PictureFX Color Toning Pro – Topaz – Topaz Silver and Topaz Gold

Very popular with many photographers were and still are the well-known effects from Nik Collection (now Dxo) with names of precious metals like platinum efex and palladium efex, first applied to Black and White and later also in Color photography. These effects were the reason that I started creating Haldcluts myself to have my own effects for RawTherapee. After many years of creating all kind of Haldclut’s and Film Simulations, I finally found the recipe for my own Color Toning filters.

The name for these new series of filters is “PictureFX Color Toning Pro”.
Other than trying to simulate colors from different 35mm film brands,
is the aim to breathe new life and color into your pictures,
with the sparkling colors of gemstones.
The first three FX are from the “Topaz” stone
A Topaz stone can have different colors but usually is yellow to yellow-brown.
The first filter is the normal Topaz and adds the warmth and the colors of this stone to your pictures. The filter Red’s are between the Silver and Gold Topaz and bit more Green.
The stone can also have a shiny effect, a bit silvery, hence the name “Topaz Silver”, which is the second filter. The filter has less Red and Green, but a bit more Blue than the two others.
The third filter is the “Topaz Gold” which puts a sunny glow over your pictures. This filter has more Red and less Green than the normal Topaz.
Three filters that sets a Mediterranean / African atmosphere.

To develop your own style, the PictureFX color tone effect is no different than with the pay for versions. You can adjust the effect via the strength or opacity slider in your program.
Here too you can supplement the color tone with vignette, tone mapping, soft glow, etc. as available in your image editing program such as RawTherapee, Darktable, Adobe, Luminar etc.

Below you can see Topaz applied on one of my own pictures, and on an IT8 Fuji Color Target.
Unlike the well-known brands, I have no pictures of exotic animals, models or destinations here.
But everything is “Real” ,”Colorful” and feels like “Home”.
I hope you enjoy my new developments.

Download here for all sensors and all camera brands – Lut for Rawtherapee, Artherapee, Darktable… , and Cube for Adobe, Luminar etc. :

Almost forgot, film simulation or color toning with Luts or Cube’s by editing on a computer is not for everyone. It is much easier and just as satisfying to use Recipes, of course you must have a Fujifilm camera, do you have one ? Then be sure to visit the website of my good friend Mark Adams, he tells you everything you need to know about using it and has an extensive collection of Recipes himself.