Why you can't add DR400 to a Fujifilm RAW later
No, you cannot add DR200 or DR400 to a Fujifilm RAW after the shot. DR changes how the photo is exposed, so it is decided when you press the shutter. A DR400 RAW can be rendered at DR100 later, but not the other way round.
By Abu Ashraf Masnun ·
Shoot RAW on a Fuji and you get a nice safety net. Film simulation, grain, Color Chrome, white balance, all of it can be changed later in the camera's RAW conversion menu or in X RAW STUDIO. Except one.
Dynamic Range is decided when you take the picture. A frame shot at DR100 cannot become DR400 later.
Why
DR200 and DR400 work by exposing the photo darker than it looks, one stop for DR200 and two for DR400, and then brightening it back while gently rolling off the highlights. That darker exposure is what keeps the sky from blowing out. It happens on the sensor, so it is baked into the RAW file itself.
A DR100 RAW was exposed normally. The bright parts that went white are simply not in the file, and no setting can bring them back. It is not a setting the camera can apply after the fact.
What to do
- Shooting RAW and worried about bright skies? Set DR400 before you shoot. You can always render it at DR200 or DR100 later, just not the other way.
- Need a low ISO? Remember DR400 needs four times the base ISO, so it is off the table at your lowest ISO.
Bottom line: of all the recipe settings, DR is the one to set at the time. Everything else can wait.
Questions people ask
Can I change Dynamic Range in Fujifilm RAW conversion?
Only downwards. A RAW shot at DR400 can be converted at DR200 or DR100, but a RAW shot at DR100 cannot be converted at DR200 or DR400, because the highlights it lost are not in the file.
Should I use DR400 when shooting RAW on a Fuji?
If bright skies matter and your ISO allows it, yes. DR400 keeps about two more stops of highlights in the RAW, and you can still render it at DR100 later.
Why I am testing all this
I'm doing this research while building two apps for Fuji shooters. RAF Film Lab edits Fuji RAW files on Mac, iPad and iPhone, in all 20 film simulations. Chobial is an iPhone film camera that always shoots RAW, so you can develop any photo again with any film. Everything I learn about how the camera renders goes into both. They're in beta now, and if you'd like to try them, join the RAF Film Lab beta or the Chobial beta.