How Exposure Changes Kodak UltraMax 400, From −2 to +3 EV
One portrait at all six exposure levels of my UltraMax 400 profile, from −2 to +3 EV: how skin tone and colour shift, and how to pick a level in Lightroom.
I built the UltraMax 400 profile at six exposure levels, from −2 to +3 EV, and the skin tone is where the levels differ most.
The same portrait at six exposures
I shot this portrait on a Fujifilm X-Pro2 and applied the UltraMax 400 profile at each of its six levels, with the Professional base. Every frame comes from the same raw file.
What changes between −2 and +3 EV
Skin tone moves first. At −2 EV the skin is deeper and more orange, and the wall behind her picks up a bluer cast. Going up the scale the skin gets lighter and softer, and at +3 EV it is pale and gentle, with the wall close to a neutral light grey.
| Level | Light skin | Dark skin | What you see |
|---|---|---|---|
| −2 EV | Deepest and most orange | ||
| −1 EV | Deep and warm | ||
| 0 EV | The reference level | ||
| +1 EV | Lighter and softer | ||
| +2 EV | Light and soft, close to +3 EV | ||
| +3 EV | Pale and gentle |
Most of the change happens between −2 and +1 EV. From +2 to +3 EV the skin barely moves. On a Frontier scan, exposure shifts the skin tone and not only the brightness. Each level of my profiles carries that shift, while the exposure itself is compensated, so your file keeps its brightness.
UltraMax 400 leans cool in the midtones and warm in the highlights
The line below shows how warm or cool the profile renders a neutral grey, from the shadows to the highlights, at 0 EV.
In the midtones the profile pulls slightly cool, and from the upper midtones on it turns warm. It is a fine split toning, and the profile keeps it because it belongs to the film.
One stop under, on a Leica Q3
The photo at the top of this page shows the profile at +1 EV, light and open with a saturated blue sea. One stop under, the same profile gets denser, with a deep blue sky and a yellow wall that holds its colour.
How to choose the UltraMax 400 level in Lightroom
- Open a raw file in the Develop module and go to Basic, Profile, Browse.
- Open the group ◭ UltraMax 400 · Frontier · Professional, or the Standard group if you prefer that base. The levels are named like UltraMax 400 +1 EV Frontier Professional.
- Start at 0 EV, then click through the other levels on the same file and compare the skin and the colours before anything else. For skin that stays light and soft, I would look at +1 to +2 EV first, and for deeper, warmer skin at 0 to −1 EV.
If the profiles do not show up, restart Lightroom, because profiles only load at start. The Professional profiles appear for raw and DNG files. The steps for Mac and Windows are in the install guide, and the supported cameras page shows which camera models are covered.