Four Fujifilm X-Trans IV Film Simulation Recipes: KodaNeg VC & NC
I’m asked pretty regularly if I can create a Film Simulation Recipe that mimics a certain look—usually a particular film stock, but occasionally the aesthetic of a certain photographer. These recipes began as an attempt to recreate the look of a certain photographer. Unfortunately, despite much effort, I wasn’t successful. When I say “much effort” I mean that I went as far as having conversations with this photographer (which is pretty cool, because he’s well known and respected) to try and find out what he does to get his signature aesthetic. I tried some pretty unconventional tactics to get his look straight out of camera, but in the end I determined that it’s not possible with Fujifilm’s current JPEG options. Still, I really liked one of the recipes that I created while trying (and failing) to mimic the look, so I began using it.
Right around this same time someone asked if I could create a recipe that better mimics the Kodak Ektar 100 aesthetic from a particular photographer (as one film can produce many different looks depending on a host of factors). When I saw the images, my first thought is that it looked a lot like this new recipe, except with the color turned way up. So I turned Color up from -4 to +4, and the results were surprisingly similar to Ektar. An exact match? No, but definitely in the ballpark, and certainly close enough that if one is looking for an alternative Kodak Ektar 100 recipe, this is one to consider.
I stated that I did something unconventional to create this recipe: I used a 1/4 Black Pro Mist diffusion filter, and I did so because it has a slight reddish-brown color cast. Normally I prefer CineBloom filters because they don’t have a color cast, but for this recipe it was necessary. If you have a 10% CineBloom you can use that instead; however, it will be slightly less warm. If Fujifilm allowed .5 adjustments to White Balance Shift, you could move a half-point towards red and achieve basically the same thing, but they don’t. I find that +7 Red is too strong when not using a Black Pro Mist, so I would definitely stick with +6, even though it is less warm. After creating the Black Pro Mist version, I set out to make an alternate version that does not use a diffusion filter, yet produces a similar look (albeit slightly less warm due to the lack of Black Pro Mist filter). So there are four Film Simulation Recipes in total here: two low-saturation options (with a without a Black Pro Mist filter), and two high-saturation options (also with and without a Black Pro Mist filter).
When Kodak introduced Portra, it initially came in two varieties: VC (“vivid color”) and NC (“neutral color”). The VC emulsion was more optimized for landscape photography and the NC emulsion was more optimized for portrait photography. These recipes aren’t intended to mimic Kodak Portra, but I decided to barrow the VC and NC abbreviations anyway—the two VC recipes are optimized for landscapes, while the two NC recipes are optimized for portraits. You can clearly see this in the two sets of images below.
I named these recipes “KodaNeg” because they have warm Kodak-like colors… maybe like Kodak color negative film paired with an 81A or 81B warming filter—color correction filters were fairly commonly used back in the film days, and 81A was probably the most popular among landscape photographers. Which Kodak color negative film? I didn’t model these after any specific film, so they don’t closely resemble any; however, the NC recipes are slightly Portra-like, and the VC recipes are slightly Ektar-like, but are not exact match to either.
If you have a 1/4 Black Pro Mist diffusion filter, I invite you to try the two KodaNeg recipes below that are intended for use with a diffusion filter. If you don’t have a Black Pro Mist—no worries—use the two recipes that are intended to be used without a diffusion filter. Unfortunately, because these require Clarity and Color Chrome Effect, they’re not compatible with the X-T30 and X-T3. Those with X-Trans V cameras should be able to use these recipes, but I do not have any personal experience to know for certain.
KodaNeg VC (with Diffusion Filter)
X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, & X-T30 II
Use this recipe in conjunction with a 1/4 Black Pro Mist Filter. Alternatively, you can use this with a 10% CineBloom, but the results will be slightly different.
Provia
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: -1
Shadow: +1
Color: +4
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpness: 0
Clarity: +3
Grain Effect: Weak, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Off
White Balance: Auto, +6 Red & -6 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this “KodaNeg VC” recipe with my Fujifilm X100V:
KodaNeg NC (with Diffusion Filter)
X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, & X-T30 II
Use this recipe in conjunction with a 1/4 Black Pro Mist Filter. Alternatively, you can use this with a 10% CineBloom, but the results will be slightly different.
Provia
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: -1
Shadow: +1
Color: -4
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpness: 0
Clarity: +3
Grain Effect: Weak, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Off
White Balance: Auto, +6 Red & -6 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this “KodaNeg NC” recipe with my Fujifilm X100V:
KodaNeg VC (without filter)
X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, & X-T30 II)
This recipe is intended to be used without a diffusion filter. Because it requires +0.5 Shadow, this recipe isn’t directly compatible with the Fujifilm X100V or X-Pro3, but if you want to use it anyway, you’ll have to decide if you prefer Shadow set to 0 or +1—the results will be slightly different, either with a little more or less contrast.
Provia
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: -1
Shadow: +0.5
Color: +4
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpness: 0
Clarity: -3
Grain Effect: Weak, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Off
White Balance: Auto, +6 Red & -6 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this “KodaNeg VC” recipe with my Fujifilm X-E4:
KodaNeg NC (without filter)
X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, & X-T30 II)
This recipe is intended to be used without a diffusion filter. Because it requires +0.5 Shadow, this recipe isn’t directly compatible with the Fujifilm X100V or X-Pro3, but if you want to use it anyway, you’ll have to decide if you prefer Shadow set to 0 or +1—the results will be slightly different, either with a little more or less contrast.
Provia
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: -1
Shadow: +0.5
Color: -4
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpness: 0
Clarity: -3
Grain Effect: Weak, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Off
White Balance: Auto, +6 Red & -6 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this “KodaNeg NC” recipe with my Fujifilm X-E4:
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