Fujifilm recipes | FUJI X WEEKLY

New: Send Recipes to Your Camera directly from the Fuji X Weekly App!!

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. It’s being worked on for Android and is coming soon, but it’s not ready yet, so it’s only on Apple to start with. 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.

About the so-called “piss filter”

Posted on 18 Days Ago by Ritchie Roesch

*Fire, Truck* – Lordsburg, NM – Fujifilm GFX100S II – 1970’s Summer

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.

Load Unlimited Recipes …with a catch

Posted on 20 Days Ago by Ritchie Roesch

*Baloney Maroney’s* – Tulsa, OK – Fujifilm X-E5 – Retro Slide

Fujirumors wrote a post last week entitled How to Load Unlimited Fujifilm Recipes on Your Camera – FAST and FREE that I wanted to comment on right away, but I was traveling and just didn’t have the time. So I’m just getting to it, now that I’m back home.

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.

*Amtrak over Bridge* – Austin, TX – Fujifilm X-E5 – Classic Retro

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.

Retro Slide — A Fujifilm Recipe for 5th-Gen (X-Trans V) Cameras

Posted on 27 Days Ago by Ritchie Roesch

*Meadow Gold Mack* – Tulsa, OK – Fujifilm X-E5 – Retro Slide

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.

Top 26 Most Popular Fujifilm Recipes of 2026 So Far (Summer Edition)

Posted on August 3 by Ritchie Roesch

*Central Camera Co.* – Chicago, IL – Fujifilm X-T5 – 1976 Kodak

I get asked fairly regularly which Fujifilm Recipes are the most popular. For me, this is a fascinating topic, but it’s definitely hard to know definitively. While I get a glimpse on social media, my best gauge is the Fuji X Weekly website statistics; specifically, which Recipe articles are viewed the most. I don’t collect any data on the Fuji X Weekly App, so that’s no help—although, if I did, it would likely offer the most accurate picture; however, it would still be impossible to know which Recipes people programmed into their Fujifilm cameras, or how often they used each. Perhaps a survey would be particularly useful, yet even it has its limitations. While certainly a flawed method, page-view website statics offer the best glimpse at which Film Simulation Recipes are the most popular, so that’s what I’m using for this article. These are simply the Top 26 most-viewed Recipes on the Fuji X Weekly website from January 1st through July 31st of 2026.

The last time that I did one of these lists was on March 31st, and not much has changed. In fact, 25 of the 26 Recipes are the same. There’s only one new one, which also means that only one moved out of the Top 26. Many are even in the same position, or only moved minimally. These lists are quite predictable, so it doesn’t surprise me too much that this is nearly identical to the one I published back in March.

*Street Musicians* – Chicago, IL – Fujifilm X-T5 – Kodak Tri-X 400

As usual, those Recipes with Kodak brand names in the title—Kodachrome, Portra, Gold, Tri-X, etc., etc.—are typically the most popular. Classic Chrome is the king of film simulations, as the majority of the most-viewed Recipes are based on that Film Simulation. Classic Negative, Reala Ace, Acros, Eterna, and Nostalgic Neg. are neck-in-neck for the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth positions.

Without any further delay, below are the most popular Fujifilm Recipes of 2026 through July 31st!

Top 26 Most Popular Film Simulation Recipes of 2026 So Far

#1:

Reggie’s Portra

Reggie’s Portra, which uses Classic Chrome, is the number one top Film Simulation Recipe on Fuji X Weekly. Reggie Ballesteros created it in 2022 by modifying my Kodak Portra 400 Recipe to better suit his style and needs. Of the various Portra Recipes, this is the most versatile, and the most popular for portrait photography. Reggie’s Portra is compatible with X-Trans IV and X-Trans V cameras.

#2:

Kodachrome 64

A Classic Chrome based Recipe for X-Trans IV cameras that was the long-time most popular Film Simulation Recipe for Fujifilm cameras on this website. It’s a lot of people’s favorite.

