Workflow

TrueGrain supports two main workflows: one-step and two-step.

In the one-step process, you do all your image processing first with your color (or grayscale) source image outside TrueGrain. Then, as a last step, you process the image through TrueGrain.

For the two-step approach, you use TrueGrain to convert your color source image to grayscale without adding grain. Then you process the resulting grayscale image outside TrueGrain (retouch, sharpen, etc.), and return to TrueGrain for applying the grain as the final step.

The one-step process has the advantage of simplicity and is suitable for many applications. The two-step process provides more control. Ultimately, it is a question of whether you prefer to retouch the source image in color or converted to grayscale.

Source imagery

TrueGrain can open color or grayscale uncompressed TIF files with 8-bits or 16-bits per channel. (You may find that TrueGrain 1.0 will also load JPG and simple PSD files, but this is not officially supported.)

TrueGrain will honor whatever ICC profile is embedded in the source image. There is no need to deviate from whatever working space you have adopted in Photoshop or Lightroom.

In terms of color resolution, the quality of the image brought into TrueGrain for processing significantly affects the results. For example, when computing the spectral response of a given film, if the information is not in the source image, the conversion cannot be accurate. The more information in the original image the better the conversion, meaning that at an unfiltered image with 16 bits per channel is preferable.

For most users, the optimal path will be as follows:

1. Begin with an untouched RAW image.
2. If necessary, adjust the white balance as you would if you were producing a color image.
3. If necessary, adjust the exposure as you would if you were producing a color image.
4. Export the image at full resolution as a 16-bits per channel TIF file with the ICC profile of your working space.

In terms of spatial resolution, you generally want as much native resolution in your source imagery as possible. You can always use TrueGrain’s controls to remove resolution later, if necessary. (Removing resolution is typically only of interest once the grain gets significantly larger than one pixel in size, such as when you apply grain at 110 film size.)

For creative effect, it is perfectly permissible to perform your own custom grayscale conversion outside of TrueGrain. However, be sure to disable both the Spectral Response and Dynamic Range controls in the TrueGrain interface. (These controls will be automatically disabled if you load a grayscale TIF image but not if you load a desaturated RGB TIF image such as that typically exported by Lightroom.)

Output imagery

TrueGrain outputs a 16-bit monochrome TIF file with an embedded Gray Gamma 2.2 ICC profile.

Using TrueGrain with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

Lightroom can be configured to use TrueGrain as an external editor. Simply configure Lightroom’s External Editing preferences panel as below:

We have, however, observed a few annoying limitations of which you should be aware:

• Lightroom 1.2 automatically flattens the keyword hierarchy when it routes an image through an external editor other than Photoshop. If you use hierarchical keywords, you may find that the image you get back from TrueGrain will need its keywords corrected.
• Lightroom 1.2 automatically omits some IPTC fields when it routes an image through an external editor other than Photoshop. If you use IPTC fields such as Location, you may find that the image you get back from TrueGrain will need some IPTC fields corrected.

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