I have been using Fujifilm's X RAW Studio app for a few days now. In that time I have started to get a feel for the software and in the process find some issues that need fixing if it is ever going to be an integral part in my workflow for editing Fuji RAW files.
The first issue I came across is that if you choose to show the Jpegs (after you convert a RAW file) then the display takes you to the resulting file. The problem is that it also places the resulting Jpeg at the very end of the filmstrip. This means you have to scroll back to where you were before you converted the file in order to process the next RAW image.
This can be very time consuming if you have lots of images to convert. Also, there is no easy way to scroll back, so you end up dragging the slider at the bottom, if you can see it, that is. I found a workaround for this though. If you choose not to show the Jpeg files in the filmstrip, then you won't have to keep scrolling sideways to get back to where you were.
It also has a tendency to disappear at times. Also, if you are using the software on a Mac the dock will often popup before you can grab the slider and get back to where you were.
Another issue I found was that when you choose an image to convert in the filmstrip at the bottom, no image appears in the main window. You have to click again on the preview and even then it doesn't appear. At times the application will crash. Here is a screenshot:
Yet another issue I found was that if you selected a group of RAW files to apply a profile to it didn't always apply it to all the images selected. It would convert a selected group into Jpegs but not with your chosen profile applied as well.
Summary:
Fujifilm's X RAW Studio is the best option (other than processing your RAW files in camera) for preserving Fuji's lovely Film Simulations when converting to Jpeg. Yes it has its issues and hopefully Fuji will sort these out soon in the next update. The fact that you can use your Fuji X series camera to process your RAW files for free is a handy option to have. It would be nice if you could leave them on the SD card in your camera rather have to first save them to your hard drive or put your SD card into a SD reader (or the SD slot on your Macbook if you have one with it).
Whether the application will develop into the 'go to' one for converting your Fuji RAW files into Jpegs, only time will tell. If Fuji update it as fast as they issue firmware updates for their X-Series cameras, then I could see it becoming a regular part of my workflow when it comes editing RAW files from my Fujifilm X-T2.
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