Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Portra 400” (X-Trans III version)
Six months ago I turned my Fujifilm X100V into a monochrome-only camera, and just shot black-and-white Film Simulation Recipes with it, which was a lot of fun! I hope that someday Fujifilm makes a B&W-only model. Recently I started shooting color pictures on my X100V again, and the first three color recipes I programmed into the camera were Kodak Portra 400—three different versions of it!
My very first Kodak Portra 400 recipe is for Fujifilm X-Trans III cameras, which I published in May of 2018. It requires a hard-to-explain-and-get-right custom white balance measurement. I have had some luck in the past getting it “right” and at times not-so-much luck. I think this time I was able to get it pretty close but not exactly correct. I made three different attempts (using the three custom white balance slots), and went with the best of the three; however, I think the white balance should be slightly warmer than it is. It’s a tricky thing, and I wish it was more easily repeatable. To use this recipe on my X100V I set Grain size to Small, Color Chrome Effect to Off, Color Chrome FX Blue to Off, and Clarity to 0.
The next Kodak Portra 400 recipe is for the Fiujifilm X-T3 and X-T30, which I published in May of 2020. This one is easier to program (and probably more accurate to the film) than the X-Trans III version. To use it on my X100V I set Grain size to Small, Color Chrome FX Blue to Off, and Clarity to 0.
The third Kodak Portra 400 recipe is for the “newer” X-Trans IV cameras, including the X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II cameras, which I published in June of 2020. Of the three versions, this one is probably the most “accurate” to actual Portra 400 film, but it is extremely similar to the X-T3/X-T30 recipe—only very subtly different.
One film can produce a variety of looks depending on a whole host of factors, including (among other things) how it was shot, developed, and scanned—even the pH balance and temperature of the water can affect it. It’s not possible for one recipe replicate all possible aesthetics. Also, different Fujifilm cameras have different JPEG options, and different sensor generations have slight variances in rendering; even though one recipe might be more “accurate” to the film, it’s certainly not always so—the variables are pretty significant. What’s more important than accuracy is finding the recipe that works best for you and your photography.
I hope that seeing these three Kodak Portra 400 Film Simulation Recipes together helps you decide which to try. Maybe one stands out more to you than the others. Perhaps the camera you own is more of a determining factor than the recipe itself. I personally like all three of them, and have enjoyed shooting with them on my (no-longer-B&W-only) X100V.
Also, as a reminder, these three Kodak Portra 400 recipes are the current SOOC recipes-of-the-month. Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry and I will conclude our discussion of these recipes in the next broadcast (be sure to watch the last episode if you missed it!), which will be live on October 20th. Upload your images (click here) captured with one (or more) of these Kodak Portra 400 recipes by October 18th to be included in the next show. I hope to see you then!
Road Through the Autumn Trees – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100F – Velvia
Autumn officially arrived yesterday. I didn’t notice because I moved to the Phoenix metropolitan area, and in this part of Arizona it is still summer, as far as the weather and trees are concerned. Besides, this area isn’t known for its fall colors, anyway. But I used to live in Utah, and loved watching the autumn colors descend on the Wasatch, beginning at the mountain peaks in late-summer and working their way to the valley by October. I will miss that this year, for sure.
A common question I’m asked around the Autumn Equinox is which Film Simulation Recipes are best for photographing fall colors. There are many that could work well, much more than merely 10. I think, generally speaking, any recipe that uses Velvia or Astia could be solid options. Classic Chrome and Classic Negative recipes can be good, too. I don’t believe any film simulation is inherently “bad” for fall colors, but obviously some are better than others. I think oftentimes the recipes that are more vibrant will do better, so perhaps look for those. Download the Fuji X Weekly App (if you haven’t already), browse through the sample pictures, and see which recipe stands out he most to you. Or, if you’re brave, use the new Random Recipe selector to choose one for you!
If you are not sure which Film Simulation Recipe to use on your Fujifilm camera and are looking for some ideas, I have suggested 10 below, which I believe will do well for photographing fall colors. Best of luck this autumn season!
Note: I wrote this article, which I stumbled across today, over two years ago, but for some reason never published it. I replaced many of the original pictures and corrected some words and grammar, but otherwise I kept it the same.
I love film photography, but digital is so much more convenient. The cost of digital photography is paid upfront, while with film there’s a per-frame cost with each exposure, which is just getting more and more expensive. I rarely shoot film anymore, but I like the look of film. The best of both worlds is when I can get a film aesthetic straight out of a digital camera. That might sound pie-in-the-sky or even pretentious; if I like the look of film, why not just shoot film? If I shoot digital, why not just edit like everyone else?
Fujifilm cameras can create something film-like while delivering digital advantages, and that’s incredible! With digital you don’t have to send off your exposures to a lab or have your own lab set up somewhere in your home. You can know immediately if your frame is any good or not—no need to wait hours or days or sometimes longer. And you are not limited to 12, 24, or 36 exposures. There’s a reason why most photographers shoot digital, yet there’s a reason why some still go through the hassle of shooting film. I think Fujifilm is kind of a bridge between the two.
Rainbow in the Woods – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T1 – “Kodak Portra 160“
Using software, such as Alien Skin Exposure or any of the many preset filter packs that are available, it’s very easy to turn a RAW file into something that looks analog. I’ve done that for many years, and I appreciate the results. If I can skip the software step and have a finished image straight-out-of-camera, that’s even better. That saves me some serious time! For many people, editing a picture is half the fun, but for me it’s not. I much prefer to not sit at a computer manipulating photographs. That’s just my preference, and it may or may not be yours, and that’s perfectly fine—there’s no right or wrong way, only what works for you. Shooting Fujifilm cameras using recipes to get film-like pictures straight-out-of-camera is what works for me.
I’m amazed at all the different looks that I can get out of my camera using my different Film Simulation Recipes on Fujifilm cameras. Fuji only gives so much control in-camera— they’re constantly providing more customization options with each new generation, but it’s still limited. Despite that, there’s a lot that you can do to create many different looks. It’s possible to mimic various film aesthetics without using any software. Thanks to Fujifilm’s vast experience with film, they’ve been able to infuse into their camera-made-JPEGs an analog soul that’s frankly missing from most digital pictures.
