Brooklyn Bridge from Above – New York, NY – Fujifilm X-T5 – KinaColor 26
One of my favorite in-camera tools for Film Simulation Recipes is Clarity. This feature goes a long way towards emulating a soft negative film aesthetic or a crisp slide film look seemingly captured through a lens with great micro contrast. But if Clarity is set to anything other than 0 (a.k.a. Off), it causes a brief storing pause. This pause, which is about the same amount of time as advancing to the next frame on a film camera, can be used to slow yourself down and be more deliberate, but it can also be annoying and cause you to miss the shot in fast moving situations. Not everyone wants to be subject to this delay.
Clarity primarily (but not exclusively) adjusts the middle tone contrast of a photo, which can have a significant impact on the overall look of your pictures. Increasing Clarity (up to +5) enhances local contrast, making textures and fine details appear more pronounced, giving photographs a crisp, gritty, and sometimes dramatic appearance. Decreasing Clarity (down to -5) does the opposite, softening the transitions between tones and producing a smoother, gentler, and sometimes dreamy aesthetic. Clarity is different from Sharpness, although the two can have a somewhat similar effect on the perceived details in a photograph.
A negative Clarity value can have a similar affect of using a diffusion filter. Very roughly speaking, -1 or -2 Clarity is along the lines of using a 1/8 Pro Mist or 5% CineBloom filter, -3 or -4 Clarity is similar to 1/4 Pro Mist or 10% CineBloom, and -5 Clarity is more like a 1/2 Pro Mist or 20% CineBloom. You could use a diffusion filter in lieu of minus Clarity to avoid the storing pause. A positive Clarity value can have a similar affect as using a crisp lens, such as a Zeiss, Leica or maybe Voigtlander, or a sharp slide film like Kodachrome 25. Unfortunately, there is no alternative to a plus Clarity setting other than using a lens with high micro-contrast.
I don’t have a ton of Fujifilm Recipes that have Clarity set to 0. Most of my Recipes utilize this feature. I have hoped for many years now that Fujifilm would reduce or even eliminate the storing pause, but that has yet to happen. Maybe with the next generation of cameras this will finally be addressed. But I do have some Recipes—such as the new KinaColor 26—that have Clarity set to Off. If you don’t want the storing pause, how do you find those?
The answer is actually pretty simple. Late last year I introduced a new feature in the Fuji X Weekly App called Categories. There are two different ways that you can interact with Categories, one that’s available to everyone and one that is for Patron subscribers only. I just added a new Category to this called Clarity Off. Whether you are using this feature as a subscriber or non-subscriber, it is now possible to find the Film Simulation Recipes that don’t call for Clarity. The easiest way is for Patron subscribers: tap Filter, select By Category, and choose Clarity Off. If you are not a Patron subscriber, open the KinaColor 26 Recipe in the App, scroll to the bottom, and tap Clarity Off. This is only for cameras that have Clarity available (X-Trans IV and V), so don’t use this option if your camera is older and doesn’t even have Clarity (which basically are X-Trans III and older, plus the X-T3 and X-T30). If you don’t have the Fuji X Weekly App, it’s available on both Apple and Android.
If you don’t like the Clarity storing pause but want to use Recipes that utilizes Clarity, you do have a few options. First, you can simply set it to 0. If a Recipe calls for between -2 and +2 Clarity, the difference is subtle enough that it might not matter enough to you, and simply setting it to 0 is an easy solution. Since a lot of Recipes use a minus Clarity value, you could use a diffusion filter instead. Another idea is if you are not in a hurry, simply have Clarity on, but when you need to be quick, set the camera to a burst mode (CL or CH), which disables Clarity (sets it to 0); simply switch back to Still Image (S) when you no longer need to be quick. Fujifilm’s suggestion is to shoot RAW+JPEG with Clarity set to 0, but reprocess the RAW in-camera or with X RAW Studio and add the Clarity setting at that time. Personally, I just use the pause to slow myself down, which helps me to be more deliberate and in the moment. There’s no right or wrong approach, only whatever works best for you.
Central Park Pond – New York, NY – Fujifilm X-T5 – KinaColor 26
Earlier this year, I unveiled the Copenhagen Negative Recipe at Fujikina Copenhagen in Denmark. Those who attended that event had first access to it, and about a week later—after returning home—I published the new Recipe on Fuji X Weekly and added it to the Fuji X Weekly App. I did something similar for Fujikina NYC, unveiling a new Recipe called KinaColor 26 at the event, allowing those in attendance the opportunity to try it first. Now that I’m back home, I’m making it available to everyone.
KinaColor 26 was a collaborative effort between myself and the extremely talented Bryan Minear (website, Instagram). If you’re not familiar with Bryan’s photography, be sure to check it out right now—you won’t be disappointed. Collaborating on a Recipe is something we’ve talked about doing for awhile, and Fujikina NYC was the opportunity that motivated us to finally do it. This Recipe actually began as something Bryan had been working on for awhile. He shared it with me and I suggested a couple of changes. Bryan tried out those adjustments and proposed some other adjustments, and so it went until we were both satisfied with the results. The intention of KinaColor 26 is a versatile Recipe with strong reds, slightly diminished greens, and a heavily stylized Superia-like aesthetic that leans warm. Thanks, Bryan, for all your work with this!
Steam Vent in Chinatown – New York, NY – Fujifilm GFX100RF – KinaColor 26
Whether it is sunny or rainy, indoor or outdoor, day or night, KinaColor 26 has you covered. This is a do-it-all type of Recipe; however, the aesthetic may not be for everyone. If you like Recipes that use Classic Negative and have a warm cast, you’ll love this one. It inadvertently has similarities to the Superia Xtra 400 Recipe, so if you like that one you’re likely to appreciate this one, too. It’s compatible with all 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. For fourth-generation models (X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, X-T30 II, and GFX100S), I recommend setting Color Chrome FX Blue to Strong instead of Weak.
Film Simulation: Classic Negative Grain Effect: Weak, Small Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome FX Blue: Weak White Balance: Auto, +3 Red & -5 Blue Dynamic Range: DR200 Highlight: +1 Shadow: -1 Color: +4 Sharpness: -1 High ISO NR: -4 Clarity: 0 ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +1/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this KinaColor26 Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X-T5 and GFX100RF:
Everything Like New – Santa Rosa, NM – Fujifilm X-T5
No Vacancy Tower – Santa Rosa, NM – Fujifilm X-T5
Leaning Tower of Texas – Britten, TX – Fujifilm X-T5
Flowers & Pumpkins – New York, NY – Fujifilm GFX100RF
Rainy Day Hustle – New York, NY – Fujifilm GFX100RF
Crossing Upside Down – New York, NY – Fujifilm GFX100RF
Vests & Cones – New York, NY – Fujifilm GFX100RF
Engine 55 – New York, NY – Fujifilm GFX100RF
Manhattan Bridge & Square – New York, NY – Fujifilm X-T5
Lady Liberty – New York, NY – Fujifilm X-T5
Yellow Ferry Boat – New York, NY – Fujifilm X-T5
Time for Sunset – New York, NY – Fujifilm X-T5
Brooklyn Bridge from Above – New York, NY – Fujifilm X-T5
Katz’s at Dusk – New York, NY – Fujifilm GFX100RF
Delicatessen – New York, NY – Fujifilm GFX100RF
Katz’s Delicatessen – New York, NY – Fujifilm GFX100RF
Creperie – New York, NY – Fujifilm GFX100RF
Find this Fujifilm Recipe and over 400 more on the Fuji X Weekly App! Consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support Fuji X Weekly.
I got back from Fujikina NYC yesterday. Apparently, it was the most-attended Fujifilm-specific event ever in the world! I got to meet a lot of you, and shake a lot of hands. I had some great conversations with many different photographers. One specific conversation was with Dan Bailey, who I’ve talked with before but never met in-person until a few days ago. He gave me a suggestion that I thought was great, and I want to share it with you right away.
You see, when people are new to Fujifilm cameras and Film Simulation Recipes, it’s difficult to know where to begin. There are over 400 Recipes on the Fuji X Weekly website and in the App, and figuring out which ones to use first can be overwhelming. Dan suggested that people should start with just three. Finding and programming seven Recipes can be a lot; however, a list of only three Recipes is a lot easier for the newcomer, and a great way to get your feet wet. After that, if you want to try others, you can add one or two (or up to four) more if you’d like.
White Bridge Across Pond – Charleston, SC – Fujifilm X-E4 – Pacific Blues
Dan’s idea is that there could be many different groups of three Recipes, with various styles or use-cases in mind. Maybe one could be for a 1970’s aesthetic. Perhaps another is for portrait photographers. Another could be for your summer vacation. The potential ideas are endless! I hope to make many of these lists, and organize them somewhere for easy access (I haven’t figured that part out yet). Thanks, Dan, for the wonderful suggestion!
This is the first set of three Recipes. If you are new to this whole Fujifilm Recipe thing and don’t know where to begin, the three below are a great starting point. Before we get to them, though, let me give you a brief guide on how to add them to your camera. You have to know how to program them before you can use them.
