Do you want a straight out of camera JPEG style in darktable? Here we help each other

Software darktable
50

A question. Does the objective of achieving an image similar to a jpeg, in addition to emulating the colours and the gradient (assumed), also include emulating the other characteristics typical of OOC-Jpegs, such as reduced dynamic range, and what looks to me like strong use of local contrast, in the camera?

Here is an OOC jpeg.
Imgur

And here (below), is the corresponding raw file, processed 100% in darktable, no other apps or tools used, in the workflow.
Imgur

Images are downloadable in full resolution as jpgs(no more than 5MB each), via the image links above which points to their location on imgur.com.

At first glance, many may not see much of a difference, and this is one of the reasons I also love darktable - IMHO, I think its viewer is pretty good. But you may use any image viewer, and you should still be able to observe the following, if viewed in full screen mode.

  1. The OOC version compresses the colours and the dynamic range., reducing the gradual transitions between light and dark areas.

  2. The OOC version looks less natural when you view it in detail, like some image taken in strange lighting, harsher, and more 2 dimensional, with everything emphasized, rather than a smooth separation between foreground and background.

  3. Especially in the highlights, the raw image processed in darktable (with filmic, in case you wondered), looks more natural, with a greater dynamic range, you can see the different shades of brightness in the flowers with much more ease, which is due to the different angles, height and reflection of light, from each petal to the camera lens, retained in the image.

Sure the jpg, still looks ok to the casual observer, and most people see a lot of the world through such images, and have become accustomed to this. And might even prefer this version, cos it immediately grabs your attention, but you may not want to fix your gaze on the image for too long.

With the image processed in darktable, it invites your eye to roam around the image, for a bit longer, cos it looks more like the real thing, and has more “depth”.

It is possible to emulate this dynamic range reduction in photo editors, and not difficult to achieve, but as I asked above, do we want to?

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