By popular demand, I’ve compiled a list of the Top 25 Film Simulation Recipes of 2021! The methodology of determining which ones were most popular is simple: page views. The articles that were viewed the most throughout the entirety of 2021 were declared “most popular” for this list. It’s possible that, while the article was viewed a lot, the recipe wasn’t used all that much—I’m uncertain of a way to know which ones were the most used, so most viewed is the best method I’ve come up with. Also, it’s important to note that the recipes published in 2021 were at a disadvantage because they didn’t have a full year to be viewed, and this is especially true for those published towards the end of the year.
Last year I published Top 20 Most Popular Film Simulation Recipes of 2020, and, while there are some similarities, there are some interesting changes between the two years. The top most popular recipe of 2020 fell to Number 10 for 2021, while #2 in 2020 climbed to #1. Number 7 in 2020 didn’t make the 2021 Top 25 list at all. There’s plenty of other changes, too, yet also some recipes that stayed the same: Number 3 remained in the same place, as did Number 8.
Below you’ll find the Top 25 Film Simulation Recipes of 2021! I’d love to know which of these recipes are your favorites. If there’s a recipe in this list that surprises you, or if there’s a recipe that you’re surprised didn’t make the list, let me know in the comments!
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Thank you. I was waiting for this 😀
You are welcome!
Is this based on page visits?
Oops, it would help if I read the article instead of going straight to the rankings! 🙂
No problem. 🙂
Cinestill 800T for me. I’ve hybridized the X-Trans II and X-Trans III versions, splitting the difference with a white balance of 3600k (-1,-1), and I love it. I really wanted a recipe that looked good indoors under artificial light, and that was what worked with my lenses and lights on my X-E2.
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For outdoor work… I’ve got an oddball of my own creation. Astia/Soft with Underwater WB (6,2), Color +2, Sharpness -1, Highlight -2, Shadows +1, NR -2. I wanted my reds to pop, pine trees to look good, and to have somewhat crushed blacks.
Wow, sounds interesting! Thanks for sharing!
Seeing the recipes then I have the feeling most of the readers have modern Fujifilm cameras, at least after Fujifilm added Classic Chrome. My Fujifilm is previous to that filter but still the flexibility to get different renderings with the recipes is tremendous.
I did a survey not long ago, and over 70% have X-Trans III or X-Trans IV, 20% have X-Trans I or X-Trans II, and less than 10% have Bayer or GFX.
Hey Ritchie,
Thank you again for all the work put into these simulations. I think I have come to my favorites for my X-T3 in no particular order. Not an easy task…Color Negative, Fujicolor Pro 160NS, Kodachrome 64 and Kodak Ektachrome 100SW. I do use others also but I’ve noticed these have been my “go to” simulations. Thank you very much. Great work.
Awesome! I’m so glad to hear it. Thank you for sharing!
My favorites in this list (no order) :
Kodachrome 64
Classic chrome
Portra 800
Tri-X 400
Ektar 100
CineStill 800T
Not in the list (but in my Fuji) :
Monochrome
Fujicolor superHG v2
Stephen Shore Kodacolor
(all with a X-E4)
Thanks again for your recipes !
I take this opportunity to ask you a question:
What is the point of “freezing” exposure compensation in your recipes? Do you think that really plays into the rendering of the recipe?
It seemed to me that exposure compensation was THE parameter that had to be adapted to each shot, as soon as we left an automatic mechanism on the camera (ISO, speed and/or aperture)…
What convinced you to adjust this parameter IN the recipe?
Thank you.
The Vintage Kodachrome recipe (which was one of the early ones) requires +4 Highlight and -2 Shadow, which makes the picture really bright, and underexposing to bring it back down. In other words, exposure comp in tandem with Highlight and Shadow (plus other settings) create the curve. So some recipes need more exposure and some need less in order to get the curve correct. I hope this makes sense.
Awesome! So happy to hear this. Thanks for sharing!
this makes sense !
thank you for the explanation.
to me (at least on my X-E4, which I think matters) I keep on returning to
1. XPro62 (love the cinematic look)
2. Agfa Scala (one of my favorite b+w when I shot film
3. Kodacolor S. Shore (always has this tickle)
and brand new
Old Kodak (just simply love that one)
Awesome! Love this. Thanks for sharing!
I was hoping that nostalgic negative my favourite would be in the top five.
It could be next year maybe. It was disadvantaged for not being available the entire year.
Cool. Although I don’t always use the JPEG, I shoot almost everything in Nostalgic Negative.
That’s great! That’s a fun recipe, for sure.