This new Fujifilm Recipe began with a stack of slides. Some were mine from the late-1990’s and early-2000’s (captured on Kodak Elite Chrome 100 and Elite Chrome 200), some were my grandpa’s from the 1970’s (I believe captured on Kodak Ektachrome-X and Ektachrome 64, although I’m not 100% certain). I really liked the look of some of the pictures as viewed on a light table (how slides are viewed—whether printed, scanned, light table, or projector—greatly affects how they look). Later, I was flipping through some vintage Arizona Highways magazine issues from the 1970’s. Back then, they would sometimes include the technical information about the photographs, such as the film used (among other things). I was drawn to the look of some of the photos, and for a couple pictures the film used was provided, which (as it turned out) was Ektachrome-X. I used those slides plus the images in the old issues of Arizona Highways as inspiration for this Recipe.
While Ektachrome and Elite Chrome were the inspiration for this new Fujifilm Recipe, which I’ve named Retro Slide, it is not an attempt at accurately mimicking it. There was a lot of variance in the sample photos (to put it mildly), so I’m not sure that would have been possible, anyway. This is more an encapsulation of the general aesthetic. In particular, I wanted it to feel more like the slides on a light table than images printed in a magazine, but the influence of the magazine photos can still be seen and (hopefully) appreciated. While this is not a fully accurate facsimile of Ektachrome, it is close enough that you could consider this an Ektachrome Recipe if you wanted to, despite the name.
Like a lot of Fujifilm Recipes, Retro Slide is intended for sunny daylight photography. It can do well in other light situations, too, but it seems to be hit-or-miss, rendering either a little too warm or a little too cool sometimes. I did get some good results at night, but this wouldn’t be my first choice for nighttime photography. Because Retro Slide uses the Nostalgic Neg. film simulation, it is only compatible with fifth-generation Fujifilm cameras, which are the X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF.
Film Simulation: Nostalgic Neg.
Grain Effect: Weak, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome FX Blue: Weak
White Balance: 5000K, -1 Red & +3 Blue
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: 0
Shadow: +2
Color: +4
Sharpness: -1
High ISO NR: -4
Clarity: +2
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +2/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Retro Slide Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X-E5:
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Love this! This is something i’ve been waiting for coming from nostalgic neg.
Thanks so much! I’m glad that you like it.
Hey Ritchie this is a winner! Love the substantially neutral color cast, a perfect balance between warm and cool! Blues and especially reds are very vibrant here, Nostalgic Negative has an insane potential for creating beautiful looks! Well done!
Thank you! I appreciate your kind feedback!
Thank you, great work — I really liked it!
I’ve been meaning to ask you a question for a long time, although it’s probably a naive one. There are film recipes designed specifically for daytime shooting (Kodak 64), specifically for nighttime, or as universal recipes. I assumed that universal film recipes would have the white balance set to AUTO, but I see now that I was wrong.
For example, in this recipe the white balance is set to 5000K, yet there are some excellent nighttime shots. How does that work?
It really depends on the exact light situation. If the artificial lights are on the warmer side, it will be too yellow. If the lights are blue, it can be too cool. If the lights are only slightly warm (like Auto Shop at Night) or slightly cool (like Love’s Trucks), it can look good. I hope this answers your question.
Love it with nice blue sky.
Well done Ritchie 👌 I’ll try it out as we have sunny day for the moment in Belgium.
And very nice shots done with this recipe. Congrats 👏
Thank you so much, I appreciate your kindness!
Hey Ritchie, this is a winner for me. Going to grab my X-T5 now and load it up….thank you.
Awesome, so glad to hear it!
I’ve been playing around with this for a couple days. I think this might be my favorite simulation including the Fuji supported ones.
I’m glad to hear it, that means a lot to me 😎
Very nice color – strong in a nice way! Wish we had more clear sunny days this side of the ocean —though we’ve been lucky till today.
Quick question at the other end of the scale: if occasionally using base simulations almost as is (i.e. no color, highlight or shadow or WB shift adjustments) would you tend generally still to do NR-4 for X-Trans III and V? What about sharpness? Astia and Provia are the only ones I don’t use your or Luis Costa’s recipes for.
I would go with -4 for NR. As far as sharpness, it depends on the feeling you want to convey, and whether that requires a nudge towards crispness or softness.
Thanks; I appreciate your answer, and sorry for taking a direction away from the topic.
No worries whatsoever about off-topic discussions.