It’s not difficult to add Recipes to your Fujifilm camera, but it can be intimidating the first time or two. Pretty soon you’ll be comfortable with it, and adding them will seem easy. The slide above shows the quick steps. While in shooting mode (not playback), press Menu/OK, which opens the main menu. In the IQ set at the top, find and select Edit/Save Custom Setting—it’s usually on the third page. That will bring you to the screen seen in the picture above. Select one of the C1-C7 slots that you want to program the Recipe into, and enter the Recipe parameters (like Film Simulation, White Balance, Color, Highlight, etc., etc.). Save the Recipe, and don’t forget to give it a custom name so that you remember which one it is. There is a little variation between the models and generations, so your camera might look a little different.
The easier way is to send Recipes straight from the Fuji X Weekly App to your camera using the new App-to-Camera Recipe Transfer feature. Be sure to click the link in the last sentence for a how-to guide and to learn more about it. This feature makes the process really quick and simple. You can easily locate the three Recipes below in the App by using the search tool.
Now, to the Fujifilm Recipes! If you have a fifth-generation camera or a fourth-generation model (except the X-T3 and X-T30), these are must-try Recipes for those unsure which ones to use. Specifically, if you have a Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, X-T30 II, X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100S, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, or GFX100RF, this set is for you!
For this specific list, I wanted one Recipe that’s colorful and versatile, one that is more stylistic and color-negative-like, and one for black-and-white photography. I also wanted it to be compatible with the largest number of cameras. Some future lists might be for smaller groups of models, but for this first one I wanted to maximize compatibility. Without any further delay, here are three must-try Fujifilm Recipes:
Mercedes-Benz at Abandoned Motel – Santa Rosa, NM – Fujifilm X-T5 – Provia Positive
Provia Positive is one of my newer Fujifilm Recipes, published in May of this year. It was a collab between myself and Dan Allen. It’s colorful and highly versatile, and my personal favorite Provia-based Recipe. Use it anytime of the day or night. It’s great for most subjects and situations, especially travel photography. Provia Positive has a vaguely slide film look. It’s a great option for the C1 slot in your Custom Setting presets. I’ve been using this Recipe a lot lately.
Reflected Arch at Sunset – St. Louis, MO – Fujifilm X-E5 – Pacific Blues
Pacific Blues is bold yet classic. It’s intended for a sunny summer day at the beach, but it works in a variety of situations, including fog. While not modeled after a specific film, it unquestionably has a negative film like aesthetic. It’s one of my all-time favorite Recipes. There’s a version for fourth-generation models, and a version for fifth-generation cameras—make sure you pick the correct version for your camera.
Our Lady of Lourdes – Santa Fe, NM – Fujifilm X-T5 – Kodak Tri-X 400
In my opinion, there’s not a better B&W Recipe than Kodak Tri-X 400. If you love monochromatic images, this is a must-try. Created by Anders Lindborg, it’s a true honor to have it available to you on Fuji X Weekly. This is probably my top favorite Recipe for Fujifilm cameras.
This set of three offers a good introduction to the world of Fuji X Weekly Recipes. If you are new to all this and aren’t sure where to begin, give these a try. You might love them all and keep them in your camera, or you might only appreciate one or two—that’s ok, with over 400 to choose from, there’s bound to be a few that match your style.
Find these Film Simulation Recipes and many more on the Fuji X Weekly App!Consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support Fuji X Weekly.
I’ve noticed something lately, and maybe you’ve noticed it, too. There are some Fujifilm recipe creators using AI to create the sample “photos” that illustrate what their recipes will look like. Instead of using their cameras to create actual pictures with the recipes that they supposedly made, they have AI do it for them. Whether you love or hate AI, I think we can all agree that not using real photographs to illustrate what a recipe will produce is just wrong. It’s dishonest and deceptive at the very least.
To illustrate the problem, I had AI create the “picture” at the top-left using nothing more than the Fujifilm Recipe parameters—in this case, Retro Slide—plus a brief explanation of what the subject should be. The photo at the top-right is an actual image created using the Recipe on my Fujifilm X-E5 camera. You can clearly see that the AI image is not a good representation of what the Retro Slide Recipe will produce. I did this a bunch of times with various Recipes, and not once did the AI image look like a good example of the Recipe aesthetics. Some were better than others, but none were particularly close matches.
Why would someone do this? Well, maybe they’re not an actual photographer. Maybe they don’t even own a Fujifim camera. Maybe they are well connected to the camera industry and even work for Fujifilm—a true story, by the way (yikes!!). I don’t know why someone would do this, other than AI is a cheap and easy shortcut that removes the prerequisite work that used to be essential. It seems like the minimum effort should be to actually use the recipe in an actual camera to create real pictures, but apparently not anymore.
Above left: AI-generated sample image for the Fujifilm Negative Recipe; Above right: an actual image made using the Fujifilm Negative Recipe on a Fujifilm X-T5.
Now if the example “photo” is AI, the recipe itself was likely created by AI, too. While AI has gotten better at this task (I test it every now and then to see the progress), it is still a little ways off from being a good tool for making recipes. These programs seem to know a lot more about Fujifilm camera settings than just two years ago, but they still don’t have a great understanding of precisely the real-world implications of each parameter adjustment. It’s also very inconsistent: ask AI the same prompt using 10 different accounts, and you will get 10 different answers. How can you know which is the most correct and which one is the least? It doesn’t mean that they’re all bad, but it does mean that you need to shoot with it and test it and see if it is good, because it very well might not be. AI is a seemingly magical tool; however, it should be viewed as low-trust, since it is so inconsistent and gets things wrong often enough. As someone once told me: AI is much better than a complete novice, but nowhere near as good as an expert.
When I create Recipes, I test them, refine them, test them again, refine them again, and test some more. This can go on and on, sometimes for weeks or occasionally even months. With a few exceptions, I would estimate that each Recipe I make requires a minimum of 100 exposures before it’s published (sometimes a lot more than that). While it does take some effort, I feel like it’s completely worthwhile to ensure that it meets my standards. I couldn’t imagine publishing a Recipe without at least testing it once, yet that seems to be happening.
I make Fujifilm Recipes so that I and those who use them get out with our cameras to create photographs, real photographs. Obviously we could just sit at our computers all day and prompt AI to do it for us, but that would be a massive loss. I’ll be at Fujikina NYC this coming weekend (I hope to see you there!), and one theme of the event is creating real photos in the real world along with real people. Real cameras. Real places. Real pictures. Real community. This is what photography should be about. This is what Film Simulation Recipes should be leading us towards. AI wants to pull us in the other direction, and that’s not positive. So let’s grab our cameras and create actual photographs that have real meaning for us.
The next episode of SOOC Live is today at 10:00 AM Pacific Time, 1:00 PM Eastern. Join Nathalie Boucry and myself as we chat with Bo De Lange about his wonderful photography and his favorite Film Simulation Recipes. This is an interactive show, so your participation makes it better. I hope that you can join us! Click here to join, or you can watch below.
Red Barn – Ronks, PA – Fujifilm GFX100S II – Kodachrome 64
Someone recently asked me an interesting question: Why do Fujifilm photographers love Kodak-like Film Simulation Recipes so much? The most popular Recipes on Fuji X Weekly are overwhelmingly those that attempt to replicate Kodak films. Recipes with names like Kodachrome, Portra, Gold, and Tri-X consistently dominate the popularity charts, often by significant margins. In fact, looking at the most popular Recipes of 2026 so far, six of the top seven are Kodak-inspired. That’s quite remarkable when you consider that these are Fujifilm cameras we’re talking about, and Fujifilm has its own rich film heritage, including legendary emulsions like Velvia, Provia, Superia, and Acros. Yet, for whatever reason, most Fujifilm photographers seem drawn to Kodak-like aesthetics. I even once disguised my Fujifilm X-T5 to look like a Kodak camera and only used Kodak-inspired Recipes, which was a fun experiment.
I suspect that nostalgia plays a significant role in answering this question. For generations, Kodak was by far the most popular film brand, especially in the United States. If you’re older than 25, there’s a good chance that at least some of your family pictures were captured on Kodak film. Perhaps your parents used Gold 200 or Ultramax 400 to document birthday parties, summer vacations, Thanksgiving dinner, and Christmas morning. Maybe your grandparents photographed their life on Kodachrome slides. Even if you’ve never personally loaded a roll of Kodak film into a camera, you’ve undoubtedly seen countless Kodak photographs throughout your life. Those colors have become deeply embedded in our collective visual memory. When we think about what film photography should look like, there’s a good chance that we’re imagining something produced by Kodak.
Another possibility is that Kodak simply made some really fantastic films over the decades. Kodachrome was legendary for its distinctive colors, contrast, and archival longevity. Portra became a favorite among professional portrait and wedding photographers for its flattering skin tones and relatively subdued colors. Kodak Gold was an affordable consumer film that delivered warm, vibrant photographs. Tri-X was beloved by generations of photojournalists, street and documentary photographers for its tonality and grain. Each of these films had its own unique characteristics, and each developed a dedicated following. They weren’t necessarily better than their Fujifilm counterparts—that’s a matter of personal preference—but they certainly established themselves as iconic photographic emulsions, and for good reason.
