CineStill 400D is a cinematic color negative film meant for C41 processing that’s been around for less than a year. Unlike other cinematic films, the “D” doesn’t apparently stand for “Daylight” (even though it is Daylight balanced), but “Dynamic” because it has a large latitude for push processing. I’ve had a number of requests to create a Film Simulation Recipe that mimics the aesthetic of CineStill 400D. The problem I encountered is that this emulsion has a lot more variance than most films. All films can produce different looks depending on a host of factors, including how shot, developed, and scanned, but CineStill 400D seems especially so. As I understand, this film “scans flat” and some degree of post-processing is necessary, which likely accounts for some of that variance, as each photographer will manipulate the file to their own tastes to produce a final image.
No one recipe will ever come close to replicating all of the possible aesthetics from CineStill 400D, so instead I’m publishing a series of CineStill 400D Film Simulation Recipes, each a facsimile of a different look produced by the film. This recipe—CineStill 400D v2—has less contrast and leans more red/purple than the previous version. I think it is especially well suited for “golden hour” photography, but it is also a good option for overcast, shade, and midday sun. While it is certainly usable for many genres of photography, I particularly appreciate this one for urban and street photography.
This CineStill 400D v2 recipe was a joint effort between myself and Nestor Pool (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube). We went back-and-forth on the settings, trying to match some examples of the film. After a few attempts, we decided it was best to focus on the “right feel” for what we wanted than an exact replication of the emulsion, especially since there was so much variance. After more fine-tuning, this is the recipe we created together. Nestor recommends using a 5% Moment CineBloom filter with these settings, although I didn’t do that with these pictures because my filter doesn’t have the right thread size for the lenses I used. It was a real honor to work with Nestor Pool, and I want to give him a special “thank you” for his efforts on this!
This CineStill 400D v2 Film Simulation Recipe is compatible with “newer” Fujifilm X-Trans IV cameras—X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II—and all X-Trans V models—as of this writing, X-T5, X-H2, and X-H2S. Unfortunately, it is not compatible with the X-T3 and X-T30. Those with newer GFX models should be able to use it, too, but the rendering will be slightly different (try it anyway). Click here for CineStill 400D v1.
Film Simulation: Astia
Grain Effect: Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome FX Blue: Weak
White Balance: Fluorescent 1, -2 Red & +4 Blue
Dynamic Range: DR200
Highlight: -2
Shadow: 0
Color: +2
Sharpness: -2
High ISO NR: -4
Clarity: -4
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “CineStill 400D v2” Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X-T5:
This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.
Fujifilm X-T5 in black: Amazon B&H Moment
Fujifilm X-T5 in silver: Amazon B&H Moment
Find this Film Simulation Recipe and over 250 more on the Fuji X Weekly — Film Recipes App!
Help Fuji X Weekly
Nobody pays me to write the content found on fujixweekly.com. There’s a real cost to operating and maintaining this site, not to mention all the time that I pour into it. If you appreciated this article, please consider making a one-time gift contribution. Thank you!
$5.00
Hi! When I use Fuji X Raw and I switch between 2 recipes I sometimes get the message that some parameters cannot be set as the recipe is supposed to be. Do you encounter this problem and do you know which parameter is affected. I was supposing it is the dynamic range?
I don’t use X RAW Studio, so I’m definitely not the expert, but it would make sense if it was Dynamic Range. Or if it was a recipe for a different sensor generation.
OK thanks! So what do you use when you try your new recipes with old pictures?
(sorry to not have used the reply button)
I do everything in-camera. I also don’t save any RAW files, so I guess I simply don’t apply new recipes to old pictures. 🤣 😀
I guess it is the spirit of film photography…! I find it very difficult to shoot in jpeg and not being able to switch recipes to find the one i prefer for the picture or the series of pictures.
I’m new to the thing so when i know best the recipes i ‘ll be able to make decision before i press the button. 🙂
There’s definitely no right or wrong way, just what works for you. 😀
Good evening Sir,
I used this recipe which produced very beautiful photos. However, I observe that a photo of a sunny landscape gives a very very blue sky. However, a photo under a cloudy sky gives a color rendering more in tune with reality. What do you think?
ST
The actual film has a ton of variance in how it can look, but one thing is that it is very warm. That means it can do just as you describe: look more natural in “cooler” light (such as cloudy conditions) and less natural in warmer light (such as sunny daylight). In other words, the film doesn’t typically produce results that match reality, and neither does the recipe. It’s a good observation and question, thanks for asking!
Love this one! I tweaked a bit your ‘industrial’ recipe to get something like this with my X100f, would you say this Cinestill can be applied to older sensor systems?
Thanks! This recipe uses Color Chrome FX Blue and Clarity, so that would be the issue with using it on older cameras. Definitely try it with a diffusion filter if you do.