X-Tarr | The deepest black 'n' white film simulation you'll find

Aug 29
2 min read

I’ve always been drawn to dark, crunchy, gritty images with bite: contrast-heavy, and bold. Sure, soft, buttery images with rich saturation have their place, but \i find myself often leaning towards another style.

Sometimes I crush my blacks. And yeah, I know that’s controversial. I’m not always after 16+ stops of dynamic range in my videos, because that kind of smoothness doesn’t always help the story.

I’m not chasing a clean, cinematic gloss. I’m chasing grit. I’m trying to build something raw, intense, maybe even a little harsh, and a soft, vibrant grade just doesn’t belong in that world.

Intensity matters to me. While I can appreciate the dreamlike aesthetic of soft, airy images, it doesn’t always reflect who I am as a creator. I want something more visceral. That’s where X-Tarr comes in: the deepest, crunchiest black-and-white film simulation I’ve ever used. There’s nothing quite like it. And honestly, I love it.

X-Tarr delivers ultra-deep blacks and rich tones that inject your images with a timeless & cinematic quality. It’s bold and unapologetic — perfect for shots where the subject is the story, where reality is firm and emotions are concrete. It gives your scenes weight.

It’s especially powerful for street photography, landscapes, documentary work, journalism, and yes, even portraits. But it’s not for everyone. You have to embrace the style. If you're not into it, it simply won’t click. But if you are, X-Tarr is a dream come true.

It comes as no surprise then that X-Tarr is one of my favorite BnW film simulations, together with Cinestill X, Kodak Tri-X 1600 and MidRed Infra (made after infrared film).

👉 Check out samples of all Sony film simulations!

I could keep talking, but I'll let the images do the talking. Here’s what X-Tarr looks like in action.

X-Tarr SOOC Images