Dehancer is an After Effects plugin designed to emulate film effects and color grading techniques of analog filmmaking techniques, creating profiles from real analog samples combined with nonlinear image processing and mathematical modeling techniques.
Apply the Dehancer Pro effect found under Film Emulation to your footage on the timeline. Unlike a LUT, Dehancer contains all of the characteristics necessary to replicate film “look and feel”.
Input, Film
Most likely your source will be Rec.709 and, from within the Film parameter, select one of many available profiles (there are lots of them!). Push/Pull should then be adjusted as necessary to control exposure levels – as you lighten or darken an image, realistic color and contrast changes occur that are further amplified by selecting specific film profiles.
Film Developer
Sometimes certain source characteristics or conditions can have an effect on your overall look. The Film Developer tab can assist with tweaks that might need making; although our example footage doesn’t require them, let’s use it just for demonstration purposes. Contrast Boost emulates analog contrast development processes. Gamma Correction and Color Separation only take effect if Contrast Boost is set above 0. Color Separation will only have an impact if Contrast Boost exceeds zero; Color Boost changes overall saturation changes; while Color Separation affects only most saturated hues while Color Separation affects all saturated ones while Color Separation affects only individual saturated hues while Color Separation affects most saturated hues while Color Separation affects only specific hues while Color Separation works differently compared to Color Separation which operates just on highly saturated hues while Color Separation changes overall saturation while Color Boost alters overall saturation levels while alters overall hue saturation while Color Separation only works if Contrast Boost exceeds 0. Gamma Correction will only have an impact if Contrast Boost exceeds 0. Gamma Correction will only have effects while Gamma Correction will have effects when Contrast Boost does not reach 0. Gamma Correction has no more than 0. While Color Separation affects only over saturation while Color Boost alters overall saturation levels more so
Film Compression
This tab emulates the compressed tonal range of film by redistributing highlights toward midtones; shadows remain unchanged. By increasing Impact value, highlights may be compressed towards midtones more aggressively. The White Point controls the position of the white point within the luminance range and acts as a clipping threshold, increasing contrast and clipping highlights when lower settings are selected; on the contrary, increasing it flattens highlights when raised higher. The Tonal Range parameter controls how the width of tonal range is affected, from no compression at all to having both highlights and shadows completely compressed by compression. Finally, Color Density manages color intensity from low highlight saturation levels up to high saturation.
Expand is designed to modify rather than correct a profile selected. While its Black and White Point parameters may seem similar to Levels effects, Expand adjustments affect contrast attributes inherent in film profiles – not post actions performed afterwards – thus providing smoothness without being clipped off by post actions taken afterward.
Print In Print you can adjust values that resemble real analog media such as exposure, tonal contrast, color density and saturation. Tonal Contrast uses nonlinear compression to soften or punch up an image; if clipping occurs adjust your Expand white/black points as needed. All Print values work within digital contrast range but by activating Analog Range Limiter can give a softer image with improved detail in shadows and highlights.
Color Head Use this section for creative correction, just as you would when working with similar tools or effects.
Film Grain
Add realistic film grain simulation with this add-on. Customize its size, amount, and impact according to highlights, midtones, and shadows.
Halation
Halation occurs around bright lights, usually appearing as orangy red hues in overexposed areas. To adjust for this effect, use the Source Limiter and Background Gain controls of your light source – lower values allow more halation while higher Gain settings permit halation to appear on most backgrounds while Smoothness softens halos’ edges for softer edges; Local Diffusion adjusts light spread from edge, while Global Diffusion warms skin tones more quickly.
Amplify amplifies and orange-colorations of an effect while Hue helps adjust it from reddish to orangish hues. Blue Compensation reduces how cool background settings impact seeing halos while Impact acts like an opacity control for it all.
Bloom
replicates the classic vintage lens effect, featuring bright light dispersion on contrasting areas that is amplified. It features three settings to adjust, including: Highlights for threshold highlights; Details and Diffusion controls which objects receive this effect and Diffusion defines how far its radius covers.
Vignette
The Vignette tool creates a realistic effect by working off of exposure information from a source image but applying itself at printing stage.
Film Breath and Gate Weave
This technique emulates the natural variations seen in film with changing contrast, color or exposure levels. The period setting determines how often this variation appears while other options control how much occurs at once.
Gate Weave emulates the flickering motion of film through a projector by simulating film strips’ swinging motion, adding subtle movements by altering period, amount and angle of movement.
False Color
This feature helps you quickly gauge the exposure or lighting distribution in your image.
As this post only scratches the surface of what Dehancer can offer, please view this short tutorial video to experience Dehancer for yourself. Interested in using it to improve your work? Take advantage of Andy Ford Video’s promo code ANDYFORDVIDEO at dehancer.com to receive 10% OFF.