#3:

Kodak Gold 200

This is the X-Trans V version of Kodak Gold 200; the X-Trans III/IV version is found later in the list. The Kodak Gold 200 Recipes uses the Classic Chrome Film Simulation.

#4:

Vibrant Arizona

A Wes Anderson inspired Recipe based on Classic Chrome for X-Trans IV and X-Trans V cameras.

#5:

Kodachrome 64

This is the X-Trans V version of Kodachrome 64. I use this Recipe quite often, as it’s one of my personal favorites.

#6:

Kodak Portra 400 v2

This is the X-Trans V version of Kodak Portra 400 v2; the X-Trans IV version is found below. This is another of my personal favorites. It uses Classic Chrome.

#7:

Kodak Tri-X 400

The Kodak Tri-X 400 Recipe, created by Anders Lindborg, is the long-time most popular B&W Recipe on Fuji X Weekly. It’s based on the Acros film simulation, and has compatibility with X-Trans III, X-Trans IV, and X-Trans V models. This is one of my absolute top-favorite Recipes.

#8:

Universal Negative

It’s probably unfair to include this Recipe in the list because it’s not one, but 14 Recipes. It’s intended to be used with the Film Dial, or with any X-Trans V camera by mapping Film Simulation to a customizable button. I have no way of knowing which of the 14 are the most used.

#9:

CineStill 800T

This is an Eterna-based Recipe for X-Trans V cameras; however, it’s simply an adaptation of the X-Trans IV version that has been around awhile.

#10:

Pacific Blues

This is the X-Trans V version of the Pacific Blues Recipe, which uses the Classic Negative film simulation, and is another personal favorite that I use frequently. The X-Trans IV version is just a little further down.

#11:

Fujifilm Negative

This Recipe uses the Reala Ace film simulation, which means that it is compatible with X-Trans V cameras.

#12:

Kodak Portra 800 v3

A Classic Chrome based Recipe for X-Trans IV and X-Trans V cameras.

#13:

Pacific Blues

This is the X-Trans IV version of Pacific Blues.

#14:

Reggie’s Superia

Earlier this year, Reggie Ballesteros created Reggie’s Superia, which uses Classic Negative and is compatible with X-Trans IV and V cameras. It will be interesting to see if its quick rise will be sustained long-term, or (like a lot of new Recipes) if it will slowly decline in popularity after the initial interest. My best guess is the former and not the latter.

#15:

Kodak Portra 400 v2

A Classic Chrome based Recipe for X-Trans IV cameras that was the long-time #2 most-popular Recipe on Fuji X Weekly. While it’s still popular, it has fallen significantly over the last couple of years.

#16:

California Summer

This is currently the highest-ranked Recipe that uses the Nostalgic Neg. Film Simulation (not including Universal Negative). It’s compatible with X-Trans V cameras.

#17:

14 Film Dial Recipes

The Film Dial Recipe, which is for X-Trans V cameras with a Film Dial, is another one that’s a bit unfair to include since it is actually 14 Recipes. I have no idea which of them are the most used. This is another personal favorite.

#18:

Kodak Portra 400

This version of Kodak Portra 400, which uses Classic Chrome and is compatible with X-Trans IV cameras (although it can be used on X-Trans V), was once commonly the third most popular Film Simulation Recipe on Fuji X Weekly. While it doesn’t rank nearly as high as it once did, it’s still quite popular.

#19:

Reala Ace

Reala Ace, which is for X-Trans V cameras, is based on the Classic Negative Film Simulation. This is also a personal favorite Recipe.

#20:

Easy Reala Ace

This Recipe, which was created by Nathalie Boucry, uses the Reala Ace Film Simulation, and is compatible with X-Trans V cameras.

#21:

Kodak Gold 200

Another Classic Chrome based Recipe, for use on X-Trans III models, plus the X-T3/X-T30.

#22:

PRO Negative 160C

This was the very first Recipe I published that uses the Reala Ace Film Simulation.