The photographs in this article are all straight-out-of-camera JPEGs that weren’t edited, with the exception of some minor cropping in some circumstances. They’re all from Fujifilm cameras, including an X-E4, X100V, X-T30, X-T20, X-Pro2, X100F and X-T1. In my opinion, in one way or another, they resemble film—an analog look from a digital camera. That’s nothing short of amazing!
10 example pictures, just to illustrate the point:
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Hold onto your hats, because, for this Film Simulation Recipe, we’re going to dive deep into the obscure and practically forgotten history of a unique film called GAF 500. We’re going to explore the intriguing history of GAF, discover what made this film unique, and discuss how this new GAF 500 Film Simulation Recipe came to be. You are in for a treat today!
GAF actually began in 1886 as the Standard Paint Company of New Jersey. After acquiring a holding company in 1928 that had (among other things) majority ownership of AGFA, the company changed its name to General Aniline & Film—GAF for short. Also in 1928, AGFA merged with Ansco, so in addition to acquiring AGFA, GAF also got ownership of Ansco, which was founded in 1842. Originally named E. Anthony & Co., after merging with Scovill Manufacturing in 1901 it was renamed Ansco (“An” from Anthony and “sco” from Scovill). Ansco was headquartered in New York, and was Kodak’s biggest competitor for many decades. The merger with AGFA was intended to bring Ansco’s photography products to a global market, which would allow them to better compete against Kodak.
Then World War II happened, and in 1941 the U.S. government seized and took ownership of GAF and Ansco (separating it from AGFA, which was a German-owned business), and officially merged Ansco into GAF. The U.S. government retained ownership of GAF until 1965, when it sold all of its shares.
Morning Sunlight on a Curtain – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 – “GAF 500”
In 1967 GAF introduced a revolutionary new film: GAF 500. It was a high-ISO 35mm color transparency (slide) film—the highest ISO color film during its time; the second-highest color ISO film (another GAF emulsion) was rated at ISO 200, so it was more than twice as “fast” (as they called it back then) as the second fastest. 30 years prior to the introduction of GAF 500, the highest ISO color film was rated at ISO 8, so having an ISO 500 option was unthinkable back then, and a lot of people wondered why anyone would need such a high-ISO film. While it was mostly sold under the brand name GAF, it was sometimes sold as Anscochrome 500. Was GAF/Anscochrome 500 any good?
From all accounts, you either loved GAF 500 or hated it. The grain was extremely pronounced. Colors were “good” yet muted (a.k.a. “neutral” or “natural”) and generally considered to be not as “nice” as Kodak’s. It didn’t push-process nearly as well as, it wasn’t quite as sharp as, and it didn’t pair with color correction filters as well as Kodachrome or Ektachrome. It was inferior to all other color emulsions except for one fact: it was fast! You could use it when other films wouldn’t work due to low light. If it was dark and you wanted to shoot color, GAF 500 was your best bet.
GAF 500 had a warm color cast—some described it as orange, some said red-orange, and others stated that it was red—not as warm as some Kodak emulsions, but warm nonetheless. The shadows tended to lean blue. If you pushed the film, it had a purple cast across the frame. Some people liked how it looked when shooting under fluorescent lights or stage lights, and was a popular choice for concert photography.
What people seemed to like most about GAF 500 is that it was gritty yet soft. It was grainy, like a high-ISO black-and-white film, and it was contrasty with a very narrow exposure latitude—it was easy to blow out the whites or block up the blacks; however, it also had low color saturation (or was “more neutral” as some put it) , and the gradations were gentle. It was like a biker ballerina, if you will. Some people loved the aesthetic of GAF 500, and would use it even in bright-light situations just for the look that it produced. Many photographers steered clear of it just because there were “better” options, such as push-processing lower ISO films.
There was a time in the 1970’s that GAF was everywhere. It was the official film of Disneyland, and, for a time, was the only brand of film that you could purchase inside the park. Sears sold GAF cameras and film. Henry Fonda was the spokesman. Despite that, GAF struggled to be profitable competing against Kodak, Fujifilm, and other brands.
GAF made a few minor “improvements” to their ISO 500 film over the years, and (from what I read) it seemed to get “better” towards the mid-1970’s. In 1977, due to sluggish sales, GAF decided to get out of the photography business altogether. GAF/Anscochrome 500 was discontinued, along with all of the other GAF films. The Ansco brand name was licensed out to other companies for years to come, although it was largely used for rebranded films and not original emulsions. GAF 500 was gone forever.
Perhaps thanks to Alien Skin Exposure software, there’s been a renewed interest in GAF 500. Alien Skin has a GAF 500 preset that is supposed to allow you to mimic the aesthetic of the film with your digital images. I’ve used it before, and that’s the closest I’ve come to shooting GAF 500. It’s been awhile since I’ve used Exposure software, so I don’t recall too much about the preset (other than it was grainy). So, for this Film Simulation Recipe, I spent significant time studying whatever I could find on the film. There’s a lot of written information out there, but photographs were hard to come by. Still, I found some, and did my best to emulate the look with my Fujifilm X-E4.
Recreating GAF 500 on my Fujifilm camera was tricky for several reasons. First, I wouldn’t have considered Eterna as the best base (just because it lacks the necessary contrast to emulate a contrasty slide film), but after trying Classic Chrome, PRO Neg. Low, and Eterna Bleach Bypass, I decided to give Eterna a go. Bingo! This one had the right tonality (those “gentle gradations”); however, I do wish that Shadow could be set to +5 to get deeper blacks, but that’s not an option. Another tricky aspect was achieving the warm, reddish/orangish color cast that could still produce a hint of blue in the shadows. Fujifilm cameras aren’t capable of split-toning, so I did my best to approximate this with the white balance; I do wish the shadows were just a little more blue, but it’s not possible without sacrificing the overall warmth. Another challenge was replicating the grain. Fujifilm’s option of Grain Strong Large wasn’t nearly as pronounced as it needed to be, so I set out to supplement it with digital noise using high-ISO. But how high? ISO 1600 wasn’t nearly enough. ISO 3200 wasn’t enough, either. ISO 6400… much closer, but not quite there, either. Should I dare try ISO 12800? Yes, that’s it! More importantly, it looks good, which I had my doubts about.
