XRaw Lfr (*.lfx) files are the native format of Lytro® Light Field Pictures (LFP). These files contain the complete depth and color information captured by a Lytro camera plus calibration data. This file type allows for advanced post-processing and creative manipulations.
1. Open: Launch the Lytro Desktop 5 software on your computer.
2. Import Your Image: Navigate to “File” in the main menu, and click on the “Import…” option.
Choose “Selected Files” from the Import dropdown menu and select the Lytro picture (*.lfp,*.lfr,*.lfx) you want to export by clicking on the “Browse…” button. The file path to that Lytro picture will appear in the Location text field. Next, check “Process immediately after import” under Options and click on the “Import” button.
3. Access Export Options: Click on the picture within the Lytro Library preview window to select it. An orange border will appear around the image. Then click on “File” in the main menu. From the dropdown menu, select the “Export…” option.
4. Select Export Format: In the export dialog, make sure the Save As selection is set to “XRaw Lfr (*.lfx)”. This will ensure the image is exported in its original light field format with the camera calibration data.
5. Choose Destination: Click the “Browse” button to select the desired location on your computer where you want to save the exported XRaw Lfr file, and click the “OK” button.
6. Initiate Export: Once you’ve configured your settings, click the “Export” button to start the process. The software will save the XRaw Lfr file to the specified location.
By following these steps, you can successfully export your Lytro images as XRaw Lfr files, preserving their unique light field properties for your Spatial Prints order.
This video introduces the Lytro Virtual Camera, a powerful tool within Lytro Desktop 4 that unlocks the potential of “living pictures.” Unlike traditional photography, which captures a flat image, Lytro’s Light Field technology captures 3D data. This allows photographers to adjust focus, perspective, aperture, and focal tilt long after the shutter has been pressed, offering a level of creative flexibility previously reserved for high-end cinema or complex tilt-shift lenses.
Adjusting Living Pictures (Source: Lytro, Adam Gould, March 13, 2018, Original URL, Archived URL)
Video Summary
Timestamp
Description
00:00 – 00:25
Demonstrates the “Living Picture” core: clicking to change focus and dragging for a “Perspective Shift.”
00:26 – 00:41
Shows how to render a version of the image where every depth layer is sharp simultaneously.
00:42 – 01:25
Explains the ability to shift from f/2 (shallow depth of field) to f/16 (deep focus) post-capture.
01:26 – 01:54
Shows how narrowing the aperture increases clarity across the entire 3D scene.
01:55 – 02:20
Introduces the tilt tool, allowing the focus plane to be angled rather than staying parallel to the sensor.
02:21 – 02:40
Demonstrates rotating the focal plane to keep two subjects at different distances in focus at once.
02:41 – 03:12
Explains the sharpening mask, noise reduction tool, and resetting an image
Detailed Breakdown
Interactive Depth & Perspective (00:00 – 00:41): The first segment establishes the foundational difference between a standard image and a “Living Picture.”
Dynamic Refocusing: The demonstrator shows that the “focus point” is not baked into the file. Clicking any element—foreground or background—instantly recalculates the image to sharpen that specific depth layer.
Parallax & Perspective Shift: By clicking and dragging the mouse, the camera view shifts slightly. This reveals what is “behind” objects, emphasizing that the camera captured the scene from multiple angles simultaneously.
All-in-Focus Preview: A unique toggle that bypasses the shallow depth of field entirely, providing a crisp, deep-focus view of the entire scene at once.
Mastering the Virtual Aperture (00:42 – 01:54): This section introduces the core update in Lytro Desktop 4, treating the software as a physical lens.
Simulated Optics: The video explains that the camera hardware captures at a wide f/2 to gather maximum light-field data, but the software can “stop down” the lens virtually.
Aperture Range (f/2 to f/16): *At f/2: Users achieve a cinematic shallow depth of field with high-quality background blur.
At f/16: The software uses the light-field data to bring every element into sharp focus, mimicking a landscape photographer’s narrow aperture.
Real-Time Feedback: The demonstrator uses a slider in the sidebar to show how the depth of field expands and contracts instantly without re-rendering the whole image.
Advanced Focal Plane Manipulation (01:55 – 02:40): The final segment covers the “Virtual Camera” tools that simulate professional Tilt-Shift photography.
Creative Precision: The sidebar provides “Tilt” and “Rotation” sliders, giving the photographer mathematical precision over the angle of focus.
Tilt Control: Standard cameras have a focal plane that is always parallel to the sensor. The Virtual Camera allows you to “tilt” this plane forward or backward.
