How I Edit Fuji Raw Files (Step-by-Step)

In this article, we’ll examine how I edit Fujifilm RAW files to provide guidance to those of you who may need it.

More importantly, I’ll cover some essential tips and tricks to manage your Fuji image workflow in Lightroom.

While many photographers shoot JPEG only, plenty more choose to capture their images with as much RAW image data and resolution as possible.

While covering the difference between the two file formats, I’ll primarily focus on optimizing your Fuji RAW workflow.

If you’re currently shooting in JPEG on your Fujifilm camera but are considering shooting RAW, this is the guide for you.

RAW image files unlock many editing and image optimization possibilities, so it’s worth understanding how to make the most of them.

That way, you can spend less time in the editing chair staring out the window on a gorgeous day and more time out with your camera.

Should You Always Shoot RAW?

I recall my early days of digital photography and not understanding the difference in image file formats.

While I’m ashamed to admit it, I shot with a Canon DSLR with a pretty decent image sensor at first.

However, I didn’t know the difference between capturing JPEG images and RAW files.

As a result, I stuck with JPEG and butchered a lot of good photos trying to edit them.

Eventually, I worked it out and was able to change my ways. Plus, I woke up and switched to Fujifilm!

I understand the desire to simplify the workflow and stick with JPEG images.

After all, they’re easier to share and store, and there’s a lot to love about a straight-out-of-camera experience.

(See also my Fujifilm Straight Out of Camera Challenge!)

Besides, I believe that shooting JPEG teaches you a lot about composition, exposure, and image outcomes.

Plus, there’s little need to purchase or subscribe to editing software on your computer or tablet.

Plenty of people edit their Fuji JPEG images on their smartphones.

However, the flip side is the ability to capture higher resolution images that can be edited to optimize the image quality and hide a few mistakes made when taking the photo.

I don’t subscribe to this method—being careless when taking photos and knowing that you can fix many mistakes later in editing software.

I prefer to apply 95% of my skills in taking the photo and clean the image up a little later.

Knowing how to edit Fuji RAW images isn’t as challenging as it may at first seem.

Why I Shoot RAW

I shoot RAW with all of my Fuji cameras for several reasons.

While I work hard to ensure my images are 100% right when taking the photos, shooting in RAW is a little like an insurance policy.

Should I slightly under or over-expose a shot, I can push or pull the exposure later when editing.

If I discover my composition or framing is off, I can crop the image to correct the overall look.

It’s essential to remember that I’m not savagely manipulating a Fuji RAW image. I approach editing with gentle and subtle changes.

Another reason why I shoot in RAW is to ensure I have the highest quality resolution.

I’m currently working with a 26MP Fujifilm X-E4 or my trusty 16.3MP Fujifilm X70.

While they’re not high-resolution sensors, I love the image quality of these cameras. Regardless, I want to extract every bit of resolution from my files.

I sometimes shoot with higher-resolution cameras, such as the 40MP Fujifilm X100 VI or the mighty GFX 100S II with its 102MP sensor.

The files are massive, and editing such large and richly detailed files is a joy.

That brings me to my next reason for shooting RAW with Fujifilm cameras. I use my cameras for work just as much as play.

Capturing the best quality images is essential for any professional work I do.

I need to ensure that I capture the necessary detail in RAW files for the images I include in my articles here on Shotkit.

• More: Is Fujifilm Good Enough for Pro Photographers?

Importing RAW Images Into Lightroom

While I’ve tested and reviewed a lot of different editing solutions here, I’ve stuck with Lightroom for some time.

I remember when Adobe Lightroom was a product you’d only buy outright – costing hundreds!

We now have a more sensible subscription plan allowing any photographer to access essential editing and workflow tools.

I also have Adobe Photoshop; however, I rarely use it these days.

Alternatively, you can apply minimal edits to Fujifilm RAW files with the company’s own Fuji X RAW Studio. It’s free and easy to master!