With slide film, depending on the emulsion, you had to nail the exposure exactly, as the dynamic range was extraordinarily narrow. You didn’t know what you had until you got the film back from the lab (or developed it yourself at home); some frames would be underexposed, some frames would be overexposed, and some frames (hopefully) would be correctly exposed—I found examples of all three when searching for GAF 500 photographs. You can achieve similar aesthetics with this recipe if you want, by either dropping the exposure a little or increasing it a little—the exact look of this recipe will vary some depending on the exposure. While I couldn’t replicate every potential GAF 500 aesthetic with this one recipe, and no recipe will ever be 100% spot-on accurate (because of the limited tools available on the camera, and because the results of one film can vary significantly depending an a whole host of factors), I do believe that this recipe is pretty close to replicating the look and feel of GAF 500 film—at least from the perspective of someone who was born after the film was discontinued, so I never had a chance to use it myself.
Because this “GAF 500” recipe uses Clarity and Color Chrome FX Blue, it is compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II cameras, and is not compatible with the X-T3 or X-T30. Those with X-Trans V cameras can also use it, and it should render identically, although I have no first-hand experience to verify that. Those with newer GFX cameras can use it, too, although it will render differently. Because of the ultra high-ISO that’s required, I recommend using your electronic shutter and a small aperture (like f/8, f/11, or even f/16) when shooting in bright light outdoors.
Eterna Dynamic Range: DR100 Highlight: +2 Shadow: +4 Color: 0 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 Clarity: -2 Grain Effect: Strong, Large Color Chrome Effect: Off Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong White Balance: 2900K, +9 Red & -9 Blue ISO: 12800 Exposure Compensation: -2/3 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this “GAF 500” Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X-E4:
Eat – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Bird Scooters – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Orange Lighter & Abandoned Home – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
FAO JUG – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Why Love? – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Twin Dumpsters – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Garfield – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Overhead Crane – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Oversized Load – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
And So It Begins – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Air Garage & Graffiti – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Can in the Sage – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Suburban Barrel Cacti – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Double Peace – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Table Roses – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Sunlit Curtain – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Yellow Trumpets & Sunstar – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Bougainvillea Branch in the Blue – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Orange Trumpet Flower Blossoms – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
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It’s always interesting to see which recipes you are shooting with. I don’t have a good method to quantify just how popular specific Film Simulation Recipes are. The best metric that I have is page-views—the more times a recipe has been viewed on this website, the more popular I assume it is. I can’t say for certain that there’s a direct relationship between page-views and actual use, but it seems reasonable to suspect that such a correlation exists. This list is the most popular Film Simulation Recipes during the month of June 2022 (so far… there are couple of days left in the month…), as determined by how many times the recipe article has been viewed.
No surprise to me, color recipes are more popular than black-and-white. I love monochrome photography, but color is clearly king. Still, I’m happy to see that my favorite black-and-white recipe made this list, even if it was at the bottom. Also not surprising to me, those recipes with the names Kodak, Kodachrome, and Portra are the most popular. Kodak was top-dog of film (probably still is), so it’s logical that those aesthetics are the most desired. What is a surprise to me is that a few “new” recipes made this list. Ones that have been out for awhile are well established, so they tend to get more views than the new-kids-on-the-block. Brand-new recipes are at a disadvantage for these types of lists, yet three recipes published in June—Reggie’s Portra, Low Key, and Bright Kodak—made it into the top-ten. Yea!
Without further delay, here are the Top 10 Film Simulation Recipes of June:
Fujifilm cameras have a feature in Advanced Filter Settings called “Low Key” that I recently discovered is based on the Provia film simulation, and can be mimicked. While this “Low Key” setting can produce nice-looking images, I felt that it could be better, so I set out to create a Film Simulation Recipe to serve as an alternative to it, with an aesthetic that I appreciate a little more. Specifically, I wanted a recipe based on the Classic Negative film simulation instead of Provia because I like Classic Negative better. My “Bright Kodak” recipe is an alternative to the “High Key” feature found in the Advanced Filter Settings.
Low Key photography is purposefully underexposing for a darker image. It works well when the subject is brightly lit, and the rest of the frame isn’t, so the image is predominately dark, and the brightly lit subject stands out in the otherwise dim frame. I hope this explanation makes sense. This “Low Key” Film Simulation Recipe and the Low Key feature in the Advanced Filter Settings work similarly, and produce nice results when used in the correct situations. While not for everyday use, some of you will certainly appreciate this recipe for when the light is right. I did not model this recipe after any specific emulsion.
This “Low Key” Film Simulation Recipe is fully compatible with newer X-Trans IV cameras: Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, & X-T30 II. Because it uses Classic Negative, Color Chrome FX Blue, and Clarity, it is not compatible with the X-T3 and X-T30. Those with newer GFX cameras can likely use it, too, although results will be slightly different.
Classic Negative Dynamic Range: DR200 Highlight: +1 Shadow: +2 Color: +4 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -1 Clarity: -2 Grain Effect: Weak, Small Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Weak White Balance: Daylight, -2 Red & -4 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -2/3 to -1 1/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Low Key” Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X-E4:
Cactus & Palm Shadow – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Very Tiny Flowers – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Green Cactus Pads – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Spiky – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Blue Sky Cacti – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
BougainvilleaSky – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Light Bulb Evening – Gilbert, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Lit Leaves – Gilbert, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Cinderblock Wall Girl – Gilbert, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
oyride – Gilbert, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
The Queen’s – Gilbert, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Low Key Film Simulation Recipe vs. Low Key Advanced Filter Setting
Low Key Film Simulation Recipe
Low Key Advanced Filter Setting
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I really like The Rockwell Film Simulation Recipe, but sometimes it’s just a hair too much for me. I decided to create a new yet similar recipe that just tones it down a tad. Don’t get me wrong: this new recipe is still wild with vivid colors and definitely not for every situation or even every photographer. It will produce similar results to The Rockwell recipe, but (by a small margin) just a little more soft and tame.
