Color Chrome FX Blue | FUJI X WEEKLY

Understanding Color Chrome Effect & Color Chrome FX Blue (Videos)

In these two “SoundBites” (as we’re calling it) from Episode 06 of SOOC, Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry and I discuss Color Chrome Effect & Color Chrome FX Blue features on Fujifilm X-Trans IV cameras. These are short snippets from the show, and it gives you an idea of the type of content that’s found in a SOOC broadcast. If you missed Episode 06, I’ve included it below, so you can view it in its entirety if you’d like.

If you’ve never watched, SOOC is a monthly live video series that’s interactive. It’s a collaboration between Nathalie and I. We discuss film simulation recipes, camera settings, and answer your questions. Basically, we’re trying to help you master your Fujifilm camera, with a focus on simplifying your photographic workflow.

The film simulation recipe used in both videos is Kodachrome 64. If you don’t have the Fuji X Weekly App, be sure to download it for free today!

Fujifilm X100V New Feature: Color Chrome Effect Blue

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Ritchie Roesch

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The Fujifilm X100V, X-Pro3 and X-T4 have a new feature called Color Chrome Effect Blue. This is very similar to a different feature, which has a nearly identical name, that’s also found on X-Trans IV cameras, such as my X-T30, called Color Chrome Effect. What does Color Chrome Effect Blue do to photographs? How is it different than Color Chrome Effect? Those are questions that I hope to answer in this article.

The original Color Chrome Effect takes vibrant colors (mostly reds, but also yellows and greens to a lessor extent) and deepens their tones to retain color gradation. Fujifilm says that a short-lived color slide film called Fortia inspired this setting. Color Chrome Effect Blue is essentially the same, but for blue. It makes blues in the picture a deeper shade. It’s a lot like using a polarizing filter. You have three options: Off, Weak and Strong.

Let’s take a look at the pictures below:

Color Chrome Effect Blue Off

Color Chrome Effect Blue Weak

Color Chrome Effect Blue Strong

Color Chrome Effect Blue Strong & Color Chrome Effect Weak

Color Chrome Effect Blue Strong & Color Chrome Effect Strong

Color Chrome Effect Blue noticeably darkens the blue sky. There’s a difference between Off and Weak and Strong that’s not too hard to spot. I added Color Chrome Effect to the bottom two images, and it doesn’t affect the sky—it barely affects the warm building; it’s so subtle that it’s hard to tell the difference even upon close inspection. I believe that Color Chrome Effect Blue makes more of a difference in an image than Color Chrome Effect, but they manipulate different colors, so they have different purposes. Disappointingly, Color Chrome Effect Blue doesn’t seem to change black-and-white images much at all.

For color images where you want blues to be rendered deeper, such as blue sky, Color Chrome Effect Blue is great! It’s like using a polarizing filter. If you want reds to be rendered deeper, use the original Color Chrome Effect. I hope this helps explain what the new Color Chrome Effect Blue feature is, how it’s different than Color Chrome Effect, and when to use it.