
Red Benches & Post Office – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 “Polaroid”
I get asked frequently to create film simulation recipes for all sorts of different looks. Sometimes I’m successful, oftentimes I’m not. I received one such request recently that was a little unusual: the stills from the television series True Detective. The set photographer for this show is Michele K. Short. The show itself was shot using Kodak Vision3 50D and 500T film. Michele likely photographed the stills with her Leica M10-P, and edited them to look like analog pictures. Honestly, I have no idea what specific film they’re supposed to resemble, but I was able to pretty quickly create something that is in the ballpark of those stills.
I looked and looked at different films to figure out what this aesthetic might be close to. I didn’t find anything that I was satisfied with. There were a couple of films that I thought, “Well, you can make an argument, but it’s a stretch.” I decided that it most reminds me of Polaroid peal-apart film, perhaps 669. It’s not intended to resemble Polaroid, and perhaps it doesn’t do so very well, but I needed a name, and I wasn’t going to call this recipe “True Detective” so I went with “Polaroid” instead. Whether this does or doesn’t resemble Polaroid, I think you’ll find it produces interesting results. Some of you are going to really appreciate this film simulation recipe!

Abstract Architecture – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 “Polaroid”
You can get good results with this recipe when you over, under or correctly expose, but some of my favorite pictures were overexposed. There’s a lot of latitude with this recipe. It’s fun to play around with. It seems especially well suited for high contrast scenes, although it can still be used in mid and low contrast scenes. It’s compatible with all X-Trans IV cameras and the Fujifilm X-H1.
Eterna
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: +4
Shadow: -2
Color: -2
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpness: -1
Grain Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect: Off
White Balance: Auto, +5 Red & -5 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: -2/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Polaroid” recipe on my Fujifilm X-T30:

Red, White & View – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Storm Behind Rural Neighborhood – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Thistle Evening – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Girl Unsure on Path – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Dormant Branches & Half Moon – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Reeds & Mountain – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Evening Light at Francis Peak – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

House Roof – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

House – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Garage Rooftops – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Bicycle Boy – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Hooded Boy – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Joyful Girl – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Smile – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Girl with Curls – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Happily Running – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Paw Patrol – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Shoe on a Red Tricycle – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Wilting Flower – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Lots of Luck – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Lamp – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Leafy Indoor Decor – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Lamp in Daylight – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Empty Ski Lift – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Trees & Lift – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Pine Tree & Clouds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Snow At The Fuel Stop – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Unused Snow Bridge – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Park City’s Empty Street – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Downtown Park City, April 2020 – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Park City Buildings – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Flag U – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Center Street Lamp – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
See also: Film Simulation Recipes

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$5.00
Fantastic one will test today definitely, and will be waiting badly for the Kodak Vision3 500T one.
Thanks Ritchie for making us come back to explore the photography with Fujifilm when ever we saw a post from you.
Regards
Dia
I appreciate the kind words of encouragement and feedback!
Will this work on X-T20?
No, unfortunately, because you don’t have Eterna. Maybe use Pro Neg. Std instead, and perhaps +3 Highlight and Color -4? That might be similar, although I don’t think you’ll get real close to a match.