This new “Vibrant Velvia” recipe is for when you want colors to pop. It’s a vibrant recipe for bold pictures. While it’s very colorful, it has low contrast, so it works especially well on sunny days, but I also had good luck with it in grey overcast conditions and in the shade. It’s not well suited for portraits or artificial light; instead, use it outdoors for colorful landscape photography. While I didn’t try to mimic Velvia film specifically, the results do remind me a little of Velvia 50 slides as viewed through a projector, although that is an impression (“memory color”), and not anything I studied specifically for this recipe.
Green Dew – Ridgedale, MO – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Vibrant Velvia”
The “Vibrant Velvia” recipe is compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II cameras. Because it uses Clarity and Color Chrome FX Blue, it isn’t compatible with the X-T3 and X-T30—try the Velvia v2 recipe on those cameras, which is fairly similar. Those with newer GFX cameras can try this recipe, too, although the results will be very slightly different.
Velvia Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: -2 Shadow: -1 Color: +4 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: 0 Clarity: +4 Grain Effect: Weak, Small Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong White Balance: Daylight, -1 Red & +1 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: +2/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Vibrant Velvia” Film Simulation Recipe on a Fujifilm X-E4:
Junk Monkey – Amarillo, TX – Fujifilm X-E4
Rose Singular – Ridgedale, MO – Fujifilm X-E4
Rose Bloom – Ridgedale, MO – Fujifilm X-E4
Vibrant Green Garden – Ridgedale, MO – Fujifilm X-E4
Church in the Ozarks – Ridgedale, MO – Fujifilm X-E4
Waterfall Over Table Rocks – Ridgedale, MO – Fujifilm X-E4
Blue Water Fall – Ridgedale, MO – Fujifilm X-E4
Nantucket – Branson, MO – Fujifilm X-E4
Orange Rocks – Bryce Canyon NP, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Pine Tree & Colorful Cliff – Bryce Canyon NP, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
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As you probably know, I have published over 200 Film Simulation Recipes for Fujifilm cameras—it’s fast approaching 250! There are so many looks that you can achieve straight-out-of-camera no matter your Fujifilm model. But I’m not the only one who has created recipes, and maybe you’re after some look that I haven’t yet published, so I thought I’d compile a list of websites where you can find more recipes. Using Google, I was shocked by what I found: so many people have published recipes! I’m sure my list below is not exhaustive—if you know of something I’ve missed, feel free to leave it in the comments. It’s really quite amazing what’s out there!
If you have the Fuji X Weekly App on your phone and are an App Patron, you can use the Blank Recipe Cards feature to add any recipe that you find to the App so that you can always have it with you. Or if you’ve created your own recipe, you can add it into the App. Or if there’s a recipe that you’ve modified in some way and want to keep track of that modification, you can use it for that purpose, too.
Anyway, below are various websites that I found that have Film Simulation Recipes for Fujifilm cameras. Take a look!
This particular Film Simulation Recipe is one that I’m especially proud of. I was tasked to create some settings that mimic the aesthetic of Lisa Sorgini’s Behind Glass project, and I believe I got pretty close. I have no idea if Lisa shoots digital or film, and, if film, what film and process, but my suspicion is that it’s digital post-processed to have a vintage analog look. This recipe captures that aesthetic quite well. I call it Vintage Color.
What I like most about this “Vintage Color” recipe, and it was a great surprise when I discovered it, is that it’s pretty close to the aesthetic of famed Hudson River School painter Albert Bierstadt, particularly his Yosemite paintings. It may not mimic any specific film, but, no doubt about it, this is an artist’s recipe! I know that many of you will absolutely love it, and it will quickly become a fan favorite. It’s a personal favorite of mine.
Fuji X Weekly App Patrons have been able to use this recipe since May, because this was a Patron Early-Access Recipe on the App. The best App experience is reserved for Patrons, and one of the benefits is early access to some new recipes. This recipe was replaced by a different Early-Access Recipe, so now it’s available to everyone. If you are an App Patron, be sure to look for the new Early-Access Recipe!
This “Vintage Color” recipe is compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4 and X-T30 II cameras. As a reminder, Clarity causes the camera to pause for a moment after each shot; alternatively, try using a mild diffusion filter, like 1/8 Black Pro Mist or 5% CineBloom, for a similar effect.
Eterna Dynamic Range: DR200 Highlight: +2 Shadow: +3 Color: +1 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -2 Clarity: -2 Grain Effect: Strong, Large Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong White Balance: 7350K, -1 Red & -4 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs captured using this “Vintage Color” film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:
Urban Reflection – Reno, NV – Fujifilm X100V
Storm over Structure – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Windshield Rain – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Joy Behind Glass – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Caution – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Tracks & Trees – Capitola, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Warm Blossoms – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Golden Forest – Yosemite NP, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Forest Sun – Yosemite NP, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Half Dome Through The Trees – Yosemite NP, CA – Fujifilm X100V
The Captain – Yosemite NP, CA – Fujifilm X100V
Merced River – Yosemite NP, CA – Fujifilm X100V
El Cap & Merced – Yosemite NP, CA – Fujifilm X100V
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By popular demand, I’ve compiled a list of the Top 25 Film Simulation Recipes of 2021! The methodology of determining which ones were most popular is simple: page views. The articles that were viewed the most throughout the entirety of 2021 were declared “most popular” for this list. It’s possible that, while the article was viewed a lot, the recipe wasn’t used all that much—I’m uncertain of a way to know which ones were the most used, so most viewed is the best method I’ve come up with. Also, it’s important to note that the recipes published in 2021 were at a disadvantage because they didn’t have a full year to be viewed, and this is especially true for those published towards the end of the year.
Last year I published Top 20 Most Popular Film Simulation Recipes of 2020, and, while there are some similarities, there are some interesting changes between the two years. The top most popular recipe of 2020 fell to Number 10 for 2021, while #2 in 2020 climbed to #1. Number 7 in 2020 didn’t make the 2021 Top 25 list at all. There’s plenty of other changes, too, yet also some recipes that stayed the same: Number 3 remained in the same place, as did Number 8.