For reference, I’m running Lightroom on a 2017 iMac with 16GB of RAM. It’s starting to struggle, especially with the GFX 102MP RAW files, but it gets the job done.

As a side note, I’m currently researching the best specs for my next Mac.

I’m considering the pros and cons of the new M3 iMac over the M3 MacBook Pros. The M3 chips are fast and capable, but the RAM determines how well software like Lightroom runs.

Given it’s an older iMac, it houses an SD card reader. I plug in the SD card and boot Adobe Lightroom before selecting to import all my RAW files.

Rather than saving my RAW files to my Mac’s minimal storage, I send them directly to a Lacie 4GB external hard drive.

I also send a backup copy to a second Lacie drive for essential jobs.

I’ll change to external SSD drives for optimal speed when I get my new computer.

I’m ready to start my editing workflow with my RAW files imported and safely stored.

Greg’s Fuji RAW Editing Workflow

Scan and Grade

While I have decent storage, I don’t want to keep every image I’ve ever taken.

Keep in mind that RAW files are much bigger than JPEG, and you’ll fill up a 64GB SD card in no time.

The first step in my RAW workflow is to quickly review all images and delete any that aren’t worth keeping.

That includes photos of my feet, doubles, mistakes, and images that aren’t worth it. On average, I’ll delete around 50% of my RAW files during this step.

• More: How to Organize Photos More Efficiently in Lightroom

Minimal Crop

As mentioned, I try my best to get the shot at least 95% right when I take the photo.

As a result, my need to straighten and crop images has been reduced considerably.

While the crop function is an essential editing tool, the more you crop, the more resolution you lose – even with RAW files.

The files from my Fujifilm X-E4 and X70 don’t respond well to excessive cropping. In the process, too much resolution and image quality are lost.

However, the larger 40MP files from the X100 VI or the X-T5 can be cropped without significantly impacting the image quality.

As for the RAW files from the 102MP GFX 100S II, even savage cropping seems to make little impact on the resolution.

Exposure And Contrast

The next step in my Fuji RAW file workflow is to correct the image exposure and add a little contrast.

Correcting image exposure is an essential step – probably the most important.

We all strive to capture correctly exposed images. Sometimes, I need to tweak exposure to get the right balance.

I use the Lightroom histogram as a guide but rely more on my intuition and the overall look and style of the images.

I always like to add a little contrast. It’s a personal preference and depends on the style and purpose of the image.

• More: How to Create a Vintage Look in Lightroom

Fujifilm Film Simulations

Once I’m happy with the image exposure, I can apply one of the Fujifilm film simulations to my RAW images.

(This guide to Fujifilm film simulations explains more about them including comparisons and examples of each.)

While you can bake a Fuji film sim into your JPEG files straight out of camera, RAW files work differently.

Fujifilm film simulations aren’t applied to the RAW files, even if you have a sim set when you take the photo.

However, Lightroom identifies the Fujifilm camera and allows you to apply a film sim while editing.

Film simulations act a lot like Instagram filters that change the look and mood of your images.

Fuji film sims replicate up to 20 different analog film photography stock from their 90-year history in the game.

As a result, you can quickly turn a Fuji RAW file into a nostalgic image that looks like it was shot on 50-year-old film.

I select film simulations based on the style and purpose of the images.

I tend to apply Classic Chrome or Classic Negative for my street photography work.

With the right film simulation applied, I’ll once again fine-tune exposure and contrast to ensure the right balance.

Let The Film Simulations Do The Work

As mentioned, I prefer a light touch to editing my Fuji RAW files.

I tend to let the film simulations do much of the heavy lifting.

After all, who am I to argue with Fujifilm’s color wizard or the company’s 90-year history of getting colors right? Oh, so right!

The point is that Fujifilm film simulations deliver a clean and appealing look to any image.

Provided I’ve made the right choice of sim and fine-tuned the exposure, it’s time for some very minor editing.

