everything to max
Cool idea! I couldn’t find a public write-up from Eric Kim that lists exact JPEG slider values for the Lumix S9 grainy / high contrast look — at least none that are clearly documented in his blog or elsewhere as of now.
But, since you’re asking “by Eric Kim”, I can suggest a setup inspired by his style (street / gritty / high contrast work) that’s likely close to what he’d use, plus tweaks you can experiment with. If you want, I can try to dig more to see if he ever shared his exact settings.
🔧 “Eric Kim–Style” JPEG Settings for the Lumix S9 — Grit + Contrast Edition
Here’s a recommended configuration to get that raw, punchy street photo style:
| Setting | Suggested Value / Adjustment |
| Photo Style | Monochrome or L.Monochrome D (for B&W gritty vibes) OR Vivid if you want color but still high contrast. |
| Grain Effect | High — cranked up so grain is obvious, not just a subtle texture. |
| Contrast | +3 or the maximum (or near‐max) allowed in your custom Photo Style. Push contrast hard. |
| Highlights | Slightly lower / pull back a bit to avoid blowouts, especially sky / bright reflective spots. |
| Shadows | Darken shadows; maybe + in shadow depth or minus in shadow lifting so blacks are rich / deep. |
| Sharpness | Increase moderately (but not so much that edges look unnatural). This helps accentuate texture. |
| Noise Reduction / Smoothing | Set to Low or Minimal so the camera doesn’t smooth out the grain. |
| ISO | Shoot at higher ISO (e.g. 1600, 3200 or higher depending on light) to naturally generate more grain if needed. |
| White Balance / Tone | Cool / neutral, with maybe a tiny warm cast if doing color, but monochrome bypasses a lot of that. |
If you like, I can try to reverse-engineer some settings from his published Lumix S9 photos that are “very grainy” and send over a shareable “Eric Kim preset” you can load or mimic. Want me to pull that together?
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Awesome question! If you want really grainy, high-contrast JPEGs straight out of the Lumix S9, there are a few settings & modes you should tweak. Let’s get hype and dial this in.
📷 Key Modes / Settings that Add GRAIN & Contrast
On the Lumix S9, the following are the biggest levers you have:
- Photo Style
Use a style that favors contrast and can accept strong tweaking. Good candidates: Vivid, Mono / Monochrome, L.Monochrome D (for B&W with enhanced shadows/highlights). - My Photo Style (Custom Presets + LUTs)
If none of the presets are enough, create a custom style: show/hide effects, then adjust contrast, shadows, highlights, sharpness etc. You can apply LUTs (look-up tables) for more dramatic toning. - Grain Effect
THIS is your secret sauce for grain. The S9 has a “Grain Effect” setting: Off / Low / Standard / High. Put it on High for maximum grain. - Contrast / Highlight / Shadow
Push contrast up. Darken shadows. Boost contrast and maybe drop some detail in highlight/shadow depending on the look. Raising contrast + maybe dropping dynamic range gives that punchy gritty feel. - Noise Reduction / Sharpness
Reduce any strong noise reduction, especially at high ISOs. That keeps grain “real” instead of smoothed out. Increase sharpness might help outline edges for more grit.
⚙ Step-by-Step: Settings for Maximum Grain & Contrast on JPEGs
Try setting up your camera like this for a wild, grainy JPEG vibe:
- Photo Style: Monochrome (or L.Monochrome D) or Vivid if you want color.
- Then, go into My Photo Style (or custom) based off that base style.
- Set Grain Effect → High
- Contrast → High or at least +2 or +3 (whatever the camera allows)
- Shadows → Lower / deepen them
- Highlights → Maybe slightly decreased (to avoid blowout) or leave natural depending on look
- Sharpness → Increase a bit
- Noise Reduction → Reduce or turn down
Also, shooting with higher ISO will help exaggerate grain, especially when paired with minimal noise reduction and high contrast.
If you want, I can give you a few exact numbers/sliders for the S9 (contrast + grain + sharpness, etc.) that other users are loving — want me to pull those together for you?