Below you’ll find the Top 25 Film Simulation Recipes of 2021! I’d love to know which of these recipes are your favorites. If there’s a recipe in this list that surprises you, or if there’s a recipe that you’re surprised didn’t make the list, let me know in the comments!
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Anders began by looking at some old prints he has, which were captured on Kodak Gold 200 film. He noticed that these prints looked a little different than my Kodak Gold 200 recipe, but one film can have many different looks depending on how it was shot, developed, printed and/or scanned, or even which generation of the emulsion you’re viewing. This recipe mimics the aesthetic of his prints, but he noticed that it also matches many examples of Gold 200 that he found online.
Kids in a Tree – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Gold v2”
This recipe is compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II cameras. To make this recipe work on the X-T3 and X-T30, Anders suggests using Grain Strong, White Balance 5900K (with the same shift), and ignoring Clarity—I suggest that you consider using a weak diffusion filter, such as 1/8 Black Pro Mist or 5% CineBloom, in leu of Clarity. In addition, for X-Trans III, ignore Color Chrome Effect. The results will be slightly different, but nearly the same. Anders suggests trying this recipe with a 3200K white balance for night photography.
Classic Chrome Dynamic Range: DR200 Highlight: 0 Shadow: -1 Color: -1 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -1 Clarity: -2 Grain Effect: Strong, Large Color Chrome Effect: Weak Color Chrome Effect Blue: Off White Balance: 5800K, +2 Red & +4 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this new Kodak Gold v2 film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:
Moon Behind Pine – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Moon Behind Cattails – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Safe Zone – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Makeshift Gate – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Wood Post – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Trail to Visitors Center – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Green Leaves in January – Farmington UT – Fujifilm X100V
Hanging Red Berries in Winter – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Berries and Barren Branches – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Brown Reeds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Jo in a Tree – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Jo Under The Tennis Net – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Rural Creek – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm H-H1 – “Kodak GT 800-5”
My Kodak Max 800 film simulation recipe was modeled after some film I found that had “Kodak GT 800-3” imprinted on the negatives. After some research I found out that it was Kodak Max Zoom 800 (specifically, the third iteration of this film). Kodak Max Zoom 800 was replaced by Kodak Max Versatility Plus 800 in 2006, and those negatives had “Kodak GT 800-4” imprinted on them. Well, I found some more prints plus the negatives, and this film has “Kodak GT 800-5” imprinted on them. I searched and searched, but I didn’t find any information on this film. My suspicion is that Kodak updated the Kodak Max Versatility Plus 800 film in some way, yet kept the name the same, but that’s just a guess—it could be an entirely different emulsion sold under a different name. In other words, I’m pretty sure “Kodak GT 800-5” is a descendant of Kodak Max 800, but I wasn’t able to find any specific information on it.
The 4″ x 6″ prints I found were captured in 2008 while on a day-trip to Sedona, Arizona, and were developed at Walgreens. I’m pretty sure the film was shot using a disposable camera, although I don’t remember why (I remember the trip, but I don’t remember anything specific about the pictures). The prints have a strong warm (red/orange) color cast, are somewhat desaturated, and have dark shadows. I’m not sure if this is due to the film itself, or the development and printing by Walgreens, or because they’re degrading with time, or a combination of all three—perhaps something else entirely, like sitting too long in a hot car (always a possibility in Arizona). Whatever the reason, I thought the aesthetic was interesting, so I recreated it on my Fujifilm X-H1.
A Poor quality scan of a print from actual Kodak GT 800-5 film.
A goal of mine for 2022 is to buy a better scanner. I had a “better” one (by better, I simply mean better than what I currently have, because it was mediocre, or really “good enough”), but it stopped working about 10 months ago. This current scanner, which is part of a printer/scanner combination, is particularly bad for some reason. I say all of this because the scan above doesn’t do the print justice, but I wanted to include it anyway to give you an idea where the inspiration for this recipe came from.
This Kodak GT 800-5 film simulation recipe is compatible with all X-Trans III cameras, which include the Fujifilm X-Pro2, X100F, X-E3, X-T2, X-T20, and X-H1. You can also use it on the X-T3 and X-T30 by setting Color Chrome Effect to Off. Because of the particularly warm color cast, this isn’t a recipe that’s for everyone or every situation, but in certain situations this will produce interesting results, and some of you will definitely like it.
PRO Neg. Std Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: 0 Shadow: +3 Color: -3 Sharpness: -2 Noise Reduction: -4 Grain: Strong White Balance: 7100K, +7 Red & -5 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this “Kodak GT 800-5” film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X-H1:
Storm Over Mountains at Sunset – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Winter Mountain – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Snow Covered Blackberry Vines by a Creek – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Winter Berries – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Blossom Remnants 1 – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Blossom Remnants 2 – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Milkweed in January – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Small Spillway – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Rural Road Near Creek – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Path in the Marsh – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Cattails & Frozen Pond – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Frozen Waterway – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Citations Will Be Issued – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
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Thomas Schwab sent me an X-Trans I recipe to try, which he calls Punchy Velvia. Whenever Thomas sends me a recipe to try, I’m always excited to program it into the camera, because they’re often great. He’s a friend, and has a good eye for Fujifilm settings. He created the X-Trans I Kodachrome I and Kodachrome II recipes. Thank you, Thomas, for sending this!
I recently went on a hike with this new recipe programmed into my Fujifilm X-Pro1. My kids were with me, and my daughter, Joy, ended up shooting with the camera much more than I did. A couple of these pictures were captured by me, but most were captured by her. This recipe was a great option for photographing the vibrant colors we encountered. For colorful scenes where you want punchy pictures, this recipe or Vivid Color are the ones to use.
Yellow Oak – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1 – “Punchy Velvia”
If you have an X-E1, X-Pro1, or X-M1, be sure to give this recipe a try. You can also use this recipe on X-Trans II and Bayer cameras, but the results will be slightly different; however, feel free to it anyway, because you might like the results.