Let’s not overlook the aesthetics of the Recipes themselves. Many Kodak-inspired Recipes produce photographs that strike a balance between realism and nostalgia. Oftentimes they are colorful without necessarily being oversaturated, and warm like a happy memory yet still somehow natural. Of course, that’s a broad generalization, as (for example) the Kodachrome 64, Kodak Vision3 250D, Kodak Gold 200, 1976 Kodak, and Kodak Portra 160 v2 Recipes can look quite a bit different from one another. There’s tremendous variety among the various Recipes that attempt to mimic Kodak film stocks. Nevertheless, many of these aesthetics seem to strike a sweet spot between looking modern and resembling something pulled from an old family photo album. There’s something attractive about how these Recipes make pictures look, which people seem to like.
Pool Remnant – Rodanthe, NC – Fujifilm GFX100S II – Kodak Tri-X 400
It would be a mistake, however, to overlook the power of a familiar name. Suppose that I publish two nearly identical Recipes, but name one Kodak Portra 400 and the other something completely unrelated to both Kodak and Portra. Which do you think would receive more attention? I actually did this, and can tell you that the one with both Kodak and Portra in the name is much, much more popular than the one without either, despite the very similar picture aesthetics. People recognize the brand name, and many are specifically searching for those particular film aesthetics. Someone who wants their digital photographs to resemble Portra 400 is much more likely to search for that name than an unfamiliar generic Recipe title. This creates something of a snowball effect: popular Recipes receive more attention, which makes them even more popular. The longstanding success of Kodachrome 64, Reggie’s Portra, and Kodak Portra 400 v2 on Fuji X Weekly might be partially explained by this phenomenon.
There’s also the interesting relationship between Fujifilm’s digital technology and Kodak’s photographic heritage. Because Fujifilm allows photographers to customize their JPEG output to a somewhat extensive degree through Film Simulations, White Balance, Highlight, Shadow, Color Chrome Effect, etc., etc., it’s possible to achieve a tremendous variety of aesthetics without ever opening a RAW editor. Rather ironically, one of the most popular ways to use this technology is to imitate films produced by Fujifilm’s longtime competitor! Classic Chrome, in particular, is an excellent foundation for Kodak-inspired Recipes. It’s the underlying Film Simulation for many of the most popular Recipes, including Kodachrome 64, Reggie’s Portra, Kodak Portra 400 v2, and Kodak Gold 200. In a strange twist of fate, Fujifilm photographers help to keep Kodak’s heritage alive in digital photography.
For some reason, Recipes inspired by Fujifilm’s emulsions don’t typically receive the same attention. There are many wonderful Superia, Velvia, Astia, and Provia Recipes available, some that are among my personal favorites. Classic Negative, which was inspired by Fujicolor Superia film, is one of my most loved Film Simulations. Yet, even with the popularity of Classic Negative and the more recent Reala Ace Film Simulation, Kodak-inspired Recipes continue to dominate the charts. I don’t believe that this means Kodak made better photographic films than Fujifilm, as both companies produced some truly excellent emulsions. Back in the film days, Velvia was probably my favorite slide film. Rather, I suspect that Kodak’s particular combination of aesthetic familiarity, nostalgia, and name recognition gives it an advantage that’s difficult to overcome.
Probably most fascinating of all this is that many photographers using these Recipes have never shot the original films. Some weren’t even born until after certain emulsions were discontinued. They’re not necessarily recreating their own memories; instead, they’re embracing photographic aesthetics that feel nostalgic, whether they’ve personally experienced it or not. Maybe that’s the real magic of these Recipes: they allow us to make brand-new photographs that somehow feel like old memories. And, for whatever reason, Kodak-like Recipes seem to do that particularly well.
One of my favorite Film Simulation Recipes for after-dark photography is CineStill 800T, which is the most popular Eterna-based Recipe on Fuji X Weekly. While it’s great for nighttime, it’s not a good choice for daylight images, due to its strong blue cast. But CineStill 800T can be a good film for daylight photography, as long as you don’t mind a cool cast. I’m actually really drawn to this film in sunny situations, and I wanted a Recipe that could replicate it.
To reel it back a little, one film can produce a lot of different looks, depending on how it was shot, developed, scanned and/or printed, edited, and viewed. You can find a dozen examples of CineStill 800T that look divergent from each other, at least a little but sometimes a lot. There’s not a way to encapsulate all that into one Recipe. For example, you can find some images made using CineStill 800T film shot in daylight that look pretty similar to images made using the original CineStill 800T Recipe in similar light; however, a lot of them don’t. Part of it is that film behaves differently than digital, and some of it might be a certain filter the photographer used (such as an 81B or 85A), and some of it might be due to scanning or post-editing after the scan. So I found a group of CineStill 800T frames shot in sunny daylight that had a similar look, and I set out to replicate the aesthetic.
I’m extraordinarily happy with how this new CineStill 800T v2 Recipe came out. It really has the right feel for daylight photography. If you are looking for a Recipe with a bit of a cool cast, be sure to try this one out. It works really well for nighttime, too, but I actually like the “old” version better, which is probably more accurate to the film for after-dark images. Also, halation is glaringly missing. The Fujifilm X half has a halation filter; if Fujifilm ever added it as an effect that could be applied to Recipes on X-series cameras, that would help to complete the look. CineStill 800T v2 is compatible with 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 cameras.
Film Simulation: Reala Ace Dynamic Range: DR200 Grain Effect: Strong, Small Color Chrome Effect: Off Color Chrome FX Blue: Off White Balance: 4500K, -1 Red & -3 Blue Highlight: +2 Shadow: 0 Color: +4 Sharpness: -1 High ISO NR: -4 Clarity: -3 ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +1/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this CineStill 800T v2 Fujifilm Recipe on my Fujifilm X-T5:
Junkyard Camero – Grants, NM – Fujifilm X-T5
Covered Cadillacs – Amarillo, TX – Fujifilm X-T5
Rio Pecos Ranch – Santa Rosa, NM – Fujifilm X-T5
Route 66 Restaurant – Santa Rosa, NM – Fujifilm X-T5
Autumn Walkway – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Pacific Blues
Today is the first day of fall! At this time of the year, I get asked pretty regularly which Film Simulation Recipes are good for autumn photography. There are many that will do well. You might like some of them, while others might not match your personal style or be a good fit for the specific light situation you encounter. Still, there are several that I believe are good recommendations almost no matter what, that should serve you quite well during this season, which are the seven Recipes below.
A part of the new Recipe Transfer feature in the Fuji X Weekly App (available for both Apple and Android) is Recipe Sets, which are groups of Recipes that can be sent all-at-once to your camera instead of one-at-a-time. I haven’t yet talked a lot about Recipe Sets because it is a premium feature that requires a Patron subscription; however, I did publish a tutorial on Instagram. When the Recipe Transfer feature first launched, it included three sets: Starter, Street, and Travel. Just recently I added another, called Autumn, with Recipes for fall photography. You can also create and transfer your own custom Recipe Sets.
When I create a Recipe Set, it actually includes seven versions. Depending on your specific model, you might have 4, 6 or 7 Custom Setting slots, and some Recipes are compatible with certain cameras but not others. The Autumn Recipe Set looks different for the X-Pro3 than it does for the X-S20, which looks different than it does for the X-T5. No matter your compatible camera, there is a hand-selected assortment of Recipes for autumn photography.
Autumn Leaves on Rocks – Great Smoky Mountains NP, TN – Fujifilm X-E5 – Vivid Velvia
Boldly vibrant, yet still versatile. Compatible with all X-Trans IV cameras except the X-T3 and X-T30, all X-Trans V models, as well as the GFX100S, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF.
Warm and cinematic. Compatible with all X-Trans IV cameras except the X-T3 and X-T30, all X-Trans V models, as well as the GFX100S, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF.
Field of Gold – Flagstaff, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Kodak Gold 200
Warm negative film look. This version is for the Fujifilm X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF, and there is another version that is compatible with the X-Pro2, X100F, X-E3, X-T2, X-T20, X-H1, X-T3, X-T30, and GFX100.
Soft and warm negative film aesthetic. Compatible with the Fujifilm X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF; for the X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, X-T30 II, and GFX100S, set Color Chrome FX Blue to Strong instead of Weak.
Bow Bridge – New York City, NY – Fujifilm X100VI – PRO Negative 160C
Fujicolor negative film look. This Recipe is compatible with the Fujifilm X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF.
Red Leaf – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X100V – Superia Xtra 400
Warmer and more colorful—yet more versatile—Superia aesthetic. This version of the Recipe is for the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, X-T30 II, and GFX100S, and there’s another version for 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.
Moody and bold. This version of the Recipe is for the X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, X-T30 II, and GFX100S, and there’s another version for the Fujifilm X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF.
As you’re probably aware by now, you can easily transfer Fuji X Weekly Recipes straight from your phone to your Fujifilm camera. It’s quick and easy, and makes the whole Recipe experience even more of a breeze. This article is a quick-start guide for transferring Recipes from the Fuji X Weekly App to your phone. This new feature is available for both Apple and Android.
