I’ve had many requests to create a LomoChrome Metropolis recipe, but it was impossible until Fujifilm created the new Eterna Bleach Bypass film simulation and new Auto White Priority white balance. LomoChrome Metropolis film, which is a Lomography product, has only been around for a couple of years. The film is high-contrast, with low-saturation and a warm cast. It has a cool retro-feel despite being new.
There’s a special quality to this LomoChrome Metropolis recipe. It’s almost a color version of black-and-white photography. In the right situations it creates a wonderful look that’s easy to love. It often mimics the film pretty faithfully. I’m very happy with how this one turned out, and I used it recently on a trip to Arizona.
This LomoChrome Metropolis recipe has been on the Fuji X Weekly app as a Patron Early-Access recipe since December 1st when the app launched. All of the Patron Early-Access recipes will eventually be made available to everyone as they’re replaced with new ones, which means that there’s a new recipe for Fuji X Weekly Patrons on the app right now, so if you’re a Patron, go check it out. This LomoChrome Metropolis recipe has been unlocked, so everyone now has access to it.
Because this recipe requires Eterna Bleach Bypass, Auto White Priority and a .5 adjustment, it’s only compatible with the Fujifilm X-T4, X-S10, and X-E4 cameras. Unfortunately, all of the other X-Trans IV cameras (as of this writing) don’t have the required JPEG options, so it’s not compatible with other cameras. If you have an X-T4, X-S10 and X-E4, you might really appreciate this new film simulation recipe!
Eterna Bleach Bypass
Dynamic Range: DR200
Highlight: +1
Shadow: +2.5
Color: -2
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: -1
Clarity: +4
Grain Effect: Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong
White Balance: Auto White Priority, +1 Red & -7 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this LomoChrome Metropolis film simulation recipe:
Find this film simulation recipe on the Fuji X Weekly — Film Recipes App!
See also: Film Simulation Recipes
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Awesome Ritchie!… will that Kodak Portra 400 Warm recipe be out for everyone before summer arrives?? 🙂 Also, A big thank you to all the work you put in to this site. It is really appreciated and I hope you know that.
I appreciate your kind words! I hope that it will be out before summer. Cycling through the “early access” recipes has been slower than I initially thought it would be, and I’d love to speed up that process if I can.
And for those of us that use xt30 and don’t have the new
Fuji simulationss 🙃
Oh, I wish! I would love to use this on my X-T30, or even my X100V….
Is there a easy path to get close to this recipe with an older X-Trans IV camera like the X-T30? Thanks a lot for your work. It’s awesome!
Not really. Classic Chrome has enough contrast but not the right colors, even at -4. Eterna has the right colors but not nearly enough contrast. But, I’ll see if I can do it anyway.
Is there a reason you can think of why this simulation would take longer to save a photo than any other? My X-T4 is having to pull up an actual loading screen to save each snap.
It’s Clarity, which takes longer to process and save. Turn Clarity off (set to 0) and it will be normal speed.
Hi Ritchie,
I like this blue. Can you explain a bit what’s the logic of adjusting white balance blue? I notice the blue is quite intense but actually you are -7 blue. Most of the blue I like in your various recipe are WB +1 red and -5 blue. I’m struggling in understanding intuitively what WB -5 blue means. Thanks.
That’s a great question, and the answer is a bit complex. Each film simulation renders blue a little different. Things like Color, Highlight, Shadow, Dynamic Range, Color Chrome FX Blue, etc., have an impact. Exposure makes a difference. White Balance and White Balance Shift obviously make a huge difference. All of things work together to make blue (or any other color) render the way that it does. Change one thing, and it effects the color, at least a little. So getting it to look right means finding the right balance of everything, include (especially) the WB Shift.
White Balance Shift is most similar to applying a semi-transparent color layer over an image to give it a cast. You have 360 different color casts to choose from. Obviously 0 Red & 0 Blue is no color cast. The further away from the center, the stronger the color cast is, and the closer to center the weaker the cast is. +1 Red & -7 Blue is a very strong yellow cast that leans ever-so-slightly towards orange. If the rest of the settings didn’t balance it right, it wouldn’t look particularly good.
I hope this helps!