Velvia Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +2 (Hard) Shadow: +2 (Hard) Color: +2 (High) Sharpness: +2 (Hard) Noise Reduction: -2 (Low) White Balance: Daylight/Fine, 0 Red & 0 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 3200 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured by Joy using this “Punchy Velvia” film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X-Pro1:
Rock Outcrop – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1 – Photo by Joy Roesch
Boulder in the Forest – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1 – Photo by Joy Roesch
Mountain Forest – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1 – Photo by Joy Roesch
Branches and Blue – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1 – Photo by Joy Roesch
One Leaf Turned – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1 – Photo by Joy Roesch
Oak Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1 – Photo by Joy Roesch
Backlit Autumn Tree – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1 – Photo by Joy Roesch
Autumn Trees – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1 – Photo by Joy Roesch
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Night Synergy – Centerville, UT – Fujifilm X-T1 – “CineStill 800T”
This is my favorite CineStill 800T film simulation recipe. I created my first CineStill 800T recipe, which is intended for X-Trans III cameras, over three years ago. My next version, which is intended for newer X-Trans IV cameras, was published nearly a year ago. This X-Trans II recipe was one of the original Patron “Early-Access” recipes on the Fuji X Weekly App. In other words, those who are Patrons on the App have already had access to this recipe, and now that another recipe has replaced it, this CineStill 800T recipe is available to everyone! Early-Access to some new recipes is one of the benefits of being a Fuji X Weekly Patron, and a great way to support this website.
CineStill 800T is Kodak Vision3 500T motion picture film that’s been modified for use in 35mm film cameras and development using the C-41 process. Because it has the RemJet layer removed, it is more prone to halation. The “T” in the name means tungsten-balanced, which is a fancy way of saying that it is white-balanced for artificial light and not daylight. CineStill 800T has become a popular film for after-dark photography.
Pair – Kaysville, UT – Fujifilm X-T1 – “CineStill 800T”
Even though the film that this recipe is intended to mimic is Tungsten-balanced, it can still produce interesting pictures in daylight. It’s a versatile recipe, but it definitely delivers the best results in artificial light. When I photograph with my Fujifilm X-T1 after sunset, this is the recipe that I use.
PRO Neg. Std Dynamic Range: DR200 Highlight: +2 (Hard) Shadow: +1 (Medium-Hard) Color: -1 (Medium-Low) Sharpness: 0 (Standard) Noise Reduction: -2 (Low) White Balance: 4300K, -3 Red & -3 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 3200 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured on my Fujifilm X-T1 using this CineStill 800T film simulation recipe:
Red Hatchback – Centerville, UT – Fujifilm X-T1
We Care About Asada Nachos – Centerville, UT – Fujifilm X-T1
Shoe Repair in Disrepair – Kaysville, UT – Fujifilm X-T1
Vending Machines – Kaysville, UT – Fujifilm X-T1
Narrow Drive – Kaysville, UT – Fujifilm X-T1
2nd & Main – Kaysville, UT – Fujifilm X-T1
The Kaysville Theatre – Kaysville, UT – Fujifilm X-T1
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Not Filed – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1 – “Kodachrome I”
This Kodachrome I film simulation recipe is an adaption of my Vintage Kodachrome recipe for the Fujifilm X-Pro1 and X-E1 cameras. Of course, those two cameras don’t have Classic Chrome, which makes recreating a Kodachrome look nearly impossible; however, Thomas Schwab figured it out! Thank you, Thomas! You might remember, he also figured out how to recreate Kodachrome II using the PRO Neg. Std film simulation. While this recipe isn’t quite as close of a match to the original recipe as Kodachrome II, it does manage to capture the feel of Vintage Kodachrome, and is as close as you’ll get to that aesthetic on X-Trans I. Because it doesn’t have PRO Neg. Std, this is not compatible with the X-M1.
You might recall that the Vintage Kodachrome recipe is mimicked after the first era of Kodachrome, which was from 1935 to 1960. This Kodachrome was the first film that produced reasonably accurate colors, and, because of that, was the first commercially successful color film. It became the standard film for color photography for a couple decades, and was even Ansel Adams’ preferred choice for color work. The December 1946 issue of Arizona Highways, which was the first all-color magazine in the world, featured Barry Goldwater’s Kodachrome images. While the most popular Kodachrome during this time was ISO 10, Kodak also produced an ISO 8 version, as well as a Tungsten option in the 1940s.
Green Oak Leaves – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1 – “Kodachrome 1”
PRO Neg. Std Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +2 (Hard) Shadow: -2 (Soft) Color: +2 (High) Sharpness: +1 (Medium-Hard) Noise Reduction: -2 (Low) White Balance: Auto, 0 Red & -3 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 3200 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to -1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this “Kodachrome I” film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X-Pro1:
Green Lake – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1
Backlit Forest Leaves – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1
Joshua – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1
Chicken Soup for the Soul – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1
Books in a Pew – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1
Church Pew Near a Window – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1
Red Carpet Stairs – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1
Window Light on Floor – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1
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This Fujifilm X-Trans I film simulation recipe was the first that I created after getting my nine-year-old X-Pro1 camera in the mail. It wasn’t intended to mimic the look of any particular film. I was trying to create a good-looking recipe with a white balance shift inspired by my Fujicolor 100 Industrial recipe. It has a wonderful print film aesthetic, perhaps Kodak-like, that looks especially nice in sunny conditions. I call this recipe “Color Negative Film” because of that generic color negative film quality.
If you are a Patron on the Fuji X Weekly App, you’ve had early access to this recipe since May. A different recipe has replaced it, so if you are a Patron, look for that new early-access recipe in the app! For those who are not Patrons, this recipe is now available to you. If you have a Fujifilm X-Pro1, X-E1, or X-M1, this recipe is compatible with your camera.
Diesel Cash Price – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1 – “Color Negative Film”
If you have a Fujifilm Bayer camera, I invite you to try this recipe on your camera, although results will be a little different. Technically, X-Trans II cameras can use it, too, although it definitely won’t look the same—maybe you’ll like it, maybe you won’t. If you have an X-Trans I camera, this is a must-try recipe that many of you are sure to love!
