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.
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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.
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And for those of us that use xt30 and don’t have the new
Fuji simulationss 🙃
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Oh, I wish! I would love to use this on my X-T30, or even my X100V….
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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!
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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.
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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.
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It’s Clarity, which takes longer to process and save. Turn Clarity off (set to 0) and it will be normal speed.
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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.
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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!
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