We need to get a few things out of the way first. The Recipe Transfer feature is compatible with all X-Trans V cameras, all X-Trans IV models except the X-T3 and X-T30, and newer GFX cameras. You can’t use this feature with older models, only the more recent releases from the last seven years. It may voids your camera’s manufacture warranty; the exact details of Fujifilm warranties vary from place-to-place, and warranty laws vary from country-to-country, so you may want to research what applies to you specifically before using this feature. My recommendation is to play it safe and wait until your warranty has expired, which is one or two years after purchase for most cameras, but could be up to five. This is also an unofficial, unlicensed program, and it carries a small risk, and the use of it is at your own risk. I’m saying all this to be transparent. If you are not comfortable connecting your camera, no worries—you can still program Recipes manually, the same as always. If you do wish to transfer Recipes, it’s free—send as many one-at-a-time as you’d like to any of your Custom Settings presets (C1-C7 on many cameras, C1-C6 on some, and C1-C4 on others). Groups of Recipes (called Recipe Sets) can be sent at once, but that is a premium feature that requires a Patron subscription. Let’s get to the guide!
How To Set Up Your Camera
Connection Setting is located in the Wrench subset on some cameras; for other models, it is its own subset.
This is called PC Connection Mode on some cameras.
The Recipe Transfer feature will not work without selecting USB RAW CONV./BACKUP RESTORE.
If you experience difficulty connecting your camera, this step might resolve it; otherwise it’s optional.
Typically On or Auto will work, but not always; set it to Supply Off/Comm On or Off (depending on your model).
How To Transfer Recipes
A high quality USB-C cable (2.0 or 3.0) is required; Apple Lightning cables don’t work.
The camera must be powered on while using the Recipe Transfer feature.
The Recipe Transfer icon is also located at the top of each Recipe in the App.
Tap “Choose Recipe”.
Choose the Recipe that you wish to transfer to your camera.
Pick the Custom Settings slot that you want to save it to.
Tap “Transfer” at the top.
You’re all set!
Of course, there can still be some issues. If you are having trouble, the first place to look is the FAQ/Troubleshooting guide within the App. If you do encounter issues that you cannot overcome, please send an email or DM me on Instagram.
For Apple, probably the largest problem is that Lightning cable doesn’t work. Six people reported to me that they were able to use an adapter (two reported that they used the official Apple Lightning-to-USB 3 adapter specifically intended for connecting iPhones to cameras), but I was unable to get it to work myself. So it is possible, but since I was personally unsuccessful, I have declared Lightning cables as incompatible with the Recipe Transfer feature. My apologies to everyone on older iPhones. Another issue is that X-Trans IV models won’t connect to all iPads; if you have an X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, or X-T30 II and are trying to transfer Recipes on your iPad and the camera just won’t connect, this might be the issue. I have not discovered how to resolve it yet.
For Android, phones must support USB host mode (USB OTG), which might need to be toggled on manually; to enable USB OTG, go to Settings → System/Connected Devices/Additional Settings (depending on your phone) → USB OTG/OTG Connection (depending on your phone). Most modern Android phones support USB host mode, and most will enable it automatically, but definitely not all of them. If your Android phone isn’t connecting to the camera, this could be the reason. I got one report that the process to resolve it was much more involved. Specifically, on his Nothing Phone 1, he had to select Developer Options, enable USB Debug, then select Default USB Configuration, and finally choose File Transfer. The exact method to resolve this issue can vary greatly from model-to-model-to-model (etc., etc., etc.), and there is no way to test it out on all (or even most) possible Android phones or create a comprehensive list of the exact process to resolve this problem should it occur. I have had several reports of people having to figure out the process for their phones, which was different than the methods described above. Thankfully, this shouldn’t be an issue for most people.
Film Simulation Recipes for Fujifilm cameras are extremely popular right now. I’ve been making them for over nine years, but it was around four years ago that they really began to take off. Back in 2017—months before I even started the Fuji X Weekly website, which first came online on August 21, 2017—I published my first two Film Simulation Recipes on a previous website that I used to run (which I closed down weeks before starting this one). Fuji X Weekly was originally intended as a long-term review of the Fujifilm X100F, and Recipes were only a small part of it at first. I called it Fuji X Weekly because I initially intended to publish one article per week, but I’ve exceeded that almost every week since giving it that name.
Early on I published two Fujifilm Recipes, one color using Classic Chrome and one B&W using Acros. These were modeled after two presets I commonly used in a software called Alien Skin Exposure, which I was really into at the time. I was shooting RAW+JPEG, and I had noticed that my edited RAWs didn’t look much different than the straight-out-of-camera JPEGs. I wondered if I made some adjustments to the in-camera settings, could I get them even closer? Sure enough, I could. With that I made my first two Recipes, which I dubbed Film Simulation Recipes.
Red Leaves In The Forest – Wasatch Mountain SP, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro2 – Velvia Recipe
I wasn’t the first to make Fujifilm Recipes. An early example dates back to October 2016, when Fujifilm published an article by Derek Clark called X-Pro2 in Barcelona (the article is no longer available), which, in a section discussing the limitations of Film Simulation Bracket, he wished for “our own recipe of Highlights, Shadows, NR, Colour and Sharpness baked in” for each of the three film simulations (instead of the same settings applied to all). In a different section of the same article, he provided the Color, Highlight, Shadow, Noise Reduction, and Sharpness that he used with Classic Chrome and Acros. While some settings were left out (for example, Dynamic Range, White Balance, WB Shift, and Grain), the basic framework for a Fujifilm Recipe was included, and (in the article) the word “recipe” was used to describe a set of settings, although he opted for “my settings” (instead of explicitly calling them Recipes) when it came to the actual parameters.
I discovered a bunch more who were making Fujifilm Recipes (although not by name) even earlier: Fredrik Averpil, Mathieu Gasquet, Marco Secchi, Marco Larousse, Thomas Benezeth, Eivind Rohne, Patrick La Roque, Kevin Bjorke, Kevin Mullins, Thomas Fitzgerald, and Bryan Gateb. There were probably others, too. These were the Fujifilm Recipe pioneers, paving the way with custom profiles, setting combinations, custom settings, favorite settings, programs, film emulsions, ready to go colour, film looks, picture profiles, and go-to settings for their Fujifilm cameras, publishing them online for the community—they deserve recognition for starting what would become a major trend many years later. Fuji X Weekly arrived immediately afterwards. I coined the name Film Simulation Recipe for Fujifilm JPEG parameters; however, it doesn’t matter who named it, I only mention it here because I’ve been asked a few hundred times who came up with the name. What I can say for certain is that this website played a major role in popularizing the term, and now it’s a part of the Fujifilm vernacular. Fujifilm even used “Recipe” in the X-E5!
The word “recipe” has been used in photography for a very long time, dating back all the way to 1856. The specific chemistry and time combinations for film development and printing have been casually called recipes for well over 150 years. In digital, Lightroom originally called their presets “Recipes” way back in 2001, and Capture One began calling their custom presets Process Recipes in 2007. Canon used the term “Recipe Data” and “DPP Recipe” in 2004 with the 1D Mark II. It’s a fairly common term in photography, becoming more widely used in the digital era within the last five or so years for in-camera JPEG customizations.
The focus of this website soon shifted from being exclusively about the X100F to all-things-Fujifilm, not restricted to one single model. Film Simulation Recipes were only a small part of it. I noticed that the Recipe articles tended to get more views than the others, so I put more energy into creating Recipes. Before long the catalog was over 50, with more being developed regularly. Since my background was in film photography, I tended to make Recipes that resembled different film stocks that I had shot or that I had a collection of negatives or slides for as reference.
Outside of a relatively small but growing community, nobody had heard of Recipes for Fujifilm cameras in 2019, not even Fujifilm. They first learned about it in 2020 from a photographer who told them he enjoyed shooting Portra and Tri-X on his X-series camera. Fujifilm had no idea what he was talking about, and the photographer was surprised that they were unaware of Fuji X Weekly. A few weeks later Fujifilm reached out to me to inquire what I was doing—what exactly is a Film Simulation Recipe—and that was pretty much the end of my contact with them for nearly four years. That December I launched the Fuji X Weekly App, which was the very first mobile library of Fujifilm Recipes. Initially at launch, there were 100 Recipes in the App; today, there are over 400! I don’t know how many people use Fujifilm Recipes, but over 150,000 have the Fuji X Weekly App on their phones right now, and there are many people who use my Recipes but don’t use the App, opting to get them straight from this website instead.
While the Fuji X Weekly App launch brought a lot more attention to Fujifilm Recipes, it wasn’t until the Fujifilm X100V went viral in fall of 2022 that things really began to take off. Seemingly overnight, the Recipe community doubled in size, and it’s only continued to grow since. Fuji X Weekly has been the most popular resource for Fujifilm Recipes for approaching a decade now. A few of you have been along for the journey from the beginning, some joined in fairly early on, and others are more recent. There are some photographers who are brand-new to Fujifilm and the whole Recipe concept, and have no idea the history behind it—if that’s you, welcome aboard! I hope you found this article interesting. I never imagined that this whole Film Simulation Recipe thing would grow so large, or that it would have such a profound impact on my life, the Fujifilm community, and photography as a whole. It’s been a privilege to have a front-row seat to it all, and an honor to have so many create photographs using the various Recipes that I created. I want to conclude this by saying thank you to all of you, I really appreciate you and your support.
I wanted to give another update to the new Recipe Transfer feature in the Fuji X Weekly App. I mentioned when this was first released that I expected to find a few bugs and issues, and that hopefully they would be small. So far, the bugs have been small and have been fixed via App updates. If your phone doesn’t automatically update your apps, you should double-check if you are on the latest version of the Fuji X Weekly App (click here for Apple; click here for Android). Some of the issues (not necessarily “bugs”) are a little larger, and I want to give you an update real quick.
