If you are reading this, you have PAL2TECH’s amazing Fujifilm Companion app on your phone. It’s such a great resource for Fujifilm photographers, and I’m honored to have a link to my website included in it. This is a special landing page just for PAL2TECH app users. Below you’ll find helpful information, tips, advice, and links. Click here to jump straight to Fujifilm Recipes. Thank you for visiting Fuji X Weekly!
What is a Fujifilm Recipe?
Fujifilm Recipes (sometimes called Film Simulation Recipes or just Recipes) combine Fujifilm’s renown Film Simulations with other JPEG parameters to create in-camera looks that require little or no editing. The exact number of Film Simulations and other settings available will depend on the Fujifilm model you own; generally speaking, the newer the camera, the more options it will have.
Below is the Classic Color Fujifilm Recipe, which is included to illustrate what a Recipe looks like:
The base of any Recipe is the Film Simulation. Harnessing 90+ years experience with analog film, Fujifilm digitally replicated the essence of classic film stocks. This history and experience are reflected in the quality of the Film Simulations; rather than simply recreating analog film, Film Simulations inherit the vision of the future Fujifilm strived for in the analog era. There are 20 Film Simulations on fifth-generation cameras (with more likely to come on future models), and each one is unique. Let’s compare!
The image above showcases the 20 factory-default Film Simulations (not Recipes). Some are only subtly different and some are significantly divergent from one another. You can fine-tune the picture aesthetic by utilizing the various in-camera tools. These setting combinations can be used to replicate the characteristics of specific film stocks, or to produce a look that fulfills the photographer’s vision. By choosing a Film Simulation and adjusting the various other options, you create a Fujifilm Recipe. If you are still confused, take a look at the video below:
What are some Recipe settings and what do they do?
For Recipes, some of the camera settings that are used in-conjunction with Film Simulations are Dynamic Range, White Balance and WB Shift, Color, Color Chrome Effect, Highlight and Shadow Tone Curve, Sharpness, Clarity, and more. Let’s take a look at a few of them, and see how it affects the image.
There are 1,418,895,421,643,700 possible Recipes on fifth-generation Fujifilm cameras. Yes, that’s really how many. Crazy, right?! That’s over one-quadrillion four-hundred-trillion possible setting combinations for Recipes. I have published over 400 Fujifilm Recipes, which are also available in the Fuji X Weekly App. In other words, I’ve barely scratched the surface of possible picture aesthetics. With that said, there are likely some that have already been made that are a good match for you and your photography style. Below are some examples of Film Simulation Recipes that I’ve published.
You can find these Recipes and hundreds more in the Fuji X Weekly App, available for both Apple and Android. The App is free to download and use. Consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support Fuji X Weekly.
How do I program a Fujifilm Recipe?
Programming a Film Simulation Recipe into your Fujifilm camera can seem intimidating and confusing. It’s actually quite easy, but it takes doing it a time or two to get comfortable. The process can be slightly different from model-to-model, but it’s similar enough that this should be helpful for most people.
- While in the shooting mode, press the Menu/OK button
- Find Edit/Save Custom Setting at the bottom of the IQ Menu set
- Choose a C1-C7 (C1-C6 or C1-C4 for some models) to enter a Recipe
- Enter the Recipe parameters
- Save the Recipe and add a custom name (if applicable to your model)
Here’s another view of it, specifically programming the Kodak Portra 400 v2 Recipe into a Fujifilm X-E4:
If you’re ever lost, it’s always a good idea to refer to your camera’s manual, which you can find online by clicking here. Below is an example of how the process of programming a Recipe looks like in the user manual:
If after all that you are still unsure, check out the video below (it’s not by me or Chris), which will walk you through the process:
Which Fujifilm Recipes should I use?
The question of which Recipes you should program into your Fujifilm camera is personal. Each has their own tastes, styles, and uses. What I might love you might not, and vice versa. Much like film, determining which Recipes are best for you is a journey—you have to try one to know if you like it or not. Most likely, some Recipes you’ll appreciate for some subjects and situations and not for others; other Recipes might be good for nearly everything. Below you’ll find some suggestions, depending on your exact model.
For fifth-generation Fujifilm cameras (X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF), try these Recipes:
Kodachrome 64
Kodak Gold 200
Pacific Blues
Reala Ace
Vivid Velvia
CineStill 800T
Agfa Scala
For fourth-generation Fujifilm cameras (X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, X-T30 II, and GFX100S), try these Recipes:
Kodachrome 64
Kodak Portra 400 v2
Reggie’s Portra
Pacific Blues
The Rockwell
Serr’s 500T
Kodak Tri-X 400