B&W Film With Colored Filters – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20
Fujifilm has included on X-Trans III and IV cameras four Acros Film Simulation options: Acros, Acros+Y, Acros+R, and Acros+G. I’ve been asked a few times to explain the differences between these options. On my Acros Film Simulation recipes I never mention which one to use, I only say to use any or all of them, so that has left some confusion on what’s the best choice. Which Acros Film Simulation should you choose?
With real black-and-white film, you can use colored filters to manipulate the shades of grey. Since there are no colors, the film interprets colors between black and white. You can change how the film interprets the color, and what grey you get, by using different filters. Take a look at the graphic below to see an explanation of how different color filters change the grey on black-and-white film.
You cannot use colored filters on your X-Trans camera to achieve this same effect, so Fujifilm has given you three “filter” options for Acros: +Y, which simulates the use of a yellow filter, +R, which simulates the use of a red filter, and +G, which simulates the use of a green filter. You might notice that, in black-and-white film photography, there are more options than you are given on your X-Trans camera, but at least you have some choices.
While these different “filter” Acros options simulate the look of using filters, the actual results aren’t a 100% match. The manipulation of grey is not nearly as pronounced as using colored filters on film, and it’s not exactly the same shift, either. One thing that can help achieve desired results is using the white balance shift in conjunction with the different Acros options. It takes a little extra thought to figure out how adjusting the color balance will change the way the film simulation interprets the color in grey, but it can be worth the effort.
To help you understand what the different Acros Film Simulation options are doing to different colors, I made an image in color and re-processed it in-camera using all four Acros choices. Take a look!
Fujifilm X-T20 – Velvia
Acros
Acros+Y
Acros+R
Acros+G
The differences between the different Acros Film Simulations might not seem immediately obvious, but take a closer look. Notice that the red paint is a little lighter and the blue paint is a little darker in the Acros+R image. However, in the Acros+G image the red paint is darker and the blue paint is lighter. These small manipulations in the shades of grey are what the different Acros options provide.
How do you use this information in a practical way? When should you consider using the different Acros Film Simulations? When would you want to change the shade of grey of a particular color? It’s really difficult to give generalized answers to those questions because what works for one person and one photograph may not work for another. You really must think in grey and consider how contrast will work in an image, and how to best achieve that using the different Acros options.
Monochrome Mountain Majesty – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T20 – Acros+R
A common example of when Acros+R might work well is in landscape photography where the sky is a deep blue. You can turn the sky dark grey or even black, which will create dramatic contrast against clouds or a snow-capped peak. Acros+R will lighten reds, so sometimes in portraits it can lighten a face, but it can make lips blend in, which might be bad. Acros+G, which darkens reds, can sometimes work well for dramatic portraits.
There is a lot to consider when it comes to choosing the most appropriate Acros Film Simulation for a particular circumstance. You have to know what each one will do, and decide what shade of grey you want the different colors to be, in order to make the right selection. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but it’s not too hard to figure out with practice. My suggestion is to try them all in different situations, and study the differences closely to better understand what each one does.
Thanks for this, really helpful.
You are welcome!
Ritchie,
a very helpful article as always.
I have one question.
You wrote: “You cannot use colored filters on your X-Trans camera to achieve this same effect.”
What would happen if I placed a red filter in front of the lens, and then convert the RAF image (which obviously would have a very red color cast) to b/w in Lightroom or Photoshop?
Eric
Thanks! You would get a very low-contrast image. It’s an experiment that I have done before, and you can make some “interesting” images, so you can always give it a try yourself for the fun of it. I appreciate the feedback!
Cool, need to try it then 😄
Thank you very much for your sharing of knowledge. Appreciate your great work!!
You are welcome! Thank you for your kind words!
Very good recipe, but how to adjust the white balance?
BTW hope the WB could be stored in present in the future.
sry I responded to the wrong post, what I wanted to ask is Dramatic Monochrome
On my black and white recipes, I usually set white balance to auto with no shift. If I’m lazy, and there’s a shift already programmed for another recipe, I will leave the shift, as it usually doesn’t make much of a difference.
Acros + G was meant for kids with red hair and freckles
Lol, yes!
Hi there Ritchie! This works for Monochrome too?
Yes! It’s the same for the Monochrome film simulation.
Yellow filter is recommended for skin shades, the red filter for the landscape (I know you said it already) and the orange filter is the best from both worlds (good skin shades and relative darker sky) – that is why is so frequent to find a film camera with an orange filter on the lens at a garage sale…
I used to commonly use Red filters for landscapes (particularly with partly-cloudy sky), and Yellow for pictures of people (or landscapes where I couldn’t afford to lose as many stops as with a Red filter). I only occasionally used an Orange filter myself, but it was often used by others. I appreciate the input!