First, on Apple, iPhones and iPads that use a Lightning cable don’t work. I have had some reports of people successfully using an adapter, like the official Apple Lightning-to-USB 3 that’s specifically intended for connecting to cameras, but when I was finally able to try it personally, I had no luck. I didn’t own any Lightning iPhones to test it on, so it took me some time to get one (plus various adapters—I tried a few), but I was unable to get it to work. At this time, I’m calling it: Lightning cable iPhones and iPads are not compatible with the App-to-Camera Recipe Transfer feature. Since I have had a handful of reports of it working, I’m going to continue investigating, and try to figure out how to make it work; until that happens, I’m considering Lightning cable iPhones and iPads incompatible. If you are able to successfully make it work, please let me know.
Second, also on Apple, I have had some reports of the Recipe Transfer feature not working for iPads (with a USB-C connection, not Lightning) with fourth-generation models (X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-T30 II, and X-E4). It will work with fifth-gen cameras (X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, and X-T30 III), just not fourth. This isn’t an issue for iPhones, only iPads. I’ve not figured out why yet, but I hope to get to the bottom of it. There might be a certain setting on the iPad that needs to be configured, but I’m just not sure why it works for some models and not others. Let me know if you are successfully able to connect your fourth-gen Fujifilm camera to a USB-C iPad.
Third, for Android, (as previously reported) the phones must support USB host mode (USB OTG), which might need to be toggled on manually; to enable USB OTG, go to Settings → System/Connected Devices/Additional Settings (depending on your phone) → USB OTG/OTG Connection (depending on your phone). Most modern Android phones support USB host mode, and most will enable it automatically, but definitely not all of them. If your Android phone isn’t connecting to the camera, this could be the reason. I got one report that the process to resolve it was much more involved. Specifically, on his Nothing Phone 1, he had to select Developer Options, enable USB Debug, then select Default USB Configuration, and finally choose File Transfer. The exact method to resolve this issue can vary greatly from model-to-model-to-model (etc., etc., etc.), and there is no way to test it out on all (or even most) possible Android phones or create a comprehensive list of the exact process to resolve this problem should it occur. I have had several reports of people having to figure out the process for their phones, which was different than the methods described above. Thankfully, this shouldn’t be an issue for most people.
The challenge with developing Android apps is that there is so much device diversity. With Apple, the hardware and implementation of the software is very consistent, which reduces a lot of the variables, and makes the process much easier. Worldwide, for every one iPhone model, there have been about 400 different Android models. That variety creates inconsistencies that can be difficult for developing apps, and that’s why it took longer for this feature to be released on Android than Apple.
For the App-to-Camera Recipe Transfer feature to work, the Android device must support USB host mode (USB OTG), which might need to be toggled on manually; to enable USB OTG, go to Settings → System/Connected Devices/Additional Settings (depending on your phone) → USB OTG/OTG Connection (depending on your phone). Most modern Android phones support USB host mode, and most will enable it automatically, but definitely not all of them. If your Android phone isn’t connecting to the camera, this could be the reason. I got one report that the process to resolve it was much more involved. Specifically, on his Nothing Phone 1, he had to select Developer Options, enable USB Debug, then select Default USB Configuration, and finally choose File Transfer. The exact method to resolve this issue can vary greatly from model-to-model-to-model (etc., etc., etc.), and there is no way to test it out on all (or even most) possible Android phones or create a comprehensive list of the exact process to resolve this problem should it occur. Thankfully, this shouldn’t be an issue for most people.
One last thing that I’d like to address is that a few people have accused me (flatly or insinuated) of being a hypocrite for sounding the alarm back in June that connecting your camera to any unofficial, unlicensed, unsupported program will void your camera’s warranty, yet I released a feature that voids the warranty. Essentially, the sentiment was, “Why is it not ok for them but it’s ok for you?” The difference is that most other app developers with a similar feature did not disclose this to their audience, or—if they did—it was almost always in the fine print of the Terms of Service, where it was unlikely to be seen. Thousands of Fujifilm photographers, maybe tens of thousands, inadvertently and unknowingly voided their camera’s warranty. Those app developers were (or at least should have been) well aware of this, but they chose not to make their users aware (presumably because they didn’t want to risk lower revenues), which is unethical in my opinion. I have been upfront and transparent so that people can make an informed decision of whether or not to use this feature. In other words, the issue isn’t in the feature itself, but in the disclosure of the risks. Nobody should have their camera’s warranty unknowingly voided; if one chooses to do so, it should only be after being well informed. I hope that clears it up.
And I guess, finally, it should be noted that the exact details of your camera’s warranty and warranty laws vary from place-to-place. Some people are more protected than others. You should dig into what applies to you specifically. Also, just because you technically void your warranty, Fujifilm could still honor it, or perhaps not even realize that the warranty has been voided. My recommendation is to play it safe, and not use the App-to-Camera Recipe Transfer feature if your camera is still under warranty; however, if you’ve done the research and feel comfortable with the risk, that’s up to you if you want to use it now instead of waiting. I just want you to be well informed, so that you can feel good about your choice. And I’ve done more than anyone (as noted by DPReview) to inform you of the risks.
The wait is over! The Android version of the App-to-Camera Recipe Transfer Protocol (ATC RTP) is now complete, and available to you right now in the Fuji X Weekly App. You can send Fujifilm Recipes straight from the App to your Fujifilm camera. This feature has been in the works for a very long time, and was completed for Apple before Android. Since premiering on iOS, I’ve been working double time to get it out on Android.
I don’t want to rehash everything I already stated in the Apple release, but I will reiterate some of it. I highly recommend reading that article (click here) before using this feature. It basically works the same on Android as it does on Apple, so most of that will apply to you, too. One difference is that your Android phone must support USB host mode (USB OTG), which might need to be toggled on manually (most phones will do it automatically); to enable USB OTG, go to Settings → System/Connected Devices/Additional Settings (depending on your phone) → USB OTG/OTG Connection (depending on your phone). If you use an adapter, it must support data transfer.
Not every Fujifilm model is compatible, but most of the newer ones are. Specifically, as of this writing, you can use the ATC RTP with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, X-T30 II, X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100S, GFX50S II, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF. Presumably all new cameras released in the future will also be compatible, but I won’t know for certain until they are available to test. Unfortunately, older models (such as X-Trans I, X-Trans II, X-Trans III, X-T30 and X-T3, X-series Bayer, and the first few GFX models) are not able to connect to the Fuji X Weekly App.
Very importantly, connecting your camera to any unofficial, unlicensed, unsupported program may void your camera’s manufacturer warranty. Fujifilm confirmed this with me. Please note that using the ATC RTP may void your camera’s warranty. Manufacturer warranties vary from country-to-country, and warranty laws vary from region-to-region, so read your specific warranty information very carefully, and research the laws that apply specifically to you. Some people are better protected than others; however, even if your warranty is technically voided, it’s possible that Fujifilm may decide to honor it anyway (or not realize it was voided) should something fail on your camera. It’s up to you if you want to take that risk, but my recommendation is to wait until after your camera’s warranty has expired (one or two years after purchase for most, but up to five years, just depending) before connecting to any unofficial, unlicensed, unsupported programs (pretty much any software that connects to your camera that’s not from Fujifilm or a major brand like Capture One or Adobe), including the Fuji X Weekly App. Whether you connect today, wait awhile before doing so, or never use this feature, that is a personal choice based on what you are comfortable with, having been well informed. I have connected all of my compatible cameras to the Fuji X Weekly App, including my brand-new GFX100RF, but that was my own decision based on my personal confidence in the App’s programming and in Fujifilm’s quality.
Whether on Apple or Android, if you’re having issues connecting your phone to your camera, the first place to look for help is the FAQ/Troubleshooting page within the Fuji X Weekly App. It’s a pretty good idea to read that before even starting, as there’s a lot of good information, some of which you’re likely to find helpful. I posted on Instagram how to configure your Fujifilm camera (click here) for ATC RTP, and you might find that helpful, too. I also have a short video showing this feature in action, which I’ve included below.
For those on Apple, a couple of quick final notes before ending this article. I just released an update with some small bug fixes and improvements, one related to the ISO setting on the camera. If your phone didn’t automatically update the Fuji X Weekly App, be sure to do so manually. This reminds me to remind you that the ISO on your camera needs to be at least the minimum for the Dynamic Range or D-Range Priority setting of the Recipe you want to transfer. For example, on fifth-generation cameras, Recipes that use DR400 will need a minimum of ISO 500, and fourth-generation need a minimum of ISO 640. For those with older iPhones that use a Lightning cable, it appears that the official Apple Lightning-to-USB 3 adapter (intended to connect the phone to cameras) is what’s required to get ATC RTP to work on your device. I have not tested this, it’s only from a handful of reports. I ordered an old iPhone and the adapter, and I hope to be able to confirm whether this does or doesn’t work by early next week.
Find more than 400 Fujifilm Recipes in the Fuji X Weekly App! Consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support Fuji X Weekly.
