Dehancer Film Emulation – Looking Back to the Future

As most people's photography journey unfolds with it comes the need for editing software and the learning curve that is associated with said products. This can be quite a daunting prospect not only from the learning curve aspect but also to the at times considerable cost involved with purchasing the preferred software that you would like to use, even though many are subscription based these days. Furthermore, as you advance as a photographer continuing to develop your overall style, your software needs will most likely alter and adjust alongside that personal development. Once you reach this point within your photography you may find that your requirements for editing tools are a lot more specific to fit more in line with your particular style or path that you've chosen to walk down, this can quite often turn into a case of hopping between different software platforms to try and find what's right for you personally. 

My own journey over about 14 years in the photography industry has seen me developing a style that is very much retro orientated not only from having a more filmic look to my images but also preferring predominantly black and white images and the tonality that it can bring to my photography. Most commercially available editing software include features for converting colour images into black and white and by and large do a great job of doing this, it is very easy to utilise these tools and can provides a functional starting base, but for those like myself who want to go beyond just converting an image to black and white, more fundamental tools are needed to really build the retro aesthetic from the ground up to provide a more authentic look and feel to the images that I'm trying to create. Short of using a film camera with black and white film (which I do from time to time), then it can be difficult to achieve an authentic look. 

There have been very few companies over my years of photography that have focused their efforts exclusively towards this type of photo editing and the retro look it can give, though it does feel that in recent years software companies have started to realise that there are a lot of us photographers out there that enjoy and appreciate this aesthetic, and the needed tools are becoming more and more readily available, although still usually housed within other editing software which still gives it a feel of being a second thought overall. 

All this in mind, I was recently approached by a company called ‘Dehancer’ to trial their software platform as they felt it would be a good fit for my work and style, and although I wasn't familiar with this company or their software, a quick glance over their website gave me confidence that their tools would be a good fit for how I edit my work. After some backwards and forwards discussions via e-mail, access was granted for me to trial this software which can be used as a plug in via many of the major software editing platforms, or it can be used as a standalone editing tool from within a web browser window, not only on your laptop, computer or tablets, but even conveniently on your mobile phone. As someone who predominantly works on the road it was this final aspect that intrigued me the most and was the way that I chose / wanted to test this software, so please bear that in mind when reading this. The benefits of working this way can't be understated, not only is it extremely convenient having your usual editing tools basically wherever you are, but it also eliminates the aspect of worrying whether your computer will be up to running the software, as this is essentially offloaded to them by it being web based. 

So, what exactly is Dehancer and what does it do differently to other editing software? 

Dehancer is predominately a photo and video editor at its core with a broad focus on a retro style aesthetic and simulating film types from yesteryear, and it does this incredibly well. As mentioned before, other software companies have dabbled in these types of editing tools to varying degrees, some even offering film type simulation, but none that I have used previously have even come close to offering the breadth of film types on offer here, and certainly not coupled with the amount of editing tools on offer within this software. Although this may not offer the deep level and advanced editing tools that certain other editing packages incorporate into their software, to me this is actually a very good thing and a major selling point, it gives it a more stripped back feel, that you are just getting the tools you are more likely to your use and need, rather than adding in deep level tools that you will never likely to learn or use just to justify the usually high price tag or monthly subscription, It is definitely a fresh approach to editing software and one that I applaud. 

Upon logging in and starting up the software, or should I say opening another browser window I must confess to being quite initially shocked at how stripped back the interface was and had concerns at how bereft of tools it seemingly appeared, this really felt bare bones. As I started to delve in and edit some photos any concerns were soon allayed, I began to really enjoy this stripped back approach to interface and soon realised that the tools that I actually need is were there, and not buried below a raft of items that I don't actually need or want to use, this is a very fresh approach in this era of overly complicated software, it gives the Dehancer a light and airy feel overall, approachable. 

