This is for anyone out there still using the basecurve instead of Filmic RGB. I mostly shoot portraits of my family, and I been loving Filmic since the beginning (took a while to learn though). I use a Nikon D750, mostly with a Soviet vintage lens (Helios 81-N).
I find that Filmic produces fair superior skin tones than the base curve. The effect is especially noticeable when you have backlit subjects where the light produces a gradual tone from highlight to midtones around round areas of the body (arms, legs, face etc). Here is an example of my son and wife on the commuter train. (It is not a award-winning picture, but it suffices for this post). I’m using a film look LUT, placed after the output display module. I use a fixed setting for Filmic RGB. Did not tweak it.
If you look closely you can see that the transitions from highlight to mid-tones on my wife and son’s arms are much more smooth and “creamy” with Filmic RGB. I guess this has to do with the dynamic range mapping and the desaturation of highlights.
