DxO FilmPack Review – How to Explore the Stunning Analog Film Effects
Last Updated on November 18, 2022 by Peter Wood
DxO FilmPack is a popular film emulation editor and analog render to generate stunning analog photography styles. It enables you to reproduce the optimal appearance, colors, and grain with an unparalleled level of quality. It provides 84 stunning and high-fidelity film renderings. Should you choose it for the analog film filters? What are the best DxO FilmPack alternatives to get the optimal effect? Just learn more details about the review from the article.
Part 1: Review of DxO FilmPack, Here is the Ultimate Review
US$85.00 (Edition Essential) | $139.00 (Edition Elite) | Mac & PC
DxO Filmpack 6 provides 84 film pack camera profiles for both versions. The Elite version also offers a decidedly original approach to browsing the various eras of photography. The program includes Black and white films, positive films, and negative films. Besides the presets, you can adjust the designer presets, toning, filters, and creative effects. For the DxO FilmPack, the Plugin version is also available. You can use the program with Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, and DxO OpticsPro.
Pros:
1. Provide in-depth controls to tweak color, hue, blur, grain, tone, and more.
2. Process DNG, JPEG, and multiple RAW formats from multiple devices.
3. Browse photos with different analog films and profiles with a time machine.
Cons:
1. Limited features to edit or touch up photos, especially the AI algorithms.
2. Difficult to locate the touch-up features or find the desired film filters.
What are the New Features of DxO FilmPack?
Besides the DxO analog films, there are other filters, here are 4 major updates you should know, Time Machine, Vintage Texture, Lens Effect, Light leaks, and Special frames.
Time Machine of DxO FilmPack
Time Machine enables you to browse popular films that date back to the 19 Century. Besides the classic analog films, you can also find Darkroom, sepia, Autochrome, and more filters. When you need to image the landscape for old age, you can simply quickly access film emulations by decade. Of course, you can choose the desired film from DxO FilmPack and tweak the intensity of the look before exporting.
Vintage Texture of DxO FilmPack
Add dozens of textures with vintage effects, you can tweak the intensity and choose a random style to make it special. Moreover, you can also make the photo vintage with a wide range of frames, or select the blurring effect to focus the attention. Just choose the desired vintage effect and adjust the related parameters, such as the position, rotation, soft focus, and others to get the optimal effect.
Lens Effect of DxO FilmPack
When you need to apply color filters and adjust the temperatures of photos, you can choose the Lens Effect of DxO FilmPack. It also provides creative vignette parameters, such as intensity, midpoint, transition, roundness, and others. Besides the above, you can also add soft focus, diffusion, and other related lens effects to blur the photos. Once you have done this, you can click the Apply button to save.
Light Leaks of DxO FilmPack
To adjust the analog films, you can get 8-channel HSL adjustments using the new rendering engine. DxO FilmPack enables you to adjust the exposure, vibrancy, and saturation for Light & Color. In contrast, you can adjust the different levels with clicks. What is special about Light Leaks, you can adjust the tone curve for RGB, Red, Green, and Blue. Besides, it has an algorithm for color correction and protection.
Part 2: 5 Best DxO FilmPack Alternative for Analog Film Effects
WidsMob AI Retoucher
US$35.99 for Lifetime License | US$19.99 One Year License | Mac & PC
WidsMob AI Retoucher is a versatile film emulation editor with multiple AI algorithms. It provides 28 camera profiles with 4 film profiles, 25 film-grain, 8 toning methods, and more related analog films. It also enables you to apply light filters, HDR effects, chill, old photos, pencil sketches, color superimpose, and more. Besides, there are advanced AI cartoonization, AI style transfer, AI portrait, AI face mosaic, AI retouching, and more. Similar to DxO FilmPack, you can also find dozens of adjustments, including exposure, contrast, shadows, highlight, temperature, vibrance, tint, sharpness, color adjustment, and noise reduction.
Versatile Film Emulation
Except for the traditional Color Positive Film, Color Negative Film, Black and White Film, and Cross Processed Film. It includes the whole series of Black and White films, such as Kodak BW 400CN, Kodak Tri-X 400, Kodak T-Max 3200, Fuji Neopan Acros 100, Ilford Pan F Plus 50, Ilford XP2, Ilford Delta 400, Ilford HP5 Plus 400, and Ilford HPS 800.
Special Filters and Effects
Besides the analog film filters, there are excellent filters for multiple special ones, such as Lomo, vivid, soft light, dark light, super nature, chill, old photo, psychedelic, frosted glass, painterly, color superimpose, super B/W, and even pencil sketch. Similar to DxO FilmPack, you can tweak more settings with in-depth controls.