Rainbow over Hoboken – Hoboken, NJ – Fujifilm X-T50 – Pushed Analog
I don’t know if there’s any photography trend that’s hotter right now than Fujifilm Recipes. To say that they’re popular is an understatement. It’s a significant reason why Fujifilm cameras are doing so well right now, selling nearly three times as many units in 2025 as they did in 2023. Even Fujifilm has started to design their cameras around it, such as the ability to store Recipes into FS1-FS3 on the X-E5, and including the FRGMT B&W Recipe in a limited-edition GFX100RF. It’s revolutionizing photography. This trend doesn’t show signs of stopping, and I suspect Recipes will remain a popular part of the Fujifilm experience for years to come.
As one of the very first to create and publish Fujifilm Recipes, and one of the original resources for Recipes (basically, I was creating and shooting Recipes long before they were cool), I have had a front row seat to all of this. It’s amazing to me to see just how far it’s all come! I never imagined how much this would grow and grow. But not everyone appreciates this trend, or understands what this whole Recipe thing is even about, which has caused some myths to appear, many you’ve likely heard many times yourself. Let’s look at five of these myths, and quickly debunk them.
This has been discussed at length many times, so I don’t want to spend very much time on it, but—yes—Fujifilm Recipes are for amateur photographers, and they are also for professional photographers, and everyone in-between. There are many people of all skill levels that use Recipes on their Fujifilm cameras, including some names that you’re probably familiar with (but maybe you have no idea they use Recipes). There are some photographers who I would have never guessed use Recipes, but it turns out they do (at least sometimes). Those who claim that Fujifilm Recipes are only for amateurs would likely be shocked if they knew of all the people who are not amateurs that use them.
A couple of years ago when I started traveling around and meeting many of you in-person at various photography events and photowalks, I learned something that greatly surprised me: people use Recipes in all sorts of different ways. For example, I met several photographers who are strict RAW-only shooters; however, they’ve found a Recipe that is similar to their personal style, which helps them to better pre-visualize the final image while in the field, and it also gives them a shortcut to the finished photograph. Another shoots RAW+JPEG, and overlays and blends the JPEG into the edited RAW image. The developers of a large RAW software company largely use Recipes for their own photography, and even developed a tool to help them better match the RAW to their JPEGs whenever they need to edit the RAWs. Some people edit the out-of-camera JPEGs, finding it flexible enough to handle mild manipulations, while others (like me) are a lot more strictly straight-out-of-camera. There’s no single method, nor any one that’s better than another; instead, it’s whatever works best for you personally.
Recipes are Too Warm/Yellow
Buc-ees at Nighttime – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Fluorescent Night
Many Fujifilm Recipes are warm with a yellow-ish cast, but so are a lot of films, especially many Kodak emulsions. Warming filters were once common in film photography, and some vintage lenses have a warm cast from their radioactive lens coating. Like film, many Recipes are daylight-balanced, and can produce an overly warm cast when used in artificial light scenarios. But, there are also lots of Recipes that aren’t warm, and don’t produce a yellow-ish cast. If you don’t like a warm-tinted image, find one of the many Recipes that are neutral or have a cool cast.
Recipes are just Instagram Filters
Misty Saguaro – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Pacific Blues
Recipes are not filters, per se. For example, how the various film simulations render—especially Classic Negative and Acros—depend on how you expose the image. It’s integrated into the image processing pipeline, and is not an overlay. But on a more practical level, when you shoot with Recipes, you see the finished image in the viewfinder, which is a much different process and experience (with significantly divergent results) than adding a filter to an image after-the-fact. Aside from that, Fujifilm’s colors, which were developed using their long history of analog film, are second-to-none.
Recipes aren’t any Quicker than RAW Editing with Presets
Red Boat in Nyhavn Canal– Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF – Avalon Ace
Of coarse Fujifilm Recipes are much quicker than the fastest RAW workflow. Why? Because the straight-out-of-camera JPEG is finished instantly, the moment that it’s captured. As I’ve said before: shoot more, edit less, and let your camera be your darkroom. But this only matters if that time savings is important to you personally—for me, it literally changed my life (no hyperbole), and is especially critical for my travel photography. For someone else, it may not be about the time savings, but more about the aesthetic the Recipe produces, or the ability to pre-visualize the finished RAW image in the field.
There’s no right or wrong way to do photography, only whatever works best for you personally. That might be RAW, that might be straight-out-of-camera JPEGs using Recipes, it might be a mix of both, or something else entirely. The pathway to your finished photograph matters much less than the picture itself. Do what works best for you, whatever that is. As long as you are happy with your process and pictures, that’s all that really matters.
The Fuji X Weekly App can now send Recipes straight from the App to your camera using a USB-C cable! Right now, this is only available on Apple, but it will be coming to Android within the next few months or so. If you haven’t read the announcement, there’s a bunch of important information in it, so I recommend starting there (click here)—it’s essential reading if you plan to use this feature.
The new Recipe transferring feature is called App-to-Camera Recipe Transfer Protocol (ATC RTP for short). A few days ago I discussed some of the known issues, but a couple of those have since been resolved, plus a new issue has come up, so I wanted to give a quick update. Let’s dive right in!
The two known issues that were fixed are 1) Recipes that use DR-Auto were transferring as DR100 instead of DR-Auto, and 2) a warning—for Recipes with Grain Off—that Grain was not able to be set when in fact it was set correctly (the error message itself was the bug). Those have been fixed on the latest Fuji X Weekly App update. If your phone didn’t automatically update the App, you may want to manually do so now. This is actually the second update since the new feature was released, so even if you haven’t encountered any issues yet, you may still want to double-check that you are running on the latest version.
The other known issue is that iPhones that use the Lightning plug (not USB-C) do not work with this feature; however, I’ve had several reports that using a Lightning-to-USB-C adapter will resolve the problem. I’ve not been able to try it myself to know for 100% certainty, but there have been enough reports that I’m fairly confident that this will work for you, too.
The new issue is a weird one. It might only affect those on iPhone 16, but I’m not completely certain about that. It seems that very few have encountered this problem, and it’s unlikely that it will affect you. If you are not able to get the phone to connect to the camera, and it always just says No camera connected even though you’ve tried everything, there is a potential solution. If you’ve encountered this rare problem, go to the Settings App on your iPhone, tap Privacy & Security (which is towards the bottom), select Files & Folders, and find the Fuji X Weekly App. Make sure that it is only in the list once (not twice) and that it is On (green); if not, toggle it/them Off/On until there is only one Fuji X Weekly option (not two) and it is On (green). If you find two Fuji X Weekly folders, when you toggle them one will disappear. This should resolve the problem, and you’ll be able to connect the camera to the phone.
Lastly, I wanted to give a quick update on the Instagram problem I had previously talked about. For those who missed it, Instagram removed my post announcing this new feature, claiming that I had violated their community standards, which obviously is not true or even remotely close to true. Restrictions were placed on my account, punishing me for something I didn’t do. I later learned that this is a systemic problem, and a lot of other people have had similar experiences, which is unfortunate. I requested that Instagram review their decision, and a few days later my post was reinstated, and the restrictions removed from my account; however, I never got an explanation. I still have no idea why they did this, but at least it’s been rectified.
When I launched the new App-to-Camera Recipe Transfer Protocol (ATC RTP) in the Fuji X Weekly App a few days ago, which allows you to send Fujifilm Recipes from the App to your camera, I said, “I do anticipate some bug reports, and hopefully they’re all very minor.” So far, they’ve all been pretty minor, but I think you should be aware of them.
First, if you have an older iPhone that uses a Lightning plug, in order to get this feature to work, you will need a Lightning-to-USB-C adapter. I’ve had two reports that doing this works, although I don’t have a Lighting cable iPhone to test it with personally. Those who have older iPhones, let me know if the adapter works for you.
Second, if you are an App Patron and attempting to transfer Recipe sets, and your iPhone iOS is 18 or older (and not 26), the app crashes. This was identified pretty quickly and has already been fixed. So if this is happening to you, either update the iOS on your iPhone or update the Fuji X Weekly App to the latest version, either option will fix the issue, and allow you to transfer Recipe sets.
Third, and probably most notably for most people, is that DR-Auto Recipes set Dynamic Range in the camera to DR100 instead of DR-Auto. This was working correctly in a beta before launch, so I’m not sure why it’s not now. It’s likely an easy fix once the issue has been identified. Sometimes with apps, a small change somewhere affects something else that is seemingly unrelated, and that’s my best guess for this. I’m hopeful that a fix will be in by Wednesday or Thursday, maybe sooner, so be on the lookout for an App update.
Fourth, Recipes with Grain set to Off will transfer correctly, but give a (false) warning that Grain was not able to be transferred. The bug in this case is the warning itself, and not the transfer. The App will set Grain to Off in the camera, so just ignore that error message.
Right now, that’s it. But please, no matter how small, if you encounter any issues let me know. I’d love to get this running as cleanly as possible. Your feedback helps to improve it, and is greatly appreciated.