#23:

1976 Kodak

1976 Kodak uses the Nostalgic Neg. film simulation and is compatible with X-Trans V cameras.

#24:

Vintage Kodachrome

Vintage Kodachrome, which is based on Classic Chrome, is one of the older Film Simulation Recipes on Fuji X Weekly (it was the fifth one published), and is compatible with X-Trans III cameras. This might be the most pivotal Recipe.

#25:

Fujicolor Super HG v2

A Classic Negative based Recipe co-created by Thomas Schwab that’s compatible with X-Trans V cameras (there’s also an X-Trans IV version).

#26:

McCurry Kodachrome

This Recipe, created by Anders Lindborg and the late John Sevigny, is reminiscent of scanned Kodachrome 64 slides, and is compatible with X-Trans IV cameras. It’s another Recipe that uses the Classic Chrome film simulation.

Find these Film Simulation Recipes and many more on the Fuji X Weekly App!

Why are Fujifilm Recipes so Popular?

Posted on July 17 by Ritchie Roesch

*White Boat at Nyhavn* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF – Copenhagen Negative

People often ask me why I think Fujifilm Recipes have become so popular. The answer seems obvious: they produce beautiful pictures. That’s certainly part of it, but I don’t think that’s the whole story. After years of creating hundreds of Recipes and talking with photographers from around the world, I’ve come to believe that what we’re really drawn to isn’t just the look, it’s how Film Simulations and Recipes change the experience of photography itself.

Photography has become increasingly complicated over the last few decades. Pick up a vintage film camera and you have three controls: aperture, shutter, and focus. ISO is determined by the film. If you developed your own film, that required learning a skill and access to special equipment; however, if you had a lab do it for you (and photo labs used to be everywhere), that simplified things significantly. Pick up a modern camera, and there are buttons and controls all over the body, and things become even more complex when you dig into the menu. Editing software, which is the modern equivalent of the darkroom, can be overwhelming, with nearly unlimited possibilities for photo manipulation, a skill that’s quite different than operating a camera. That’s all incredible, but it can also be intimidating and exhausting. Sometimes endless choice is less like freedom and more like work. The more complicated cameras and software get, the less enjoyable it can become. But Fujifilm offers an alternative approach, should you wish to use it.

*Corn Crib* – Great Smokey Mountain NP, TN – Fujifilm X-T5 – Classic Amber

Choosing a Fujifilm Recipe is a little like loading a roll of film into a camera, except that on most Fujifilm models you can have up to seven loaded at any given time, and you’re not limited to 24 or 36 frames—it’s unlimited. Once you’ve set the Recipes, you stop worrying about all the other possibilities, and simply photograph with what’s available to you. Interestingly, limiting your options often feels more freeing than having unlimited choices. It’s one of those wonderful paradoxes: less is more, and fewer options can actually make you more creative. As Pablo Picasso advised, “If you have five elements available, use only four. If you have four elements, use three.”

There is something deeply satisfying about seeing a finished photograph immediately. It’s not too dissimilar to the magic of instant film photography. Ansel Adams coined the term one-step processing to describe this, where the second step—the development step—is no longer required. “The effect of one-step processing on both amateur and professional creative photography has been revolutionary,” Adams stated. When the picture appears in the EVF or LCD and it already looks the way you envisioned, that’s exciting. It makes you want to keep photographing, which creates momentum. Instead of thinking, “I’ll fix it later in post,” you’re thinking, “Let’s make another picture!” That’s a completely different mindset.

*Bridge X* – Austin, TX – Fujifilm X-E5 – Classic Retro

Recipes encourage photographers to see differently. For example, if I choose a Recipe with warm colors and soft contrast like Kodak Portra 400 v2, I naturally start looking for scenes that fit it. If I’m using a dramatic B&W Recipe like Agfa Scala, I begin noticing shadows, texture, and shape. What I photograph and how I photograph it change depending on the Recipe I’m using. The camera hasn’t changed, but the way I’m seeing the world has. In other words, Fujifilm Recipes are creative tools that influence the entire photographic process.

