First off, I would like to echo the appreciation by Marc to the developers of Darktable. I truly appreciate and marvel at their dedication. They have produced an incredible raw processing program. I also agree with Karim’s description of the zone system and how Filmic is a far better tool to achieve the aims of the zone system. I abandoned the zone system module a long time ago and have become the biggest fan of filmic. However, let's consider Tanya’s original post. She was concerned that a module had been deprecated. Others including myself may feel there are better options such as filmic. However, should we or the developers force this view upon another user of Darktable. I am suggesting that unless there is an issue of maintaining an old module or having it work with the latest version of Darktable it would be best just left alone as an option. Possibly in the module’s name we could list the recommended replacement module to guide users.
As an example, many describe the tone equalizer as a replacement for the shadow highlights module. But despite their similarities they actually produce different results. The excellent tone equalizer module can be used to brighten and darken shadows and highlights respectively. It does this with little or no effect on local contrast and saturation of colors. However, shadow highlights module does affect local contrast and the saturation of colors. For this reason, some people regard the tone equalizer as superior and a worthy replacement for the shadow highlights module, but I would suggest they are just different. This difference is what makes Darktable great. I often use both shadow highlights and tone equalizer on the same image (I know some of you just cringed). I would be so disappointed if the developers took away this freedom of choice from me in the future. Whenever possible let’s keep the old modules as an option but let’s keep up the development of the new modules. And thanks again to the developers for a great 2020, at least in the Darktable world. ________________________________ From: Top Rock Photography <ka...@toprockphotography.com> Sent: Friday, 8 January 2021 4:44 AM To: darktable forum <darktable-user@lists.darktable.org> Subject: Re: [darktable-user] DT 3.4 no longer has zone system module (gone!) FUN with The Zone System I have been intrigued with the zone system since the summer of 1980. By the time I got into my first darkroom in 1981, sheet film had been replaced as the de facto by 35 mm roll film (after 120 roll film, of course). Doing the zone system became harder. Then I was introduced to Ilford Multigrade paper, and, with a great deal of pre-planning, the zone system became a little easier. With digital photography, it became that much easier, as once again, photographs can be treated differently on a frame by frame basis, instead of a roll by roll basis. The zone system and swing/tilt-shift/lift lens standard were the only two things drawing me towards view cameras, and now, with high resolution digital cameras and the digital darkroom, (such as darktable), I no longer need a view camera for either one. (Well, a swing/tilt-shift/lift lens standard would still be awesome!!!) One of the first things I had noticed, and was eager to try, when I first looked at darktable as an alternative to RawTherapee, was the zone system module. I tried using it to get the results I wanted, and found that it was much easier to use curves, or something else to achieve the goal. With the filmic RGB module, I find it so much easier (and more precise) than the zone system module ever was. If one understands precisely what the zone system is all about, then using the filmic module to achieve the goal is so much easier than attempting it any other way. The idea is to pick the greatest highlights and deepest shadows in which one desires to capture details, then expose and develop for it accordingly. This means from a practical DSC pov, expose the sensor such that the highlights on the subject in which one wants to retain detail is not near clipping, (so as to capture as much detail in the shadows, without losing details in the highlights, a.k.a., expose the subject to the right, or ETTR), then use the filmic module (ar any other appropriate module) to adjust the subjects highlights and shadows accordingly. The dynamic range scaling feature is absolutely a marvel with this. [ASIDE] For negative film, the zone system can be summarised as —and this is a huge oversimplification— expose for the shadow (get enough light so as to capture detail, or in other words, get enough density on the negative), and develop for the highlights (do not get too much density in the highlights), a.k.a., still expose to the right. This may mean over exposing and under developing, —pulling the film— when the shadows are too dark, or under exposing and over developing —pushing the film— when the shadows are too bright. Nothing has really changed with digital photography. [/ASIDE] Whereas the zone system module made it easier to indicate what parts of the subject fell into what zones, it did not add any value outside of such visualisation, (IMNSHO). The same can be achieved by using the clipping indicator, by setting the threshold values accordingly, and observing the subject. Not only so, but the tooltip of the new clipping indicator helps one make the adjustment based on the intended medium, including print. (It was sometimes a pain to get an image just right, then, after sending to the printers, realised that it had to be adjusted majorly). I recommend that those interested in the zone system first understand what the zote system was attempting to achieve, then learn how one can achieve the same results in the filmic module. Linear RGB is basically the zone system on steroids! (IMNSHO). That is my 2¢. Sincerely, Karim Hosein Top Rock Photography 754.999.1652 [https://docs.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1cTak7bAmck7Nq9AFC27jve5N8IUB8fuS&revid=0B4ZxH1wUdjk2aGFaakwwMHBycmp5R3hDd1BvYmdNTXJORXdZPQ] ____________________________________________________________________________ darktable user mailing list to unsubscribe send a mail to darktable-user+unsubscr...@lists.darktable.org University of Tasmania Electronic Communications Policy (December, 2014). This email is confidential, and is for the intended recipient only. Access, disclosure, copying, distribution, or reliance on any of it by anyone outside the intended recipient organisation is prohibited and may be a criminal offence. 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