AI Cartoonization
Whether you need to turn a portrait or a landscape into a cartoon, there are 2 different AI Cartoonization modes, including both classic and portrait. It turns your portrait images into stunning cartoons with just one click. Moreover, you can also use the Classic mode to make some landscape cartoons with advanced AI algorithms.
AI Style Transfer
If you need to make some paintings, you can click the AI Style Transfer option to turn any image into a stunning photo with starry night, candy, mosaic, pointillism, neon light, Udine, and more styles. With the advanced AI algorithm, you can browse the painting gallery as the Time Machine of DxO FilmPack easily.
HSL Adjustments
How to further adjust the effects or have some adjustments before applying the analog film filter? You can go to the Adjustment menu and explore the HSL adjustments for the photos. Besides the basic ones like DxO FilmPack, you can also find noise reduction, temperature, sharpness, tint, and others to make a special photo.
VSCO Film
1. VSCO Essentials US$59.00 | 2. Modern Films US$59.00 | 3. Alternative Process Films US$59.00 | 4. Archetype Films US$59.00 | 5. Eclectic Films US$59.00 | 6. Classic Films US$59.00 | 7. Slide Films US$59.00 | 8. Instant Film US$59.00 | Lightroom & Adobe Camera Raw
VSCO Film is another frequently used film simulation program. The film simulation program supports JPEG and RAW formats. Instead of dividing into different film profiles of DxO FilmPack, it provides 8 film emulation themes with about 20 camera profiles each. If you are looking for custom camera profiles for Canon, Fuji, Leica, Nikon, Olympus, and Sony, VSCO Film should be the DxO FilmPack alternative.
It should be hard to decide the correct theme. And to use all the camera profiles for film simulation, you have to purchase all with $472.00. The whole film pack will cost you much more than DxO Filmpack or another program.
Nik Collection
Free Analog Efex Pro | Free Silver Efex Pro | Free Color Efex Pro | Free Viveza | Free Sharpener Pro
Analog Efex Pro can explore the look and feel of classic cameras, films, and lenses. You can choose from all 14 available tools to develop your image. When you want Black and white film effects as DxO Filmpack, Sliver Efex Pro helps you master the art of black and white photography with darkroom-inspired controls. There are over 20 popular film types of Sliver Efex Pro to control the process. Of course, you can also use 55 filters of Color Efex Pro for color correction, retouching, and creative effects.
To achieve similar effects as DxO Filmpack, instead of applying different photo effects directly from the film simulation software, you have to combine photo effects of the 5 programs of Nik Collection.
Exposure X7
US$135.45 Exposure X2 | US$156.45.00 Exposure X2 Bundle | Win & Mac
Just as the name of Alien Skin Exposure, digital photographers of all styles have relied on Exposure to create stunning images to access Dxo Filmpack effects in Presets. 25 photo styles and hundreds of DxO Filmpack similar camera profiles, color filters, brushes, and file settings rediscover the gorgeous photo effect. Besides the special photo editing features, you can also manage and organize photos. What is more, cloud storage enables you to sync files between computers and collaborate with others. When using the Exposure X2 Bundle, you can convert photos into watercolor or other Snap Art.
Replichrome
$99.00 REPLICHROME I: ICON | $99.00 REPLICHROME II: SLIDE | $99.00 REPLICHROME III: ARCHIVE | Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw
REPLICHROME I: ICON contains 13 different films with 152 total presets based on the most iconic, modern films made, such as Fuji 400H, Kodak Portra 400, and Kodak Tri-X. And REPLICHROME II: SLIDE has 19 different film effects as DxO Filmpack with 199 total presets inspired by modern and discontinued slide (reversal) films. The REPLICHROME III: ARCHIVE version includes 22 films with 183 total presets based on rare, expired, and eclectic films stocked from across the world. If applying the different film packs, you can enjoy accurate presets with all cameras in Lightroom and ACR.
The three Replichrome film packs can use with Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw. If you need the standalone version or do not have Lightroom installed, you need another DxO Filmpack alternative.
Wrapped Up
When you are looking for the best film emulation editor, DxO FilmPack and the 5 best alternatives should be the optimal choice. Here you can learn more about the features of DxO FilmPack, such as the time machine, the lens effect, the vintage styles, and more. If you are looking for some alternatives, WidsMob AI Retoucher is the best film emulation editor with advanced AI algorithms to make special analog film effects.