My wife, Amanda, ran across some old family pictures in her mom’s photo box. These prints were made in July of 1981—a date stamped on the back—and printed on Kodak paper. The other technical details are unknown, but most likely they were captured with a cheap point-and-shoot of some sort (possibly even a 110 camera) with Kodacolor II color negative film, which was the most popular amateur emulsion of that era. Due to age and improper storage, the prints are fading, with a pronounced orange (sometimes yellow, sometimes red) cast, and colors overall less vibrant than they once were. The set was mostly personal family pictures, and many of them were scratched and damaged, but I did scan two of the prints, which you’ll find below.

I thought that the aesthetic was interesting, so I began to develop a Film Simulation Recipe inspired by these photographs. It took a couple of days—and a few compromises, as I was unable to match it exactly—but I was able to create a look that mimics the general feel of those old pictures made in 1981 and printed on Kodak paper, which is the reason why I call this Recipe 1981 Kodak.

This 1981 Kodak Film Simulation Recipe is compatible with all Fujifilm X-Trans IV cameras except the X-T3 and X-T30, which is to say that you can use it on the X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II. For the Fujifilm X-T3 and X-T30, ignore Grain size and Color Chrome FX Blue, and use a diffusion filter (such as a 10% or 20% CineBloom) in lieu of Clarity. For X-Trans V, because some film sims render blue more deeply, it will look slightly different, but try it anyway.

Film Simulation: Eterna
Dynamic Range: DR200
Grain Effect: Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome FX Blue: Off 
White Balance: Daylight, +7 Red & -7 Blue
Highlight: -0
Shadow: +4
Color: -4
Sharpness: -2
High ISO NR: -4
Clarity: -4
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +1/3 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this 1981 Kodak Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:

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