Rotation (The Wedge Effect): By rotating the focal plane, the user can create a “wedge” of focus. This allows for creative shots where two subjects at different distances (e.g., a person in the foreground and a sign in the background) are both sharp, while the area between or around them is blurred.
Additional Photo Editing Details (02:41 – 03:12): The non-destructive photo editing tools includes an unsharp mask (USM) and a noise reduction tool to adjust luminance and color reduction. Any change change be easily reverted to its original state.
Key Takeaways
Total Post-Shot Sovereignty: The primary takeaway is the move from capturing a moment to directing it. The photographer is no longer limited by the settings chosen at the time the shutter was pressed.
Elimination of Specialized Gear: Features like “Focal Plane Tilt” essentially provide the benefits of a $2,000 tilt-shift lens within a free software interface.
Hybrid Workflow: The video demonstrates that the best results come from a combination of interactive clicking and precise slider adjustments in the “Virtual Camera” group.
The “Data-First” Approach: Understanding that a Lytro file is 3D data allows the user to treat the editing process like a virtual film set rather than a simple photo editor.
If you have a Samsung Galaxy phone that takes Dual Capture photos while in Portrait mode like the Samsung S10+ then you might have run into some trouble trying to extract the embedded depth map from the photo. Many online tools designed to extract depth maps fail to recognize the hidden depth metadata of these images because they were originally developed for the Google Camera app called Lens Blur. This leads them to incorrectly assume the photos are flat. The screenshot below shows an example where no depth data was found using a popular app.
While web-based image editors are also convenient, they may not always recognize depth maps as a separate layer, let alone provide the ability to view it. The screenshot below shows that same Portrait-mode image file where no depth data was found.
Using ExifTool (Version 12.30 or newer) to Extract Depth Maps
Don’t worry, there’s a solution! You can use the free software called ExifTool to extract the depth map yourself. ExifTool, a versatile command-line tool, is ideal for extracting and manipulating metadata from various image file formats. An update to ExifTool was released in August 2021 to decode DepthMapTiff from JPEG images of more Samsung models.
Comparison of observable Portrait-Mode image with Color Point effect applied and extracted Depth Map TIFF image
2. Install ExifTool: Follow the installation instructions for your operating system.
3. Open a command prompt or terminal: The exact steps may vary depending on your operating system. To open the Command Prompt (CMD) in Windows, you can use the keyboard shortcut “Windows key + R” to open the Run dialog box, then type “cmd” and click OK.
4. Navigate to your directory: Use the cd command to change to the directory containing your photo. In the following example, the file path “C:\Users\Realistec\Pictures” refers to a directory (or folder) on a Windows computer. Here’s a breakdown of its components:
C: This is the drive letter of the primary hard drive on the computer.
Users: This is a folder that typically contains subfolders for individual user accounts on the computer.
Realistec: This is the name of a specific user account on the computer.
Pictures: This is a subfolder within the user’s account that is typically used to store images and photos.
Therefore, the full path “C:\Users\Realistec\Pictures” points to the “Pictures” folder within the “Realistec” user account on the primary hard drive (C drive) of the computer.
Example: cd C:\Users\Realistec\Pictures
5. Run ExifTool: Start by using the following command to generate an output (*.txt) file with detailed metadata information:
exiftool -a -u -g1 -w txt myphoto.jpg
Remember to replace “exiftool” with the entire file path to your installation.
Also, remember to replace myphoto.jpg with the actual filename of your photo.
The text file will be saved as myphoto.txt
Example: C:\Users\Realistec\Desktop\exiftool-12.97_64\exiftool -a -u -g1 -w txt 20240901_113727.jpg
6. Open the newly created sidecar text file: This file provides important metadata, including Image Size, Megapixels, and Depth Map details.
7. Check for the ‘Depth Map Tiff’ Metadata Tag: If the file contains this specific metatag, as shown below, proceed to the next step.
8. Extract the Depth Map: Use the following command to extract the depth map image, which is identified by the ‘-DepthMapTiff’ Composite Tag:
9. Extract the Embedded Image: Copy the last command by pressing the up arrow key. Then, replace “-DepthMapTiff” with “-EmbeddedImage” by pressing the left arrow key and backspace to delete. You will also need to replace “_right” with “_image” to create a new file. The command will look like this:
That’s it! If done correctly, you should have the original photo, a depth map, an unfiltered image, and a metadata text file.
Now that you have your depth map, you can use it for a variety of applications, from creating depth-of-field effects to generating creative assets like perspective-shifted animated GIFs and videos.
