I remember a long time ago heading out with my old Canon AE-1 loaded with a roll of 35mm film. If I had planned ahead, I might have had a second or third roll in my pocket or camera bag. You were limited by the film you had loaded into the camera, and maybe the film in reserve. Having just a few options felt like a gift. Today, we find ourselves in a very different place. Fujifilm cameras offer a deep set of JPEG controls—there are over 400 hundred Fuji X Weekly Recipes and probably thousands available elsewhere online, so the possibilities seem nearly endless. And yet, sometimes, that abundance doesn’t feel freeing—it feels paralyzing.
Curiously, the more choices we have, the harder it can be to choose. You scroll through Recipes, finally narrowing it down to just seven—which you program into your camera—and head out to shoot. But instead of fully engaging with the scene in front of you, you find yourself wondering, is this the right Recipe? Which of these seven should I choose? Should I switch? Should I find a different Recipe entirely? Would another be better?
Film didn’t work that way. When you loaded a roll of Kodachrome 64 or Portra 400 into your camera, you were committed, at least for 24 or 36 frames. Not because it was objectively the best choice for every situation, but because it was the choice you made when you loaded the roll. And in that commitment, you weren’t second-guessing, you were seeing. You worked with the light you had, the colors in front of you, and the characteristics of the film you chose. Limitations are not restrictive, they’re clarifying.
Fujifilm Recipes can function in much the same way, but only if we allow them to. The key is not to chase the perfect Recipe for every scenario, but to select a few that resonate with you and stick with them long enough to understand them. Learn how they respond to different light conditions. Discover their strengths, and (just as importantly) their weaknesses. Over time, those Recipes not only become familiar tools, but extensions of your creative voice.
I think a simple approach can be helpful. Narrow your choices to just two or three Recipes. That’s it. Ideally, pick ones that complement each other, such as a versatile everyday color Recipe, a less versatile but stylized option, and maybe a black-and-white. This small set will cover most situations without overwhelming you, and it is more obvious when to choose each. Then commit to them. Don’t switch constantly. Give each Recipe time to prove itself. Use it in different lighting conditions and with different subjects. Pay attention to how it renders colors, how it handles highlights and shadows, and how it shapes the mood of your images. The goal is not to find a perfect match for every scene, but to learn how your chosen Recipes behave.
Once you’ve done that, select a different set of two or three and repeat the process. Then repeat it again. Once you’ve done it five or six times, you’ll have a really good idea of which seven Recipes are your favorites, and when each should be used. It will be second nature. And you might find yourself mostly sticking with a few of the seven, while the majority are only used occasionally when the time is right. When each Recipe has a role, the decision becomes easier because you’re no longer guessing, you’re selecting with intention.
This doesn’t mean you should ignore the wealth of Recipes available. Far from it. Exploration can be a lot of fun. But if you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the choices, consider the suggestion above. Use the tools available in the Fuji X Weekly App, such as the new Filter By Categories feature, to really narrow it down. Then choose only a few, and really get to know them before trying out others.
The question isn’t whether there are too many Recipes—maybe there are, maybe the most ideal one for you hasn’t been created yet—it’s how many you truly need, and how do you find those. For most, we probably need less than we think we do—a few really good ones that match our personal aesthetic preferences and that we’re familiar enough with to know how to get the most out of them. A few well-chosen Recipes, used consistently, will take you much further than a camera full of options you’re unsure of when and how to use. Try out a few and use them for awhile, then try out a few more, until you’ve got a set that you’re comfortable with and have confidence in.
See also:
Fujifilm Recipe Starter Pack — 7 Recipes to Try First on Your X-Trans V Camera
15 Fujifilm Recipes for Travel Photography
12 Fujifilm Recipes for Rainy Days
7 Fujifilm Recipes for Dramatic Street Photos
26 Fujifilm Recipes to try in 2026
Too much choice makes choice difficult, that is one of the findings of Daniel Kahneman, the father of behavioral economics.
Personally, I am overwhelmed by the number of recipes available, and yet, I created at least three of them, that I run on both my cameras in addition to four that are from FujiXweekly.
The one, I use by default and that sits on C1 is the Kodachrome 25, it is probably the nostalgia, and the fact that one can finally have the looks of Kodachrome 25 in light conditions, that are less ideal than summer sun.
On C2, I have one, that is almost redundant, given that I use Kodachrome 25 mostly, the Kodachrome McCurry.
Then, I created a Velvia recipe, since the ones that I find here either pop too much, or are too greenish. This one goes on C0.
When it comes to black-and-white, I created two recipes with the help of AI and my personal input and modifications, mimicking an Ansel Adams look. One of them accentuates clouds in the blue sky (on C7), and the other one is more neutral, but kind of does an automised version of the Zone system (on C6). Depending on the scene I switch between these two.
Then I use two other recipes, the Portra 160v2 (on C4), which I slightly modified, and for artificial light, I use a modified Cinestill 800T (on C5).
This whole game leaves one space (C3), where I put a new recipe every once in a while.
So, yes, there are too many recipes, but on the other hand, the choice is not enought, at least for me.
Time to re-iterate my “Ten Commandments” structure.
Table your requirement “styles”.
Distribute your prejudices accordingly. Until Fuji supports sub-directories, only your top choices can be stored.
Thus, a sensible choice, under your fingertips. Do the agonising at your leisure, if you have nothing better to do.
Malcolm
I find that saving some representative photos across different scenarios in a folder and switching between tons of recipes on Fujifilm X Raw Studio makes it quicker to understand the characterestics of each recipe and discover your own taste of color