I created my original CineStill 800T film simulation recipe about two-and-a-half years ago. That recipe has remained quite popular. It’s received a lot of positive feedback and I remain quite proud of it. That recipe was created for X-Trans III cameras, but newer models have more JPEG options. I’ve been asked a few times if that recipe can be improved using the new features that weren’t around when I created it.
This new version is something that I’ve been working on for months and months. My CineTeal recipe is actually one of the failed attempts. I’ve been trying to achieve either an accurate CineStill 800T or Kodak Vision3 500T look straight-out-of-camera. These two films are actually the same film, but the CineStill version has the RemJet layer removed, which means that it is more prone to halation and can be processed in C-41 chemistry. Vision3 500T is meant to be developed using the ECN-2 process. With either CineStill 800T or Vision3 500T, how the film is shot, developed, and scanned and/or printed can significantly effect the aesthetic.
I’m not 100% satisfied with this recipe. I think in some situations and in certain lighting, it looks pretty darn accurate to the film. In other situations and in other lighting, it’s a little off. There’s a lot of variation in how the film can look, and it’s just not possible to encapsulate it all in one recipe. In any event, if you are looking for a recipe that produces results similar to Tungsten film, this is one to consider. It is only compatible (as of this writing) with the Fujifilm X100V, X-Pro3 and X-T4.
Eterna
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: 0
Shadow: +2
Color: +4
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: -3
Clarity: -5
Grain Effect: Strong, Large
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong
White Balance: Fluorescent 3 (Cool White Fluorescent), -6 Red & -4 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this new CineStill 800T film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:
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Hi there I really love your content its very informative and valuable to us here in the fuji community. I have a question in regards to the cinestill 800t can this be done on the xt3? The reason I ask is because you mentioned it is compatible with the xt4 which has the same sensor and simulations etc.
The X-T3 and the X-T4 have the same sensor, but not the same JPEG options. The obstacles are Color Chrome Effect Blue and Clarity, which the X-T3 doesn’t have. If you try Highlight set to -1 and Shadow set to +1 it might be close, but it won’t be exactly the same.
Love it! It’s so close to what I was after. Thanks for the inspiration. I tried another version for fun on an x-t30 going the other way with auto r:+6 b:-4 that works great in daylight (tried at a beach)
Awesome! I’ll have to try it. Glad that you like the recipe!
Moment needs to see this article, because I would love to see how your recipe works with their new CineBloom diffusion filter.
I cam here to say this too. I just got the NiSi Allure Soft filter for the X100 series and it definitely gives you that halation effect on bright light sources that Cinestill 800 produces. I’ve only had it for 24 hours so far but this film recipe plus this filter definitely tie together nicely from the shots I have taken!
The halation of the film also produced bright red hues around lights, not just diffusion.
I wonder if lightroom could do that in HSL sliders? Although i actually never decided whether it was a good thing-in which case is the digital version an improvement? It was not like the film was a very ‘filmy’ ‘grainy’ film..
I’ll have to look into this filter. Thanks for the tip!
I hope to try the Cinebloom filter. It will be interesting to use, I think.
@georgesimpsonart I’ve tried the new recipe with the Black Pro Mist Filter 1/4 which produces a similiar effect. The asthetic of the recipe and the bloom that the filter creates is very nice. Only thing i added in Lightroom is a slight green toning in the highlights. Also, you can do a brush preset which imitates the red halation very good. I’d like to show you my pictures, im just wondering how to share them.
I’ve not been around the nearby downtown after dark but seeing your images, I think I want to experiment with CineStill 35mm film as well as your recipe.
You’ll have to let me know how that goes! I appreciate the comment!
I used cinestill 800t as goto for night film photography.
I also love the old recipe despite using xtrans-1 its now the goto (often on iso6400, no tripod).
One thing that is probably hard to do is the effect of haloing on lights. Not only that but it often made highlights a bright red on film. But that said it wasnt what i used the film for, i think the latitude and its colours and the diffuse haloing. Nailing the white balance helps most as i think its a bit less cold as true tungsten.
Thanks! It’s a tough one to mimic, for sure! I hope that further experiments can improve it; I’ve been working on this one a long time, but I think I will come back to it again in the future.