Provia Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +2 (High) Shadow: +2 (High) Color: -2 (Low) Sharpness: -1 (Medium-Low) Noise Reduction: -2 (Low) White Balance: 3000K, +8 Red & -9 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 3200 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this “Color Negative Film” recipe:
Rising Up – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1
Red Leaves of Summer – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1
Backlit White Blossom – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1
Yellow Bench – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1
Tiny Fruit – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1
Blackberry Forest – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1
Building Mountain Storm – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-Pro1
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There’s no right or wrong way to do photography. One technique or method might work for one person but not another. Whatever works for you is what you should do. With that in mind, I can think of three ways that you can approach using film simulation recipes on your Fujifilm camera.
The SOOC live video series that Nathalie Boucry and I are doing focuses on one of those approaches: straight-out-of-camera JPEGs. Shoot JPEG (or RAW+JPEG) with your recipe of choice, and use the unedited or lightly edited pictures (crops and very minor adjustments) that come out of the camera (which is one-step photography). This is probably the most common way to use film simulation recipes, and this is the method that works for me, as it saves me a lot of time (which allows me to be more productive), and I find it to be more fun. Shooting RAW and using X RAW Studio is a similar approach, although it does add a step to the process.
The photographs at the top of this article, which I captured over the last two days, are straight-out-of-camera JPEGs (aside from some minor cropping on a couple). The recipes that I used for those pictures (the top three are one, the bottom two are another) are future recipes that will be published on this website (and the app) soon. The entirety of my post-processing workflow was simply this: 1) transfer the pictures from the camera to my phone, 2) crop the pictures that needed to be cropped, 3) upload them to my online storage. Done.
Another option is to shoot RAW with a recipe and post-process the pictures using a software like Lightroom, Capture One, RAW Power, Exposure, etc., etc.—the software will apply its interpretation of many (but not all) of the JPEG settings to the RAW file (obviously each program is a little different). This gives you a head start with your editing, as you’re already 70% “there” when you start, and you just need to finish it. This is a great way to speed up your workflow without losing the flexibility of RAW.
Another approach is a mix of the first two: shoot JPEG (or RAW+JPEG) and edit the JPEGs using a software like Lightroom, Capture One, VSCO, Exposure, etc. This might sound like an odd approach at first (why not just shoot RAW if you’re going to edit?); however, if you like the way the straight-out-of-camera JPEGs look, and feel only minor refinements are required to achieve the exact aesthetic you desire, this is a good option. The JPEG is 90% “there” and just needs small adjustments to finish. This is my wife, Amanda’s, preferred approach. This is also what Vuhlandes describes in the video below.
Whether you rely strictly on straight-out-of-camera JPEGs, or you edit your JPEGs, or you post-process your RAW files, film simulation recipes can be used on your Fujifilm camera to help you get the look that you want. There’s not one path that is right for everyone. What’s important is that you find the method that works for you. Hopefully, no matter your preferred process, there’s something on this website that you have found helpful in some way to your photography. If so, let me know in the comments! Also, tell me how you use film simulation recipes—which of the three method works best for you. Or, if you have a different approach that I didn’t mention, I’d love to hear it.
United Carrier – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Expired Slide”
United Carrier – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Expired Slide v2”
I set out to recreate the look of expired slide film. Perhaps expired is the wrong term, because the aesthetic that I was after is more like mishandled slide film—not stored correctly or developed promptly. Maybe it passed its expiration date because it sat in a drawer for so long, or maybe it was in a hot car for a couple of hours, but, whatever the reason, it definitely doesn’t look right.
Why would I want to create this look? Because it’s an interesting vintage aesthetic that was somewhat common in the film era. While most people would not want this outcome, interestingly enough, there are some film photographers (a.k.a. Lomographers) who do this kind of thing on purpose specifically because they want this look. The two film simulation recipes below are for those people seeking something different. Neither of these will likely be anyone’s “go-to” recipe, but if you want something that’s a bit unusual, these are ones to try.
The film simulation recipe called Expired Slide was actually the second one, as I created (what I now call) Expired Slide v2 first. I liked the original settings, but thought that it might be a bit too much, so I toned it back slightly. I posted examples of both recipes to Instagram and let you guys decide which one was best. The Expired Slide recipe won hands-down, but there were some who passionately preferred Expired Slide v2, so I’m posting both. The only difference is the white balance (and shift), otherwise they’re identical. Expired Slide has more of a red-orange cast while Expired Slide v2 has more of a red-purple cast. Both recipes (as of this writing) are only compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10 and X-E4 cameras.
Expired Slide:
Forest Flowers – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Velvia Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +2 Shadow: -1 Color: -4 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -2 Clarity: -2 Grain Effect: Strong, Large Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong White Balance: 5500K, +7 Red & -2 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
Limited 4404 – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Free – Boise, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Free Signs – Boise, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Construction Crane – Boise, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
10:45 – Boise, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Red Fence – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Tulip Blooms – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Dark Payette Lake – McCall, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Mossy Trunk – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Expired Slide v2:
Caterpillar – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Velvia Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +2 Shadow: -1 Color: -4 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -2 Clarity: -2 Grain Effect: Strong, Large Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong White Balance: 5000K, +8 Red & 0 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
Red Barn – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Jump Pad – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Stack of Buckets – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
The Oaks – Ogden Canyon, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Lake Marina – McCall, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Two Dogs Swimming – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Jon Fishin’ – McCall, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Log in the Water – McCall, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
Payette Lakeshore – Ponderosa State Park, ID – Fujifilm X-E4
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Pink Roses – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Fujicolor Pro 400H Box Speed”
In my last post, entitled A Different Approach, I shared Anders Lindborg‘s new take on film simulation recipes, which included seven different Fujicolor Pro 160NS recipes that he invented. This is Part 2 of that article. Below you’ll find another seven recipes, this time for Fujicolor Pro 400H! If you haven’t read the first post, you’ll want to do that now, because this will make a lot more sense if you have that prerequisite understanding.