When you've opened your image ready for editing, you're presented with the tools via a simple bar along the top, to the right-hand side you will find your Crop Tools, View Original Photo Button, Fit & Fill Button and an adjustment tab that includes Exposure, Contrast, Temperature, Tints and Colour boost sliders, your basic needs. Towards the centre of the control bar is what I consider to be the most useful tools and really reveals the uniqueness of this software, hidden below the buttons labelled Preset, Light, Colour and Effects, it is here that the software really starts to shine. When you click open any of these four selection buttons you are presented with what can only be described as an old school film worksheet For those of you that can remember them, you're basically presented with a page of 25 mini versions of your photo that you're working on, each one with a slight adjustment made, so you can gain an overall perspective of how adjustments will affect the look of your image at a glance, furthermore you can zoom into any of these mini representations of your photo to take a closer look at how that adjustment would affect your image closer up, I can't understate how useful this is being able to see essentially 25 different adjustments to your photo on one page, not only is this a very useful and differentiating tool, but it also considerably speeds up workflow. 

Taking the above into consideration, when you first delve into the Preset Button it just feels liberating being able to see your image and what it would look like on all the available film types there on one page, it helps you to find your editing starting point very quickly because the look and feel of the film type will form the important base on which your photo is edited. Beyond this, delving into the Light and Colour Buttons it is so useful to be able to see the effects that the adjustments will have on your photo there in real time rather than having to rely on a slider and seeing how it alters as all the representations of the adjustments are already worked out and there for you to see all together. this may seem like a simple thing on the face of it, but I can't understate how useful this is, it really is a game changer and an interesting way to work, I have really grown to love this. 

 You would think that being so bare bones as an editor that there would be tools that I would crave or miss from other software packages, but the truth is I really don't, the interface is engaging and there were just the right amount / types of tool for what I need to get my editing work done without any fluff, it just feels nice to use without being overly complicated, essentially if you've used any editing software from recent years then you'll be able to pick this up and be getting good results very quickly, to me that is a big win. Going forward the only things that I would say that I would really like to be implemented within the software would be the ability to combined bracketed shots, as this is a big part of my workflow, and as it stands I would still need to use external software first to do this task before importing, but that is just a thing for me personally as I know not everyone uses bracketed shots, and some sort of basic catalogue or library functionality would be quite useful though this is not a major issue as you can save to the device that you are using it on. 

So, would I recommend the Dehancer? 

As a standalone online editor some people may find that there may be tools that they would ordinarily use that aren't there, for me personally who likes to edit in quite simple minimalist fashion this is ideal and it's handy to have the editor with me wherever I go on whatever device I'm using. The emphasis on filmic style editing for both photographs and video is perfect for my needs, with Dehancer now becoming an important part of my workflow, so in answer to the question, then yes, I can highly recommend this software. For most people this will likely be used as a plug in for their existing software, where the suite of film preset's will likely be the main focus of use rather than the editing tools by and large, as they will most likely be using the editing tools based in said software, using it this way also solves some of my ‘would like’ things like the bracketing options and cataloguing, but would rather have the portability of the web based functionality, but it does highlight the flexibility of this software. 

To sum up, for me it has been a joy to test this software as it has not only been easy to pick up and learn, but offers something that other companies are not doing. It has fit perfectly with what I am doing as a photographer and with the type of work that I am known for, slotting in easily as part of my overall workflow whether that is working at home in my office or on the road travelling both here in the UK or abroad, and would mostly like do the same for you. It is this functionality and flexibility that makes it an easy recommend to anyone, but particularly those working within this genre of photography and looking to achieve a filmic aesthetic to their work. I do hope that they continue to roll out updates and features, like adding additional film types, so that it may give this a broader appeal to other photographers, but as it stands, I can't do anything but praise what Dehanser is doing in the editing software space. 

Thank you for reading, keep adventure in your heart!

Thanks also goes out to Dehancer and the team over there for providing the opportunity to test this wonderful software, it's passion for what you are doing that creates great products, don't forget to check them out at -

https://bit.ly/3QxFd6R

Scott.