In related news, I posted about the App update on Instagram; however, the next day, Meta removed my post for supposedly violating community standards, and they put some restrictions on my account. Specifically, Instagram claims that the post made “unrealistic claims or promises about economic gain” and violated their rules on “financial fraud and scams.” Of course, that’s complete nonsense and just boggles my mind how they came to that conclusion. It could be that their AI bots are not very good and are flagging and banning innocent content, or it was falsely (and maliciously) reported by someone trying to disrupt or sabotage the announcement, or maybe something else entirely. I have no idea. But, whatever the reason, it wasn’t right or fair. I’m being punished by Meta for something I didn’t do. I have appealed, but who knows how long that takes or what the outcome will be. If it was from a false report, will that person be punished for making the claim should the appeal return in my favor? Probably not.
In my IG Stories, I posted about this situation, and asked if this has ever happened to anyone else. To my surprise, I received close to 50 messages from people who have had nearly identical issues. Some of them even shared with me what they posted that got removed, and it was normal (non-controversial) content, similar to most other posts on the platform, and not a violation of community standards whatsoever. In other words, this is a very widespread problem that could happen to anyone. Any and every post has the potential to be falsely flagged and deleted, and the author punished for the next 365 days. It’s not cool, but this is what you and I agree to when we sign up. Mark and company make massive profits off of our content, and we sometimes get treated like dirt for no other reason than we agreed to their terms of service.
There are two ways that I can respond to this. On one hand, I could stop using Instagram. Why am I allowing them to treat me this way? This seems like an abusive relationship that I’m enabling by staying. On the other hand, if it was removed due to malicious behavior by someone who dislikes Fujifilm, Recipes, or Fuji X Weekly (a competitive app developer, perhaps?), they win if I quit. I don’t even know if that’s the case, and I really hate to make any assumptions, so it might not be that at all. It might just be the terrible AI bots that Meta is using. So I’m not sure how to respond to this whole situation, other than to say Instagram really sucks, and I’m not happy with their platform right now. Maybe it’s a good time to consider an alternative.
I’m excited to announce a new feature in the Fuji X Weekly App: sending Recipes straight from the App to your camera! This will make Film Simulation Recipes much more accessible because it removes the necessity to manually program them into your camera’s C1-C7 Custom Settings presets. I’ve been working on this for about a year-and-a-half now, and I believe it will transform and significantly improve the Fujifilm experience for many people. There’s a lot that I need to discuss regarding this, so let’s dive right in.
The new feature is called App-to-Camera Recipe Transfer Protocol (ATC RTP), and it uses something called Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP), a standardized camera-to-software communication system that’s been utilized by all major camera brands for over 25 years. Fujifilm uses PTP for X RAW Studio and other programs. I was able to create the ATC RTP using publicly available information from both Fujifilm and the Fujifilm community, combined with lots of trial-and-error, plus a little assistance from AI.
Using PTP is generally considered very safe; however, there is a small inherent risk in unofficial, unlicensed, unsupported programs. While there’s not a lot that can go wrong with PTP, there is a minor chance of adverse affects, especially if not handled carefully by the developers. To mitigate those risks, we built-in many safeguards and heavily tested it (I tried my best to break my Fujifilm cameras using ATC RTP, and couldn’t—don’t attempt that yourself, though). I’m extremely confident in the safety of this feature, but I want to be upfront and transparent about the inherent precariousness. It’s better to lay out all the cards so that you can make an informed decision that you are comfortable with, and it’s important to me that you’ve read this disclaimer before connecting your camera to the App. If you do decide to use ATC RTP, it’s an experimental feature, and it is at your own risk. I do believe that this is about as safe as possible from an unofficial program, and I doubt you’ll find another option with as many safeguards or as heavily tested before release. Still, like with any new software feature, I do anticipate some bug reports, and hopefully they’re all very minor (be sure to let me know if encounter any, no matter how small).
Very importantly, connecting your camera to any unofficial, unlicensed, unsupported program may void your camera’s manufacturer warranty. Fujifilm confirmed this with me. I tried very hard to obtain a license from Fujifilm so that it wouldn’t risk voiding your warranty, but ultimately that didn’t work out (they told me that they only give licenses to large companies “like Adobe”). While that significantly delayed the release of this feature, if I had been able to obtain a license, that would have made the wait worthwhile. Since I was not able to get a license, using the ATC RTP may void your camera’s warranty. Manufacturer warranties vary from country-to-country, and warranty laws vary from region-to-region, so read your specific warranty information very carefully, and research the laws that apply specifically to you. Some people are better protected than others; however, even if your warranty is technically voided, it’s possible that Fujifilm may decide to honor it anyway (or not realize it was voided) should something fail on your camera. It’s up to you if you want to take that risk, but my recommendation is to wait until after your camera’s warranty has expired (one or two years after purchase for most, but up to five years, just depending) before connecting to any unofficial, unlicensed, unsupported programs (pretty much any software that connects to your camera that’s not from Fujifilm or a major brand like Capture One or Adobe), including the Fuji X Weekly App. Whether you connect today, wait awhile before doing so, or never use this feature, that is a personal choice based on what you are comfortable with, having been well informed (and I hope you appreciate that I’m not keeping this secret from you). I have connected all of my compatible cameras to the Fuji X Weekly App, including my brand-new GFX100RF, but that was my own decision based on my personal confidence in the App’s programming and in Fujifilm’s quality.
With all that out of the way, let’s talk about how this new feature can transform your Fujifilm experience. What ATC RTP does is push Recipes from the Fuji X Weekly App to your camera’s Custom Settings presets (C1-C7 for most cameras, C1-C6 for some, and C1-C4 for others). You can pick a single Recipe, and choose which Custom Settings slot to send it to, or—if you are a Patron subscriber—you can create and send sets of Recipes. No more manually programming them into your camera! This makes saving Recipes in your camera extremely simple, and changing them a breeze. You can also do it with your Custom Recipes, not just the 400+ Fuji X Weekly Recipes. Sending a Recipe from the App to your camera is completely free—use it as often as you’d like, as many times as you’d like. Going one-at-a-time, you can fill up your C1-C7 pretty quickly. Sending multiple Recipes at once is reserved for Patrons, and I included three Recipe Sets—Starter, Street and Travel—to get you started (with more to come). I have not yet figured out how to send Recipes to FS1-FS3 on the X-E5, so those will still need to be set manually.
Not every Fujifilm camera is compatible, but most newer ones are. Specifically, as of this writing, you can use the ATC RTP with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, X-T30 II, X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100S, GFX50S II, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF. Presumably all new cameras released in the future will also be compatible, but I won’t know for certain until they are available to test. Unfortunately, older models (such as X-Trans I, X-Trans II, X-Trans III, X-T30 and X-T3, X-series Bayer, and the first few GFX models) are not able to connect to the Fuji X Weekly App.
There are a bunch of important notes, so let’s work through them. First, as of this writing, the ATC RTP is only available on iOS [Edit: it’s now available on Android!]. Second, you need a USB-C (2.0 or 3.0) cable that is no longer than 4.9 feet (1.5 meters), preferably a good quality one. If ATC RTP is not working, try a different cable. Also, Lighting cables don’t work, but I’ve had reports that Lightning-to-USB-C adapters do work. Third, you need to make sure that your camera’s Connection Mode is set to USB RAW CONV./BACKUP RESTORE. This is found in the Network/USB (Connection) Settings section of the Menu. Next, you might need to set the USB Power Supply/Comm Setting to SUPPLY OFF/COMM ON (or just OFF, depending on your model), although most of the time AUTO seems to work. The USB-C cable needs to be connected to both the camera and the phone (try reconnecting if the App doesn’t recognize that your camera is connected). Your camera must be powered on for this feature to work (the camera’s screen will go dark when connected). Do not power off the camera or phone or disconnect the cable during a Recipe transfer. ISO and Typical Exposure Compensation are not transferred via ATC RTP, and should be set manually. Also, Video Recipes are not included in this feature.
It’s possible to get error messages after a transfer. If the camera rejects a setting, it will either be left unchanged or set to a default, which is a safeguard, and you’ll be notified. Some common settings that will get rejected are Dynamic Range and Clarity. Since Dynamic Range is ISO dependent, if the ISO is set lower than the minimum for the Dynamic Range (for example, DR400 with ISO 200), the camera will reject it. To fix it, increase the ISO and either try again or set Dynamic Range manually. Since Clarity is dependent on the Drive mode, if you are in burst (Continuous Low or Continuous High), HDR, etc., and not Still Image (a.k.a. Single or S), it will reject Clarity set to anything other than 0. To fix it, set the camera’s Drive mode to Still Image (S) and either try again or set Clarity manually. If you’ve never saved Custom Setting presets into your camera before, you may encounter some errors on the initial Recipe transfer, especially with the PASM models that require shooting modes to be set. You will need to fix the errors in the camera, such as selecting a shooting mode and adjusting the ISO within each preset, plus selecting the correct Dynamic Range setting. Within Custom Recipes, any free-form text must be spelled correctly in English in order to work; otherwise, use the dropdown menus. Also, for any Custom Recipe Sets that you create, make sure that the selected Recipes are compatible with the camera you are transferring to (if not, you will receive error messages when transferring).
That was a lot to lay out, but I hope you can appreciate why it all needed to be said. If the Fuji X Weekly App on your iPhone didn’t automatically update, be sure to manually do it now. You may also want to update your iOS version if it’s old. To begin using the App-to-Camera Recipe Transfer Protocol to send Recipes directly to your camera, tap the camera-with-arrow icon at the top of the Recipe list page or at the top of any Recipe within the Fuji X Weekly App. You’ll have to agree to the TOS and select OK a number of times. If you are a Patron, to create Recipe sets, tap the three dots at the top-right of the Recipe list page and select Manage Recipe Sets. I think many of you will really love this new feature, and it will transform your Fujifilm experience. Right now it’s only available on iOS, but it will be on Android pretty soon, too, so stay tuned!
