Jo – Sun City West, AZ – Fujifilm X100F – PRO Neg. Hi
I’m not a portrait photographer, although I have done some portrait photography. I’m not a wedding photographer, although I have done some wedding photography. Whether capturing pictures of people is the bread-and-butter of your photography or just something you do occasionally, you’ll likely want some go-to camera settings for these types of images.
I really like the way camera-made JPEGs look on my Fujifilm X100F. I use the different Film Simulations extensively. I have different recipes for different looks and situations. For people pictures in color, I frequently use Classic Chrome or Astia. Lately, though, I’ve been using PRO Neg. Hi much of the time for portraits.
Astia and PRO Neg. Hi are the two film simulations that are most similar to each other. Put them side-by-side and it can be difficult to tell which is which because the differences are so subtle. PRO Neg. Hi is slightly softer in the highlights and slightly harsher in the shadows. Also, Astia has just a bit more color saturation, and has a barely noticeable shift towards red. As far as I can tell they’re otherwise identical and basically interchangeable. I tend to use Astia more for non-people pictures and PRO Neg. Hi more for people pictures, although this isn’t a hard and fast rule.
I’m not 100% sure which film PRO Neg. Hi is supposed to simulate. It’s not an exact match for any. Sometimes I think it’s closer to Fujicolor Pro 160C and sometimes I think it’s closer to Fujichrome Provia 400X (note that the Provia Film Simulation does not match actual Provia film). Based on the name, my guess is that PRO Neg. Hi is supposed to simulate Fujicolor Pro 160C, but, according to my fading memory of shooting the film, it’s off by a little.
Ready To Party Like A Mother-In-Law – Sun City West, AZ – Fujifilm X100F – PRO Neg. Hi
It’s not all that important if PRO Neg. Hi is a perfect match to an actual film stock or not. It produces good results that are especially excellent for pictures of people. It has punchy colors and contrast (but not too punchy like Velvia) while still rendering appealing skin tones. It’s a good film simulation that you should try if you haven’t done so already.
One thing to note is that the shadow setting is very situation specific. I have found that -2 is sometimes better, 0 is sometimes better, but most often -1 is good. DR100 sometimes works better in low-contrast scenes, but DR200 is preferable in normal lighting conditions. For photographs without people, +2 or even +3 on color produces good results.
PRO Neg. Hi
Dynamic Range: DR200
Highlight: -1
Shadow: -1
Color: +1
Noise Reduction: -3
Sharpening: +1
Grain Effect: Weak
White Balance: Auto
ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
Flash: On (typically)
Example photos, all camera-made JPEGs, of my PRO Neg. Hi Film Simulation recipe:
Happiness Is Holiday Family Fun – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F – PRO Neg. Hi
Christmas Cousins – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F – PRO Neg. Hi
Aunt, Great Aunt – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F – PRO Neg. Hi
Christmas Dinner – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F – PRO Neg. Hi
Happy Sisters – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F – PRO Neg. Hi
Three Sisters – Peoria, AZ – Fujifilm X100F – PRO Neg. Hi
Christmas Joy – Scottsdale, AZ – Fujifilm X100F – PRO Neg. Hi
Obverse Converse – Youngtown, AZ – Fujifilm X100F – PRO Neg. Hi
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Hello, I am a yellow person, this film simulation, whether the skin color can be used by yellow people.
Hi! I don’t see why not, but honestly I’m not 100% sure which is the best option for you.
Hi, I really like your film recipes. This PRO Neg Hi for me produces the most “real” looking colours in most situations.
Thank you very much for your work.
I appreciate your kind words and feedback!
Hi Richie,
Firstly thanks for making these recipes! I enjoy using them day in day out.
My question is, what’s your recipe recommendation for cloudy/overcast days?
I live in the U.K. which is grey and cloudy most of the time and me (and a few others) find the warmer ‘daylight’ balanced recipes can be a bit too yellow on a cloudy day. I have tried altering the white balance on existing recipes but just wondered if you had any tips or advice?
This recipe looks like it could deal with cloudy days better?
I shoot with an XE3 by the way.
My favorite is this one:
https://fujixweekly.com/2018/02/03/my-fujifilm-x100f-fujicolor-superia-800-film-simulation-recipe-pro-neg-std/
Thanks! I tired this and it was a tad too green but I suppose I can always alter that in white balance!
Yeah, definitely “season to taste” to get the exact look you want.
Hi there,
Thanks for this wonderful portrait recipe! I noticed the X-Pro2 is listed as being supported, but not the X-Pro3. Is that correct?
Thanks
Tom
You can use it on the X-Pro3, but it’s not listed because it isn’t directly compatible. To use it on the X-Pro3 you must set Color Chrome Effect and Color Chrome FX Blue to Off, Clarity to 0, and pick a Grain size, either Small or Large (I suggest Small). I hope this helps!
You are right, of course. Thanks!