If you don’t want to take the time to read it (or if you’ve already forgotten), here’s a quick summery. Anders’ approach is to have a good base recipe that works well in most circumstances, but also have subtle variations of that recipe, that mimic pushed and pulled film, for when the conditions require either less contrast (pulled) or more contrast (pushed). You can use all seven Custom Presets in the Q Menu to save each of these recipes if you want, or just save the base recipe (called “Box Speed”) and adjust to the various variations on-the-fly, or save the base setting and have the variations programmed into X RAW Studio. Also, by design these recipes will work with any film simulation, even though they call for PRO Neg. Hi.
Like the 160NS recipe, I’m only including the “Box Speed” version in the Fuji X Weekly app, and I encourage you to use the Notes section under the recipe to store the pushed and pulled variations. These seven Fujicolor Pro 400H recipes are compatible with the Fujifilm X-T3 and X-T30 cameras. If you have a newer X-Trans IV camera (X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10 and X-E4), Anders recommends setting Clarity to -3 and Grain to Weak & Large. If you have an X-Trans III camera, ignore Color Chrome Effect; the results will be slightly different, but it will still produce good results. For Pushed +3 and Pushed +4, feel free to try Grain Strong.
This recipe wasn’t intended to mimic Fujicolor Pro 400H film, but it does resemble it fairly well. A lot of people like to overexpose real 400H film to get a pastel look; unfortunately, this recipe won’t achieve that particular aesthetic (but look here and here). Anders created this recipe by modifying his Pro 160NS settings; I made a couple of small modifications to it, but mostly these settings are created by him. Thank you, Anders, for creating these recipes and allowing me to share them!
Fujicolor Pro 400H Box Speed
Pops of Red – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: 0 Shadow: 0 Color: +1 Color Chrome Effect: Strong Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 White Balance: Daylight, +1 Red & -3 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
Free Pie – South Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Birthday Girl Coloring – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Shelf Plant – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fujicolor Pro 400HPulled -1
Snail – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: -1 Shadow: -1 Color: +1 Color Chrome Effect: Strong Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 White Balance: Daylight, +1 Red & -3 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
If you are adding this recipe to the Notes in the app, consider using this abbreviation: Pulled -1: HL & SH -1.
Green Aspen Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Tank Cars – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Yellow Cat – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fujicolor Pro 400H Pulled -2
Hazy Mountain – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: -2 Shadow: -1 Color: 0 Color Chrome Effect: Strong Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 White Balance: Daylight, +1 Red & -3 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +1 (typically)
If you are adding this recipe to the Notes in the app, consider using this abbreviation: Pulled -2: HL -2, SH -1, CLR 0.
Box Cars – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Suburban Sunset – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Hazy Tree – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fujicolor Pro 400H Pushed +1
Yucca Leaves – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +1 Shadow: 0 Color: +1 Color Chrome Effect: Strong Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 White Balance: Daylight, +1 Red & -3 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
If you are adding this recipe to the Notes in the app, consider using this abbreviation: Pushed +1: HL +1.
Red Tree – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Tree & Dark Clouds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
David Baldwin – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fujicolor Pro 400H Pushed +2
Wood Stripes – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +2 Shadow: 0 Color: +2 Color Chrome Effect: Strong Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 White Balance: Daylight, +1 Red & -3 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
If you are adding this recipe to the Notes in the app, consider using this abbreviation: Pushed +2: HL +2, CLR +2.
Mountain Biking – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Radar Mountain – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Bloomin’ Onion – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fujicolor Pro 400H Pushed +3
Three Artificial Plants – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +2 Shadow: +1 Color: +3 Color Chrome Effect: Strong Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 White Balance: Daylight, +1 Red & -3 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
If you are adding this recipe to the Notes in the app, consider using this abbreviation: Pushed +3: HL +2, SH +1, CLR +3.
Berry Bush Leaves #1 – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Berry Bush Leaves #2 – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Sky Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fujicolor Pro 400H Pushed +4
Old Phone – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +3 Shadow: +2 Color: +4 Color Chrome Effect: Strong Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -4 White Balance: Daylight, +1 Red & -3 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
If you are adding this recipe to the Notes in the app, consider using this abbreviation: Pushed +4: HL +3, SH +2, CLR +4, SHARP -4.
Berry Bush Leaves #3 – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Green – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Landscape Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Below are examples of using the Fujicolor Pro 160NS Box Speed recipe using other film simulations. You can do this with all of the pull and push variants, too, although I didn’t supply any examples of those because this article is already very long.
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Have you ever been to an amusement park and gone on one of those log flume water rides where you get thrilled and soaked simultaneously? That’s this film simulation recipe, which is appropriately called Grizzly Ride. Immanuel Sander (a.k.a. Captn Look), who created the Nature Neon and Creamy Color recipes, also invented this one (find him on Instagram and YouTube). I’m not exactly sure why he named it Grizzly Ride, but, when you look at the pictures captured with this recipe, it makes perfect sense. I want to thank Immanuel for creating this recipe, allowing me to share it here, and allowing me to publish his pictures—it’s much appreciated! Be sure to leave him a “thank you” in the comments.
This film simulation recipe reminds me of sepia, except with color images instead of black-and-white. It’s got a great vintage feel to it, reminding me of some old color pictures from my grandparents’ photo album. It’s one of my favorite recipes for natural-light indoor photography, but it also looks good in many other situations, too.
Because this recipe uses Eterna Bleach Bypass and some other JPEG options that are only found on the newest models, it’s only compatible (as of this writing) with the Fujifilm X-E4, X-T4 and X-S10 cameras. As a reminder, using Clarity causes the camera to pause briefly after the exposure, which will slow you down a little.
Eterna Bleach Bypass Dynamic Range: DR200 Highlight: 0 Shadow: +2.5 Color: -2 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -4 Clarity: -5 Grain Effect: Strong, Large Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong White Balance: 6990K, +3 Red & -7 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Grizzly Ride” film simulation recipe:
Immanuel Sander
Photograph by Immanuel Sander
Photograph by Immanuel Sander
Photograph by Immanuel Sander
Photograph by Immanuel Sander
Ritchie Roesch
Onion Flames – South Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Hanging Lamps – South Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
New Sake Flavors – South Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Nobody pays me to write the content found on fujixweekly.com. There’s a real cost to operating and maintaining this site, not to mention all the time that I pour into it. If you appreciated this article, please consider making a one-time gift contribution. Thank you!
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