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Textures

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

What are ARRI Textures?

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

In ALEXA 35 these parameters are accessible and can be set to different combinations that 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 & custom textures

ALEXA 35 ships with eight textures serving different image styles. As ARRI Textures are similar to look files - being small, easily installable files - we've created four additional, custom textures. Browse the textures using our Image Comparison Tool. The description text behind the info-icon will guide you in the use of these textures.

You can download the custom textures and a small installation guide down below.

Get a feeling for textures

Head to the Image Comparison Tool for a high-res "zoom-in and wipe" comparison of all our textures, or have a look at the rendered sample footage:

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.