I set out to recreate the look of expired slide film. Perhaps expired is the wrong term, because the aesthetic that I was after is more like mishandled slide film—not stored correctly or developed promptly. Maybe it passed its expiration date because it sat in a drawer for so long, or maybe it was in a hot car for a couple of hours, but, whatever the reason, it definitely doesn’t look right.
Why would I want to create this look? Because it’s an interesting vintage aesthetic that was somewhat common in the film era. While most people would not want this outcome, interestingly enough, there are some film photographers (a.k.a. Lomographers) who do this kind of thing on purpose specifically because they want this look. The two film simulation recipes below are for those people seeking something different. Neither of these will likely be anyone’s “go-to” recipe, but if you want something that’s a bit unusual, these are ones to try.
The film simulation recipe called Expired Slide was actually the second one, as I created (what I now call) Expired Slide v2 first. I liked the original settings, but thought that it might be a bit too much, so I toned it back slightly. I posted examples of both recipes to Instagram and let you guys decide which one was best. The Expired Slide recipe won hands-down, but there were some who passionately preferred Expired Slide v2, so I’m posting both. The only difference is the white balance (and shift), otherwise they’re identical. Expired Slide has more of a red-orange cast while Expired Slide v2 has more of a red-purple cast. Both recipes (as of this writing) are only compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10 and X-E4 cameras.
Expired Slide:
Velvia
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: +2
Shadow: -1
Color: -4
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpness: -2
Clarity: -2
Grain Effect: Strong, Large
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong
White Balance: 5500K, +7 Red & -2 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
Expired Slide v2:
Velvia
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: +2
Shadow: -1
Color: -4
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpness: -2
Clarity: -2
Grain Effect: Strong, Large
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong
White Balance: 5000K, +8 Red & 0 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
Find these film simulation recipes and many more on the Fuji X Weekly — Film Recipes App!
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Love this.
Are you familiar with Monaris?
Her stuff is photos are amazing. So cinematic.
I know she uses LR to do a lost of post edit but maybe an idea to try and create a recipe that resembles her work.
https://instagram.com/monaris_?utm_medium=copy_link
It’s definitely Lightroom. There seems to be more than one “look” (at least two but probably more). Eterna Bleach Bypass might be the best starting point.
I’v a question about the Dynamic Range setting in the camera (XT4). It doesn’t matter how you set it and save it in your camera, the camera itself desides which Range setting it will use. In X-Raw studio the profiles are stored as well, but then it’s not always possible to change that as well. Is there a setting I’ve to change in the camera?
I like your website / blog a lot. Thank you for the wonderful content. 👍
Best Regards, Hans
There are four Dynamic Range options: DR-Auto, DR100, DR200, and DR400. DR-Auto selects either DR100 or DR200, depending on what the camera thinks is most appropriate. DR200 requires a minimum ISO of 320, while DR 400 requires a minimum ISO of 640. You can reprocess in-camera or through X RAW Studio using a lower DR than you shot with, but you cannot go to a higher DR. For example, if you shot at DR200, you could reprocess at DR100 but not DR400. I hope this makes sense.
Thanks for explaining this Ritchie. There’s a lot of manual setting to do for using these recipes properly. I will try to put it in the file name, so I will remember how to use it with the proper settings.
Thank you obes again. Keep on the good work Ritchie
I appreciate your kind words!