Hi,
This was the second Cinestill 800T that I’ve tried on my X-T3 and I love it. Someone mention this before and I think that he is right, Moment should see this article because they just came out with a new lens filter, Cinebloom.
Keep up the good work!
Adelmo
Thanks so much! I appreciate the comment!
Cinebloom appears to have one purpose – make a photograph look like it was shot on film.
I hope to try it sometime. I think it could be interesting.
Could you share how did you adapt it to the X-T3? 🙂
You could ignore Color Chrome FX Blue and Grain size, and use a 20% CineBloom or similar diffusion filter in lieu of Clarity… it won’t be 100% the same, but pretty similar. I would also consider looking at these recipes:
https://fujixweekly.com/2018/04/25/my-fujifilm-x100f-cinestill-800t-film-simulation-recipe/
https://fujixweekly.com/2021/12/06/fujifilm-x-h1-x-trans-iii-film-simulation-recipe-fujicolor-npl-160-tungsten/
https://fujixweekly.com/2020/03/23/my-fujifilm-x-t30-jeff-davenport-night-recipe/
Hello! Thank you very much for all this amazing work done! It’s incredible!
I was wondering whether I can use this recipe with my x-t30. If not, what changes do I need to make? Is there a specific recipe for cineStill 800T together the x-30?
Many thanks!
That’s a great question. You can use this recipe but you don’t have Color Chrome FX Blue or Clarity, so it won’t be exactly the same. I would recommend something like a Pro Mist diffusion filter to compensate for the lack of minus Clarity. You can also try the X-Trans III CineStill recipe.
Thank you very much for your kind reply! I have one more question please. I have already checked the other one, from the X100F recipes, and I can see that one of the main differences is the color palette, i.e. the other one uses Pro Neg Std, while this one uses Eterna. Do you think that CineStill 800T is closer to the more cinematic palette Eterna or to the pro neg std? Many thanks in advance!
Definitely closer to Eterna. The X100F doesn’t have Eterna, so that’s why Pro Neg Std was used. But you can’t just swap them out (use Eterna instead of PNS on the X100F recipe, but feel free to try anyway if you’d like). Interestingly enough, those two film simulations can be made to look similar. One issue with creating a CineStill 800T recipe (and this is true for a lot of films) is that, depending on various circumstances, it can look different, and it’s not possible to fully replicate that with Fujifilm cameras. I hope this helps!
Think you’re way off here from what I’ve seen 800t look like, this doesn’t have as much blue in it.
CineStill 800T is an interesting film in that it can have such a variety of aesthetics, more than most films, depending on how it was shot, developed, and scanned (plus post-processed after scanning). It’s really all over the place, and the lighting it was shot in affects it a lot, too. It’s a tough film to mimic in the first place, and impossible to recreate all of the aesthetics in one recipe, or even several. I appreciate the feedback!
Totally appreciate the work you’ve been doing, I personally prefer the night time blue of cinestill and I think your original one has more of that.
Thanks! My personal favorite CineStill recipe is the X-Trans II version. I appreciate the feedback!
Hello. Do you think that this recipe could work on X TRANS V turning off “Color Chrome Effect Blue”?
Set Color Chrome FX Blue to Weak.
Did you use Eterna Cinema or Eterna Bleach Bypass?
Eterna/Cinema … a.k.a. Eterna. Kind of like most people call Provia/Standard “Provia”, Velvia/Vivid “Velvia”, and Astia/Soft “Astia”. I hope that makes sense.
This is a really cool recipe! I was originally a little unsure if I’d like it because of the -5 clarity, but I got some neat results shooting at night in city lighting with some pleasant halation and neat colors. Have you seen grainyday’s video on shooting real CineStill mid-day in Las Vegas? The photos she got had some wild retro-feeling purple and magenta casts that I wanna try to replicate with my own X100V, but I’m a complete noob to film sims. Any chance you’d want to try your hand at a “CineStill Vegas” recipe that replicates that vibe?
whoops! meant graincheck’s video not grainyday 💀
I haven’t seen it. I assume that either some sort of color correction filter was used, or that some “corrections” were made in post-processing (digital editing), or else it would have a strong blue (usually light blue) cast, and not so much purple or magenta; however, it could also be an affect of how it was handled or developed, as one film can produce a variety of looks depending on a host of factors. I’ll see if I can find the video. Thanks for the input!