20 minutes to spare here’s: Grain: Analog Renaissance | The Magic of Film Photography

And if you’re tired of carrying your camera around and you’re looking for purpose in your photography here’s: Shooting Los Angeles on 8×10 Film – Paloma Dooley