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ARRI’s Film Lab Adds 8mm, 16mm, and 65mm Film Looks With This Major Update

ARRI’s Film Lab Adds 8mm, 16mm, and 65mm Film Looks With This Major Update

ARRI Film Lab, the license-based OpenFX plugin designed to bring analog film aesthetics into digital color workflows, has been updated to version 1.5. While not a full version increment, the update is substantial - adding new film format simulations, more granular creative controls, and a significant processing speed improvement that enables real-time 4K playback on Apple Silicon MacBook Pro systems and compatible hardware.

The most notable addition is the expansion of film format options. Previously limited to 35mm emulation, Film Lab 1.5 now lets filmmakers choose 8mm, 16mm, or 65mm as their starting point for a look. Each format carries its own distinct grain character and image rendering, giving colorists and cinematographers a much wider palette to work from. Two new parameters - Grain Size and Rendition of Detail - allow further refinement within and between those formats, each operating on a range of 0.75 to 1.5. ARRI says these additions came directly from user feedback.

Version 1.5 also introduces Anamorphic Ratio control, with eight squeeze ratios spanning 1.25x to 2.0x. This allows users to match the horizontal stretch of simulated film grain and halation glow to footage captured with different anamorphic lenses, a detail-oriented feature that matters when trying to maintain consistency across a project. Alongside this, a new Halation Spread control gives users the ability to adjust the radius and character of the glow that appears around highlights and high-contrast edges - an artifact closely associated with the optical properties of analog film stocks.

On the performance side, processing speed has improved by up to four times compared to the previous version, which translates directly to smoother real-time playback in 4K on supported machines. The plugin also now offers a wider adjustment range overall, enabling stronger analog effects for projects that call for a more pronounced look. Film Lab 1.5 is available now through RE:Vision Effects - new customers can purchase a license, while existing license holders can upgrade free of charge.

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