There are 20 Film Simulations on the latest Fujifilm cameras. These Film Simulations are good on their own; however, they can be made even better by adjusting the various JPEG parameters into a Fujifilm Recipe, which are the factory-default JPEG settings fine-tuned in conjunction with a Film Simulation to form a new picture aesthetic. You can do this on most any camera from any brand, but Fujifilm’s JPEG processing engine is (in my opinion) the best in the industry. What you can do with it is more than with most brands, and what people have done is far and away more than any other brand. I’ve published more than 400 Recipes, which you can find on this website and in the Fuji X Weekly App.
But are Recipes actually better than the standard unmodified Film Simulations? Are they all that much different? Are the Film Simulations doing the heavy lifting, and all the other setting adjustments just minor tweaks? Should you use the factory-default settings in conjunction with the Film Simulations? Or is it better to find a good Recipe? That’s the subject of this article.
To clarify, Film Simulations cannot be modified. They are hard-set. You can’t increase or decrease their intensity. What can be modified are the other JPEG parameters, like Tone Curve (Highlight/Shadow), Color Chrome Effect, Grain, White Balance, etc., etc., etc.. When you change those settings—whether a little or a lot—to something other than factory-default (which is 0, Off, or Auto) and combine it with a Film Simulation, that’s a Recipe. I hope that all makes sense.
Fujifilm Recipes can produce a very subtle change to the picture aesthetic, or a very drastic one, or anything in-between. A lot of them tend to lean warm because most Fujifilm Recipes are modeled after film stocks—Kodak was by far the most prominent film manufacturer, and many of their emulsions had a warm cast. Aside from that, in the film era, it was quite common for photographers to use warming filters, further increasing the warmth. So it shouldn’t be surprising that many Recipes also tend to be warm; however, there’s a massive variety of looks possible with Recipes. There’s something for everyone if you look hard enough for it.
Above left: Factory-default Provia/STD Film Simulation (no Recipe); Above right: Provia 400 Film Simulation Recipe.
Above left: Factory-default Classic Chrome Film Simulation (no Recipe); Above right: Kodak Ektar 100 Film Simulation Recipe.
Above left: Factory-default Nostalgic Negative Film Simulation (no Recipe); Above right: Nostalgic Americana Film Simulation Recipe.
As you can see in the examples above, the difference between using a Recipe and not using a Recipe is pretty noticeable. The standard Film Simulations (no Recipe) don’t look bad at all, but the Recipes are definitely divergent, and (in my opinion) better. Of course, this is all quite subjective—there’s no right or wrong way to use Fujifilm cameras, Film Simulations, or Recipes. It’s about finding what works for you and your photography.
The best way to think about all this might be to consider a Film Simulation as the foundation, basement, and first floor of a building. Sometimes that’s all you need—for example, that’s perfect for a quick lube oil change business. Adjusting the settings to something other than factory-default (a.k.a. Recipes) is constructing the third, fourth, fifth, etc., floors into a high rise. When you look at a downtown cityscape, think of all those skyscrapers as Recipes. Some of the buildings are quite tall, some are ornate, some are unusual, others are fairly ordinary, and many are hidden in the shadows. Recipes take a Film Simulation to new heights.
To illustrate how one Film Simulation can produce many different looks, below are eight photos, each made with a different Classic Negative-based Recipe. Each one has its own character. Each produces its own unique picture aesthetic. I could repeat this with all of the Film Simulations. Perhaps one is perfect for you, perhaps none of them are. I simply want to show that one Film Simulation can make a variety of looks depending on the settings (Recipe). Maybe warm, neutral, or cool. Maybe high contrast, maybe low contrast. Maybe colorful or muted. Whatever look you are after, there’s a pretty good chance that a Recipe exists that will deliver that aesthetic. You just have to find it.
Above, clockwise from top-left: Classic Amber Recipe, Pacific Blues Recipe, Fujicolor Blue Recipe, AgfaChrome RS 100 Recipe, Agfa Vista 100 Recipe, Xpro ’62 Recipe, Fujicolor NPS 160 Pulled Recipe, and Expired Velvia Recipe.
See also:
Fujifilm Recipe Starter Pack — 7 Recipes to Try First on Your X-Trans V Camera
7 Fujifilm Recipes for Midday Retro Americana Photography
15 Fujifilm Recipes for Travel Photography
12 Fujifilm Recipes for Rainy Days
26 Fujifilm Recipes to try in 2026
Oh my God! The same song for seven years, hand-face
Not seven years, but approaching 10 years. There are a lot of new people in the system who this is new news to, so it is worth repeating for their sake. I have been repeating myself for years and will continue to do so for years to come, for all the new folks. If that’s too much trouble for you, well, nobody forces you to visit this website (hand-face).
Everything’s fine. I’m still using the first iteration of the X-T30 since 2019, the one Fujifilm so shamelessly deceived customers with (in terms of updates). Now it’s become my second camera, complementing my full-frame Nikon. I own several dozen vintage lenses, which is why I decided to buy a full-frame one.
Fujifilm shouldn’t have left the X-T3 and X-T30 on an island. I’ve been saying that for a long time now, and it’s a shame (and a mistake, IMHO) that they did. The X100V and X-Pro3 suffer similarly but not nearly as egregiously. I don’t know that they necessarily “deceived” any customers by not providing as many Kaizen updates (which are really above-and-beyond industry standards) as they could have, but certainly the goodwill of doing so would have gone a long ways towards making customers feel really good about their purchases.
From the comparison photos, I think I prefer the base Fujifilm simulations and not the recipes. Was much more pleasing and seemed more realistic if you know what I mean.
I think Pal2Tech’s ice cream analogy is pretty good. If you haven’t seen it, here it is:
https://youtu.be/WL1HxMZYbik?si=Us6qoJ6AyuRQIK1w
Think of the various Film Simulations, which are quite excellent and expertly crafted, as ice cream flavors. Maybe Provia is vanilla, Astia is strawberry, Classic Chrome is cookies and cream, etc.. You might prefer those flavors on their own, or maybe you like toppings and mix-ins. So maybe think of the Kodak Portra 400 v2 Recipe as cookies and cream ice cream topped with whipped cream, chocolate sauce drizzle, a dusting of crushed Oreos, and a cherry on top. Maybe you’d just like a bowl of vanilla, strawberry or chocolate, or maybe you’d like a banana split with all the toppings. Nothing wrong with any of those choices, it’s just personal preferences.