Dehancer A True Film Experience

After a long research, I finally updated my filming setup. While that included body, lens, filters, and cage, I’ve (always) wanted to incorporate more of a film look. Little did I know, Dehancer stood out as the film emulator preferred by creators who inspire me.

Nevertheless, it felt a bit sophisticated, which made me delay purchasing while optimizing other aspects of my workflow. Eventually, I forgot about it. But it turns out it was meant to be, as recently, Dehancer offered me a collab.

True Story

The timing was perfect, as I just started expanding my channel with discussions of creativity and my tools. Reading their email, I thought to myself:

What an amazing opportunity, which (actually) had two options. Either producing:

1. A Dehancer tutorial.
2. A Dehancer review, which I opted for.

Dehancer emphasized they wanted me to be completely honest, which required researching and tinkering with the plug-in. So, in this one, I’ll cover my favorite features after a week of doing so.

Keep in mind I am not a ‘professional colorist’ but a creator creating things appealing to me and hopefully you. I (also) have plenty of content on philosophy, psychology, and stuff of that nature. So stick around if that sounds interesting.

Installation

Dehancer has versions for the different NLEs, such as Lightroom and Photoshop. After finding yours, the installation is seamless.

1. You download and install Dehancer;
2. You let the widget install its libraries.

Usage

Dehancer is an effect best applied on adjustment layers. I film everything in C-Log 3 Rec 709, for which Dehancer recently released picture profiles covering the R6MK2 and the R7. And this brings us to its first tab, which is ‘input.

For ‘source,’ you select ‘choose camera.’ And for ‘camera,’ your model and profile from the menu. This already makes the footage look so much better.

LUT

Below ‘Input,’ is Dehancer’s LUT tab. Resembling Premiere’s, this includes:

• Exposure;
• Temperature;
• Tint (or magenta and green shift);

Finding them slightly more accurate and intuitive, I appreciate those (a lot).

Film Emulation

Dehancer’s main feature is film emulation. But why would you want to emulate film in the first place?

Actually, using film is much more expensive and challenging. It offers richer, denser, and more natural colors with vibrant skin tones (many prefer). With Dehancer you get similar value with any mirrorless.

The default setting is Kodak Vision 250D, in which, if I am not mistaken, D stands for daylight. This looks pretty decent on my footage, excluding its slight green tint. Otherwise, I like:

• Cinestill 50;
• Kodak Gold 200;
• Kodak Supra 100;
• Kodak Color Plus 200;

I’m sure I’ll find more with time, but I am open to suggestions.

Film Compression

Film Compression creates subtle changes you might not notice at first. One is softening the image and preventing blown-out highlights, although it won’t make up for things like a blown-out sky.

Halation

Mentioning softening the image, my favorite lens is the 18-35 Sigma, which can be too clinical. This is where a Pro-Mist filter comes into play. It keeps the image sharp while adding halos around bright lights, which is called halation.

Previously, we needed different diffusion filters to get the right amount. Now, thanks to Dehancer, a single 1/8 seems sufficient, as you can add more halation through the plug-in. You can (also) get a slight red glare in skin tones, which is unique to film.

Film Print

Film Print is a section I didn’t quite understand. So, I researched. According to Dehancer’s blog:

“Film printing is the last technical stage of analog movie production. As a result, we get a film print that can either be shown directly on the screen using a film projector or scanned and then used for digital delivery. ”

— Blog.Dehancer.com.

The section controls the exact kind of film you emulate, for which I go by eye. I found that Kodak 2383 is preferred by most, but it looked too harsh on some of my footage. Let me know what you think.

Conclusion

I (often) stress the value of running your creative process through the four Qabalistic Worlds. Ideas, systems, and actions are (all) crucial. Yet tools can (either) make or break it.

Picked haphazardly, they cause frustration. Chosen selectively, tools let us create smoothly, actually fostering creativity, especially for those of us Rick Rubin calls ‘craftsman creators.

Dehancer does the second. It lets you be extra selective, with a plethora of ways to tweak your footage.

After a single week of using it, I’m already inspired to add more cinematic shots to all my content and step up my game. Also, to shoot more and grade it with Dehancer, as it becomes essential.

Sure, it has a learning curve. But that’s well worth it as it provides countless options to convey the exact feeling(s) you want. I’ll continue experimenting, being exceedingly grateful for this opportunity. Dehancer offers everything you need for (both) color grading and film emulation. And that’s not just my opinion. It’s shared by numerous others that are worth watching. So go check them out. Such as the links in the description. Subscribe. And thank you for your time!