Remember that RAW files are very forgiving when pushing back highlights and pulling details out of the shadows.

I strive for optimal exposure across the frame by adjusting Lightroom’s highlight and shadow sliders.

I barely adjust the White or Black sliders depending on how well I captured the image.

Noise, Sharpness, and Vignetting

Noise is the term used to describe the grain and messy pixels captured when taking photos in very dark settings.

It’s especially noticeable when shooting with high ISO, as the image sensor strains to determine what each image pixel actually is.

That’s why the grain from noise can be random and even odd colors.

The Fujifilm X-E4 handles low light settings well, and higher ISO grain or noise is easy to refine later in Lightroom.

The X70, however, is a different story. Being a low-resolution sensor, it doesn’t cope well with low light or high ISO.

As a result, I rarely shoot in low-light settings with that camera—or, at the very least, I’ll shoot with a slow shutter speed and wide aperture.

The larger files from the 40MP and 102MP sensors clean up image noise without any issue. Plus, those cameras tend to have image stabilization.

Regardless, I slightly adjust sharpness and noise reduction to compact any grain.

Lightroom features a new Denoise AI function, but I’m never tempted to utilize it.

As for vignetting, depending on the purpose of the image, I like to add a little to my images.

I find a small amount of feathered vignetting adds a little depth to specific images.

• More: How to Add a Vignette in Lightroom

The Final Review

Once I’ve completed the above editing process for each of my Fuji RAW files, it’s time for the final review.

I use this review process to ensure I’m happy with each image’s overall appearance.

The key thing I’m looking for is correct exposure. I also look for images that are too similar in nature or composition.

If it’s a large batch of images, say from a recent holiday, I’ll grade each photo using the Lightroom star rating system.

That way, when it’s time to export, share, or print the photos, I can quickly choose the best rather than selecting all of them.

Once satisfied with the final collection, I’ll export the final JPEG versions of the edited images to a dedicated folder on my iMac.

The quality and size of the JPEG images vary depending on their intended use and destination.

Tread Lightly In Lightroom

Editing Fuji RAW files shouldn’t be an intimidating or overly complex process.

The last thing you want to do is get so bogged down in editing and finite adjustments that you lose the joy of the process.

Fortunately, I find editing Fuji RAW files fun and rewarding, primarily because of the application of Fujifilm film simulations.

Applying the best film simulation to the correct image style suddenly elevates the overall look and feel.

Furthermore, limiting exposure, contrast, and cropping ensures your photos remain as natural-looking as possible.

Heavily edited RAW files stick out like a sore thumb.

Heavy contrast, color saturation, and excessive noise management push even RAW files too far.

While they might pop when viewed from a small smartphone screen, in reality, they’re attracting attention for the wrong reasons. Like hyper-color parachute track pants from the 80s—loud in more ways than one.

My advice for those editing RAW Fuji files is to tread very lightly in Lightroom (or any other editing solution).

Adobe Lightroom is a very powerful pro-grade editing application; minor adjustments can dramatically impact images.

Start with minor edits and review each process step rather than rushing through all your images.

Also take advantage of the Lightroom Before and After tool to gain perspective on whether you’ve applied too many edits.

It’s also worth pointing out that the recent Adobe MAX Update introduced an improved Generative Remove tool. Generative Remove uses the power of Adobe AI to locate and highlight unwanted image elements and remove them cleanly from the image without leaving behind messy artefacts.

The Final Polish

My second piece of advice is to not take your core composition and exposure skills for granted.

Just because you shoot in RAW format doesn’t mean you can afford to be careless or make reckless mistakes, thinking that you’ll fix them later in the software.

I find it best to work with a film photography mindset. Imagine you’re shooting film where you have to correct the framing, exposure, and composition before you press the shutter button.

As a result, your overall editing process will reduce, and you’ll elevate your core competencies in the craft.

How about you? When capturing images with your Fujifilm X Series camera, do you shoot in RAW format? Do you use a similar or vastly different process?