One item on my “bucket list” was to visit the Great Smoky Mountains in the fall. Two weeks ago I was able to check that one off; however, I was a little early for the peak autumn show. The trees were only just starting to show fall colors, with little pops here and there. I’ll have to try again sometime in the future, and hopefully time it just a little better. Even though I was a week or two early, it was still an amazing place to visit, and I’m so glad that I was able to go.

I created the Vivid Velvia Film Simulation Recipe in preparation for the trip, intending to use it on this adventure. My two favorite Velvia-based Recipes are The Rockwell and Velvia Film. The Rockwell Recipe, named after Ken Rockwell and designed to be similar to his aesthetic (he actually used it!), is very bold and a bit over-the-top, sometimes a smidge too much. The Velvia Film Recipe, which is a part of the Film Dial universal Recipe set, is very nice, but occasionally not bold enough. This Recipe is intended to bridge the gap between the two, sitting right in-between both of them. It’s a slightly less over-the-top alternative to The Rockwell, and a slightly more bold version of Velvia Film; overall, it’s similar to both.

After using this Vivid Velvia Recipe quite extensively on the trip, I’m very happy with the results. It does well in a variety of situations, including nighttime photography. Obviously, this is not a good choice for portraits, but it’s one of the best options for colorful landscape pictures. This Recipe is compatible with “newer” X-Trans IV cameras (Fujifilm X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II), all fifth-generation X-Trans models (X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, and X-T30 III), and “newer” GFX cameras (GFX100S, GFX100S II, GFX100 II, and GFX100RF).

Film Simulation: Velvia
Dynamic Range: DR400
Grain Effect: Weak, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome FX Blue: Weak
White Balance: Auto Ambience Priority, +1 Red & -3 Blue
Highlight: -1
Shadow: -1
Color: +4
Sharpness: +1
High ISO NR: -4
Clarity: +3
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this Vivid Velvia Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X-E5:

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-E5 in black:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Nuzira
Fujifilm X-E5 in silver:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Nuzira

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