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220513_Encounters_Germany_MarketingStills_1.5.1

Textures

“It’s like selecting a film stock's character”

What are ARRI Textures?

ARRI digital cameras have a set of values that determine the way the camera processes images at their very core. These values, comprising different carefully balanced parameters, shape the amount and the character of grain in the image and determine the amount of contrast at different levels of detail in the image, which defines the perceived sharpness (technically called the MTF curve).

In ALEXA 35 these settings are now accessible and tune the image to your needs. We call them ARRI Textures.

Infographic describing ALEXA' 35s image pipeline in a simplified way

Up until now, ARRI cameras have been pre-programmed with a single, unchangeable texture setting that is optimized for the widest possible range of shooting scenarios. For the first time ever, the ALEXA 35 gives cinematographers the option to go beyond the default texture setting and choose from an evolving menu of ARRI Textures, each designed for specific image attributes. This unique feature allows cinematographers to fundamentally alter the way in which the camera records images, should they wish to. It is a major step forward in giving filmmakers creative control over the parameters of digital cinematography.

ARRI Textures are applied to the image before the EI sensitivity setting, which controls the camera's sensitivity, and before the ARRI REVEAL color science. Both determine the basic behavior of grain and contrast in your image.

Default Texture “K445 Default”

There is always an ARRI Texture active in the camera. If you do not change the texture, the default texture for ALEXA 35 is “K445 Default”. With K445 the camera will capture a cinematic image no matter what the situation, in the same way as every other ARRI digital camera you have worked with before. By choosing an ARRI Texture other than K445, it is possible to change the grain and contrast behavior of the image in myriad ways. There are ARRI Textures that increase grain and contrast for a more organic look, others are optimized for shooting in low light, and so on.

See our Texture White Paper for in-depth information on each texture.

Pre-installed Textures

ALEXA 35 ships with eight textures serving different image styles. Drag the slider to compare K445 to one of the other pre-installed textures. Change to another texture by clicking on one of the thumbnails below the image.

wkflw_ALEV4_Textures_Victoria_0800_P425_Cosmetic
wkflw_ALEV4_Textures_Victoria_0800_K445_Default
K445 Default – This texture is designed to work well for all subject matters and settings, while making the most of the camera’s cinematic strengths. It is forgiving on skin, but also renders images with exceptional clarity and detail, which makes it also a perfect texture for green screen shots. This is also the texture to use when shooting with ALEXA 35 and previous ARRI digital cameras, as it closely matches those camera's textures.
P425 Cosmetic – A softer texture, very close to the cinematic K445 Default, especially recommended for rendering skin tones. More forgiving on skin while keeping structures and highlights pronounced. Low to moderate grain, but a bit softer compared to K445 Default. Perfect for all EI settings.

Pre-installed Textures

ALEXA 35 ships with eight textures serving different image styles. Drag the slider to compare K445 to one of the other pre-installed textures. Change to another texture by clicking on one of the thumbnails below the image.

wkflw_ALEV4_Textures_Victoria_0800_P425_Cosmetic
wkflw_ALEV4_Textures_Victoria_0800_K445_Default
K445 Default – This texture is designed to work well for all subject matters and settings, while making the most of the camera’s cinematic strengths. It is forgiving on skin, but also renders images with exceptional clarity and detail, which makes it also a perfect texture for green screen shots. This is also the texture to use when shooting with ALEXA 35 and previous ARRI digital cameras, as it closely matches those camera's textures.
P425 Cosmetic – A softer texture, very close to the cinematic K445 Default, especially recommended for rendering skin tones. More forgiving on skin while keeping structures and highlights pronounced. Low to moderate grain, but a bit softer compared to K445 Default. Perfect for all EI settings.
220513_Encounters_Germany_MarketingStills_1.4.1

Custom Textures

In addition to the pre-installed textures, we have created several "custom textures" after feedback from cinematographers. ARRI Textures are similar to look files, small easily installable files. Please find a selection of four additional, custom textures we designed. The description will guide you in use of these textures. You can download them (and a small guide) down below.


Drag the slider to compare the default texture to a custom texture. Change to another image to compare a different texture.

wkflw_ALEV4_Textures_Victoria_0800_G422_Custom_Shadow_Nostalgic
wkflw_ALEV4_Textures_Victoria_0800_K445_Default
K445 Default – This texture is designed to work well for all subject matters and settings, while making the most of the camera’s cinematic strengths. It is forgiving on skin, but also renders images with exceptional clarity and detail, which makes it also a perfect texture for green screen shots. This is also the texture to use when shooting with ALEXA 35 and previous ARRI digital cameras, as it closely matches those camera's textures.
G422 Custom Shadow Nostalgic – A grainy texture with a subtle vintage feel, designed to render some unsaturated grain and a soft character, while the contrast at fine and coarse image structures is a bit higher than G522 Soft Nostalgic. As a Shadow texture it is also optimized for mid to high EI settings of the sensor and therefore work best in this exposure range.

Custom Textures

In addition to the pre-installed textures, we have created several "custom textures" after feedback from cinematographers. ARRI Textures are similar to look files, small easily installable files. Please find a selection of four additional, custom textures we designed. The description will guide you in use of these textures. You can download them (and a small guide) down below.


Drag the slider to compare the default texture to a custom texture. Change to another image to compare a different texture.

wkflw_ALEV4_Textures_Victoria_0800_G422_Custom_Shadow_Nostalgic
wkflw_ALEV4_Textures_Victoria_0800_K445_Default
K445 Default – This texture is designed to work well for all subject matters and settings, while making the most of the camera’s cinematic strengths. It is forgiving on skin, but also renders images with exceptional clarity and detail, which makes it also a perfect texture for green screen shots. This is also the texture to use when shooting with ALEXA 35 and previous ARRI digital cameras, as it closely matches those camera's textures.
G422 Custom Shadow Nostalgic – A grainy texture with a subtle vintage feel, designed to render some unsaturated grain and a soft character, while the contrast at fine and coarse image structures is a bit higher than G522 Soft Nostalgic. As a Shadow texture it is also optimized for mid to high EI settings of the sensor and therefore work best in this exposure range.

Textures are not reversible

Since ARRI Textures are settings for image processing steps that occur before the ARRIRAW image is created in the camera, ARRI Textures are always baked into ARRIRAW and ProRes.