I was asked to recreate the aesthetic from a frame of a classic movie. I don’t know which movie, but only that it was shot on “Eastmancolor” film, which is a brandname for many different motion picture films and processes going back to the 1950’s. In fact, Eastmancolor Negative, better known as ECN, is still the development process used for today’s motion picture film. It’s unknown which film was used for the frame I was shown, but I did my best to recreate it on a Fujifilm X-Pro3.
After using these settings for several days, I decided that it really reminds me of old Ektachrome color reversal film, perhaps from the 1970’s. Ektachrome was known for fading rather quickly, with some color shifts if not stored well. Aside from some faded slides from my grandparents, most of the Ektachrome I’ve seen from this era have been in classic photography magazines. I don’t know how faithfully this recipe mimics old Ektachrome film, but it definitely has the right “memory color” for me. I hope that you like it, too.
This “Old Ektachrome” film simulation recipe is compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II cameras. This recipe isn’t compatible with the X-T3 or X-T30, but if you disregard Color Chrome FX Blue, disregard Grain size, and use a diffusion filter in lieu of Clarity, you’ll get similar results.
Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: +2
Shadow: +1
Color: +3
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpness: 0
Clarity: -4
Grain Effect: Strong, Large
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Weak
White Balance: Daylight, +3 Red & +2 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Old Ektachrome” film simulation recipe on a Fujifilm X-Pro3:
Find this film simulation recipes and over 200 more on the Fuji X Weekly — Film Recipes App!
I love it. I’ve been forcing myself to try and use more saturated recipes for a while, and velvia, to get something similar to slide film. This looks like a good middle ground.
Awesome! Thank you!
Hey i m using xt4 fuji film shooting jpegs uncompressed basically but i cant acess calrity function in cl and ch mode how i can doo soo that i can reach near filmsimulation recipies
Clarity is only available in “S”, and not in any of the burst modes. If you shoot RAW+JPEG, you can reprocess in-camera and add Clarity at that time, if you wish.
Hello, super photographs, especially the last one. Hello, from India.
Thanks so much!
Great recipe, looking at a few ektachrome slides uploaded to the net, they look very very similar.
One thing I noticed that gave me a ektachrome look from the era was to bring sharpness down to like -3/-4. I notice how soft a lot of slide film images were back then. They didn’t have clinical sharpness like digital of today. Slamming the sharpness down actually brings it closer to the realm of slide films.
I remember nearly 25 years ago being shown some medium-format Kodakchrome 25 slides and being absolutely blown away by the sharpness and details. Projected on a large wall, it looked amazing when viewed closely. I don’t think to this day I’ve seen anything like that (film or digital), nor do I think I’ll ever forget the experience. Obviously the film used, the gear used, and the photographer’s skill all play a role in the sharpness. Ektachrome wasn’t as sharp as Kodachrome, and 35mm wasn’t as crisply detailed as medium format. But, reducing sharpness does, in fact, help mimic the softness found in some analog images, and is a good strategy.