Find more than 400 Fujifilm Recipes in the Fuji X Weekly App! Consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support Fuji X Weekly.
Over the last maybe two years, I’ve read here-and-there people say that yellow-tinted Fujifilm Recipes have a “piss filter” as if the photographer shot through a glass of urine from someone who is not particularly hydrated. The term has spread across the internet over the last eight months or so, it seems, with people now using it more frequently. Today, Selishots posted a YouTube video called 5 Recipes So Your Photos Don’t Look Like Piss. I’ve met Ben of Selishots a couple of times, and he’s a great guy—this article is not about him whatsoever (so don’t think for a moment that it is); however, I brought him up simply because his video motivated me to finally address the whole “piss filter” nonsense.
First, the term is clearly meant as a putdown. It began with and is still largely used by those who don’t shoot straight-out-of-camera and who don’t like the whole Recipe thing. Most of them would tell you that real photographers shoot RAW, not JPEG. It’s a derogatory term intended to make you feel “less than” about your photography. In my opinion, it’s shameful. I put it in the same category as other derogatory slang, and I don’t think the photography community should be accepting of such uninclusive language. Do we need to invent new terms to call out this toxic behavior? Formatism? RAW supremacists? I’d rather not go there, but I think it makes the point. Don’t let anyone tell you that you are any less of a photographer or that your photographs aren’t good enough just because you didn’t go about it the same way (the so-called “right way”) as they did. There’s no right or wrong way to do photography, and anyone who says otherwise is flat-out wrong and couldn’t be more wrong.
Buck’s Space Cowboy – Tulsa, OK – Fujifilm X-E5 – Retro Slide
The statement also stems from ignorance. The people who use the term “piss filter” have obviously never shot film, and they’d be surprised to learn that many Kodak film stocks tend to lean warm (some historical emulsions didn’t just “lean” warm, but were obviously warm). Expired or mishandled film could sometimes have a strong yellow cast. Aside from that, it was very common 25+ years ago to use warming filters, like 81B or even W12—those are probably the closest to so-called “piss filters” in analog. Not to mention that classic lenses with thorium dioxide will turn yellow over time, basically making the lens itself a so-called “piss filter” of sorts. Lastly, color film photos can fade, and sometimes that can make them turn yellow-ish. In other words, if you know even a little about film photography, you know that yellow-leaning pictures are quite common, and not an oddity. When someone says “piss filter” they are admitting that they know very little about analog images or the history of photography.
Third, the reason people are drawn to warm-leaning looks is because they like them. We’re all different, and have different tastes—I don’t know why this is a difficult concept for some people. If a photographer likes their pictures with a certain color cast, why does that bother you so much? It’s their art, not yours. When someone says “piss filter”, that has to come from some kind of insecurity or jealousy; while it’s often stated with arrogance, there’s clearly something painful going on deep inside of the person uttering it. Interestingly, these warm-leaning looks only seem to bother people when they are from Recipes and not when they come via Lightroom presets. Psychologically, color actually matters a lot, as different colors affect the viewer in different ways. For example, yellow can make a person feel happy and positive; orange can make a person feel optimistic and enthusiastic. In general, these colors can often feel nostalgic, like a joyful memory from your childhood. It’s about the emotion and mood that the photographer wants to convey. Someone might not “get” why warm-tinted photographs are popular, but it’s not difficult to understand when you think about it for just a moment.
Horsetail Falls from Bridge – Columbia River Gorge, OR – Fujifilm X100V – Improved Velvia
Additionally, it shows a lack of knowledge about Fujifilm Recipes in general. There are tons—probably hundreds—that don’t have a warm cast. In fact, I published an article last year highlighting 15 Recipes with a cool cast. To assume that they all have a yellow cast just shows how little the person actually knows about this topic. Instead of conducting even a minimal amount of research, they put it down. Sad. With so many possible looks from Recipes, there’s bound to be at least one that is close to most people’s personal style. If one isn’t for you personally, find the ones that are. I’ve published more than 400, so you have a lot to choose from.
The term “piss filter” needs to die. It’s dumb. It’s narrow minded. It’s insulting. We should not tolerate it as a community, because we should not tolerate putting people down just because they’re different than us in some way. We’re all humans, trying to create pictures that are meaningful to us. Let’s be a bit more respectful, and a little less rude. Do photography however you want to do it, and create photographs in whatever manner you desire. There’s no right or wrong way, and there’s no right or wrong way for how pictures should look.
The article begins with, “Over the years, I’ve seen a wave of film simulation recipe apps appear—often trying to cash in on the popularity of Fujifilm’s JPEG recipes. Some have even reached out to me directly, offering free access in exchange for exposure on FujiRumors. And if you’ve never read about them here on FujiRumors, there’s a reason for that. Look, some are genuine apps built by true Fujifilm lovers. But honestly, there are also plenty made by people just trying to cash in on the Film Simulation Recipe community.”
That’s important context that hasn’t been stated anywhere close to enough. I’ve said it, but I’ve also been accused of being sour grapes over potential competition. I’m not afraid of competition, as I’m happy to point to The Film Recipes App, which was made by a genuine Fujifilm lover and Recipe creator (Justin Gould). What bothers me are the apps made by those who don’t actually create Recipes; instead, they’re aggregating “community recipes”, which are oftentimes just from myself or Justin or Reggie Ballesteros or someone on social media who shared a Recipe with their audience, only for someone else to add it to these other apps without credit to the actual creator (someone else gets credit instead). Even worse, these apps oftentimes use photographs without the knowledge of, permission from, credit or compensation to the actual photographers who created the images. For example, literally thousands of my photos have been illegally used in these apps (you can find some examples right now). Many others have had their pictures used illegally, too. Most of these apps are cesspools of copyright violations, which—as photographers—should be concerning to all of us. Not to mention that they skirt the line of plagiarism. And that’s not the end of the sketchiness, either. In my opinion, it’s harmful to the community, so bravo to Patrick at Fujirumors for pointing it out straight away.
Fujirumors then goes on to highlight a method for transferring Fujifilm Recipes from your phone to your camera using Fujifilm’s X App. Within the X App you can create backups of your camera’s settings. You can program a set of seven Recipes, save a backup, then change those seven Recipes, and save another backup. You can do this as many times as you’d like, and have a whole bunch of backups with different Recipes in each. You can give these backups different names so you know when to use them. These backups can be easily restored on your camera through the X App, giving you quick access to all of them at any given time. Amazing!
But, there are some significant caveats. First, the backups aren’t just C1-C7, they’re literally every single setting. So if you decide later that you want to change a sound or Fn button or AF setting, when you restore a backup, those changes won’t stay. So you really need to make sure you’re happy with your camera settings before doing this. Another issue is that sometimes a firmware update can render the backups incompatible with your camera. I’ve received a few different reports of that, so it’s a real thing. Next, if you change phones, there’s a potential of losing your backups. So it’s not perfect, but if you are ok with those issues, it might be worthwhile to try.
Ideally, Fujifilm would offer a way to set and store Recipes within the X App, and then wireless transfer those to the camera’s C1-C7 menu at any given time. That would be really cool, and I think it would be highly welcomed by the community. I’ve suggested it to Fujifilm a number of times, and I really hope they’re working on it. I do have some news related to this topic that I’m excited to share, but I need just a little more time, so stay tuned! In the meantime, if you don’t have the Fuji X Weekly App on your phone, now is a good time to download and use it for free; consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support Fuji X Weekly.
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.
Caboose – Tulsa, OK – Fujifilm X-E5 – Retro Slide
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:
Baloney Maroney’s – Tulsa, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
Service Trucks – Stroud, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
Skyliner Motel – Stroud, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
Buck’s Space Cowboy – Tulsa, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
Meadow Gold Clock – Tulsa, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
Shops & Lofts – Tulsa, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
H Bar C Ranchwear – Tulsa, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
We Sell Kodak Film – Oklahoma City, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
Out in the Heat – Oklahoma City, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
Urban Nature Photographer – Oklahoma City, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
Jonathan, Photographer – Oklahoma City, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
Empty Bench – Oklahoma City, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
Canyon Diablo Bridge – Two Guns, AZ – Fujifilm X-E5
Tireless Truck – Stroud, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
Be Careful – Tulsa, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
Philco Radio – Tulsa, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
Ms. Pac-Man – Oklahoma City, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
Soda Bottles – Arcadia, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
Syrup & Gratuity – Tulsa, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
Empty Ketchup – Tulsa, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
Bar Stools – Tulsa, OK – Fujifilm X-E5
Conoco Tower – Shamrock, TX – Fujifilm X-E5
Second Street Texaco – Winslow, AZ – Fujifilm X-E5
Auto Shop at Night – Winslow, AZ – Fujifilm X-E5
Love’s Trucks – Winslow, AZ – Fujifilm X-E5
Find this Fujifilm Recipe and over 400 more on the Fuji X Weekly App! Consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support Fuji X Weekly.
