This is a super fun Film Simulation Recipe for Fujifilm full spectrum cameras, like the Fujifilm X-T4 ES, which turns trees a soft pink. It’s not for “normal” cameras; you must have a full spectrum X-Trans IV or X-Trans V model, which requires an expensive and invasive procedure from a third-party vendor like LifePixel, Kolari Vision, or Spenser’s Camera. Otherwise, the Fujifilm X-T4 ES (“Extended Spectrum”) is a full spectrum camera (is sensitive to light outside the visible gamut) briefly offered by Fujifilm to the general public. As of this writing, I believe that you can still buy the Fujifilm X-T4 ES from B&H, but it requires a phone call or stopping by in person—you can’t order it from the internet.
I’m pretty new to infrared photography, and I’m still learning and experimenting. Larry Adams, a Fuji X Weekly regular, kindly mailed to me a few filters to try out, and one of those—a QB2 blue filter—was used for this Cotton Candy Chrome Recipe. I’m not certain which brand the filter is (it doesn’t say), but here are some that I found online: JTSF, PMP, Nantong, Shanghai Longway, Tangsinuo. This is a fairly uncommon filter and that’s why none of the name brands make it, but it is used by some in the IR world. I have no idea which brand might be best. The other filters I used for this Recipe are Hoya G(XO) Yellow-Green filter and Tiffen Yellow 2 #8 filter. I don’t know if the order matters, but I have the Yellow filter closest to the lens, the Yellow-Green filter in the middle, and the QB2 furthest from the lens.
Since this Cotton Candy Chrome Recipe uses the Classic Negative film simulation, it will render blue slightly deeper on X-Trans V than on the Fujifilm X-T4 ES, which is X-Trans IV. This Recipe works best in sunny daylight conditions, but I also enjoyed it for nighttime situations, where it produces results somewhat similar to the Fluorescent Night Recipe.
Filters: Tiffen Yellow 2 #8, Hoya G(XO) Yellow-Green & QB2 Blue
Film Simulation: Classic Negative
Dynamic Range: DR200
Grain Effect: Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome FX Blue: Off
White Balance: Fluorescent 1, -9 Red & +6 Blue
Highlight: -1.5
Shadow: -1.5
Color: +4
Sharpness: 0
High ISO NR: -4
Clarity: -2
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: 0 to +1/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this Cotton Candy Chrome Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X-T4 ES:
See also:
Aerochrome v1 Film Simulation Recipe
Aerochrome v2 Film Simulation Recipe
Photographing in Aerochrome
Philadelphia in Aerochrome — Infrared Photography in the City of Brotherly Love
PurpleChrome Film Simulation Recipe
Indeed a fun recipie!
Thanks to Larry for sharing it 👌👍
To note that with the success of its IR Chrome filter, Kolari Vision did produce this summer 2024 a Candy IR Chrome which
they advertise to produce this pink effect with only 1 filter on FS cameras.
Not cheap to get overseas…
Having already their IR Chrome version, I do achieve easily this pink effect with my X-A3 FS converted (Bayer sensor) by using an Infra Blue filter (available also at Kolari Vision or for those in EU via an IR specialist in Germany doing cemzra conversions and selling IR filters – IRreCams.de
http://www.IRreCams.de) and customer WB shift using a dedicated IR white card.
Nice effects 👍
And it seems to be quite popular for the time being.
Thank you Ritchie for bringing it your website (*).
I have much to try out with your previous purple recipe and my own film era Cokin filters 😉😁
(*) And I should definitely update my portfolio website with those trials!
From what I can tell of the Kolari Candy Chrome filter is that 1) it require channel swaps, and 2) it is a deeper pink effect. I would be interested in trying it, but (like you said) it is not cheap.
I would also be interested in trying the InfraBlue filter. Interestingly, the QB2 seems to produce similar results to the InfraBlue, where the sky is deep blue and the trees are yellow. They might be pretty similar.
I appreciate the feedback!
Welcome Ritchie 😃
Yeah the new Kolari Vision Candy Chrome filter does require a channel swap in post unfortunately to get the pink result… So no what I’m looking for and you achieve it by other means like here!
About QB2 blue and InfraBlue filters, I think there are pretty much the same. Kokari Vision dies produce it under the name ‘Blue IR/NDVI’. Not a cheap filter either!
They maybe not have the exact same light waves filtering / coating tech, but all 3 do produce the deep blues with yellow trees effect 👍
The InfraBlue or like are initially used for crop examinations (growth, sickness, bug infestation).
Like AreoChrome film was initially used during WW2 for discovering artificial camouflage…
Both gaves I founded and experimented very nice effects with FS cameras.
I can only recommend the InfraBlue filter along the IR Chrome one. Once you tested / tasted them, you cannot go shooting IR / FS without them. I carry both of both along a 1000nm IR filter and UV one when going out shooting with my X-A3 FS.
The only problem when you start FS photography and play with those filters are their names… Like when you start photography with the Wratten fiters naming, ASA / ISO, optical lens formula (best are the Zeiss and Leica names), all depends on the patent / company branding / tech used / and more so the location in the world where the company is producing them!
I hope in the future that a worldwide and unified naming convention will be used. Like for the ISO. But fir ISO it took a very, very long time for it be adopted worldwide especially in the US. ASA was out there for a long long time…
So let’s see out it goes.m 🤔
A universal naming system would be nice. It can be challenging to keep them all straight. I have probably 10 filters that I’ve experimented with, but haven’t found a place for them (yet). The stack keeps growing, too 🤣
I must add a very interested YouTube video I already shared to Ritchie from Rob Shea, who talk about the Candy Pink Infrared look.
https://youtu.be/vntONYcxOz0?si=uIig5i-z_CQ_pO5B
There he used several Yellow and Blue filters combined or not Of course Rob is post-editing as usual, but at the end of the video he shows straight out of camera results which give this pink look.
It can be named as Candy, Cotton Candy (nice name recipe pick Ritchie by the way) or whatever, as all depends on the technics, light conditions, WB, sensor tech and lens used. This is leaving a lot of room for trials and experiments, aka all the big fun of using FS cameras 😋
Fascinating video, for sure. Filter stacking is certainly nothing new, but there is a ton of room for experimentation with it; a lot of uncharted territory. Which, of course, is half the fun. 😀
Thank you, Rich! This simulation made my eyes shine. After so many years, x weekly has been stably outputting a lot of excellent film simulation formulas. I am very grateful here. But I think there are too many homogeneous formulas (there is little difference overall), and I hope that an interesting formula like now can be launched in the future. This is not a bad thing! I’m from China on the other side of the ocean. I use translation (some meanings may not be accurate). Thank you again!
I’m glad that you like this one! 😀
do you think it’s possible to get a similar effect with an x-trans ii? i have an x70, and these types of posts are tempting me to convert.
Yes and no. It wouldn’t be exactly the same. For example, the X70 doesn’t have Classic Negative, Color Chrome Effects, Grain, more than +2 parameter adjustments, etc.. But you can to a degree get similar results.
It can be done on GFX 100 ii ?
Only if you send off your GFX100 II to someone who can do a full spectrum infrared conversion (such as Life Pixel, for example).
that’s so good! i’m in love. is it possible to get this look on x-t4? or is there something similar? i love those trees.
Only if your X-T4 is full-spectrum infrared converted. Another option that you might look into is the RNI Aero App (not a bad simulation of this type of look).