Silkypix - A First Report

Some time ago I mentioned that I was going to try the Silkypix 6 Studio Developer program in connection with my Fujifilm camera collection. I duly studied the available internet information...thin but interesting...and sent off a credit card payment to the Ichikawa Soft Laboratory for the right to use it.

I can record with a glow of pride that I managed to download the thing, activate it, and start using it without having to call in the family computer experts. Now I am on my own trying to learn the new language.

It's not Japanese, but it's not English. It utilises English words but attaches them to things that you'd not expect. For instance there is a way to make a cache of uncompleted work for later additions called a "cloakroom". That at least makes some little sense and is funny enough to impress itself on the mind. But there are others that don't.

Note: people who are used to Photoshop programs that have tone curves will find the Silkypix curve diagram easy to use. I'm not and I don't but I shall persevere until I do.

It does do a subtle sort of a job with film simulation - I can get an approximate Velvia, Provia, and Astia and something that may be similar to some of the negative films. I can also get a tone rendition that is a "memory" colour. I think the Japanese developers are being as cynical as I am with this one - it is just a little brighter than you recall - maybe it is what you wished you remembered...

Nevertheless, there are some charms to this editing program - it does do chromatic aberration correction as well as a host of perspective controls very easily. The sharpening controls are particularly well-explained and subtle enough to be useful. It pumps out files in a multitude of types.

And it copes with everything I own or have owned; jpeg, tiff, or RAW. No more ponding back and forth between programs if I fancy a different body.

Pictures are from Melbourne this year - Fujifilm X100 RAF files.