Then there’s nostalgia. Whether you shot film for decades or were born long after its heyday, certain colors and tones feel familiar. They remind us of family photo albums, vacation snapshots, old magazines, classic photography books, maybe movies we grew up watching, or even our memories of how something looked and felt. Fujifilm has done something remarkable by bringing those visual memories into the digital age by way of Film Simulations, and Recipes build further on that foundation by recreating classic analog aesthetics.

*Joshua Tree Hotel* – Kingman, AZ – Fujifilm GFX100RF – Agfa Ultra 100 v2

There’s one final aspect that’s worth mentioning: community. I think there’s an especially deep desire right now for personal connections; while it may seem odd that camera settings would bring people together, they do. Real life connections have been made because of the Recipe community. In my experience, this is the kindest group in all of photography, chocked full of super nice people who are eager to help. In a sense, community is the recipe.

Photographers love Fujifilm’s Film Simulations and Recipes because they make photography accessible, enjoyable, less time consuming, and for how it changes the photographic process. They encourage us to spend less time behind a computer and more time behind the camera (and maybe even with other photographers). They remind us that creativity often flourishes within limitations, not despite them. And perhaps most importantly, they help us focus on what drew many of us to photography in the first place: the simple joy of making pictures.

Classic Retro — A Fujifilm Recipe for Fifth-Generation Cameras

Posted on July 11 by Ritchie Roesch

*Downtown Austin* – Austin, TX – Fujifilm X-E5 – Classic Retro

This Classic Retro Recipe began as an accident. The Fujifilm X-E5 has a Film Dial, but Classic Negative was excluded as a default option; however, you can set it (or any other Film Sim that was left off) to FS1-FS3, which is what I did. The X-E5 also has the option to program Recipes into FS1-FS3, and you can toggle the Recipes on and off. I was shooting with the Film Dial Recipe set, so I turned off the three Recipes set to FS1-FS3 (only the Film Simulation would change and not the other settings). Later, I was using the Agfa Scala Recipe, which was set to my C1-C7, but decided that I wanted to use the Classic Negative Recipe that I had programmed into FS1; however, I forgot to turn the Recipe that was programmed into FS1 back on, so the camera simply changed Acros to Classic Negative without adjusting the other parameters of the Agfa Scala Recipe. I captured a couple of images, then realized my mistake.

When I was reviewing the photos, I saw those couple of images where I made the mistake, and I kind of liked them. It wasn’t quite right, but I saw the potential. I fiddled with the settings, then made some more adjustments, and later refined it a little more. You’ll noticed where the Agfa Scala influence is, but a lot of the settings ended up with a change, and the final Recipe is notably divergent from where I started. It’s not modeled after any film, but it reminds me a little of Kodak Ektachrome 400 from the 1980’s (perhaps slides that have faded a bit), or maybe FPP RetroChrome 400, which was expired surplus Ektachrome made for government use, later sold to the general public. I don’t think this is spot on accurate for either, but it seems to be in the very general ballpark for both.

The trick with the Classic Retro Recipe is underexposure. It’s very easy to clip the highlights (which you want to avoid doing), but aside from that, the underexposure is an important part of the aesthetic. For most pictures, you should be in the negative territory on the Exposure Compensation Dial. Classic Retro is compatible with all fifth-generation Fujifilm models, which are the X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, and X-T30 III cameras. You can also use it on the latest GFX models, like the GFX100 II, GFX100S II, GFX100RF. For fourth-generation cameras with Classic Negative, you can use this Recipe, too; however, it will render slightly differently (but try it anyway!).

Film Simulation: Classic Negative
Grain Effect: Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome FX Blue: Strong
White Balance: Daylight, 0 Red & -3 Blue
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: +4
Shadow: -2
Color: -1
Sharpness: -2
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 Classic Retro Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X-E5:

*Southwest Airlines* – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E5

*Sky Tram* – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E5

*Vines on a Train Bridge* – Austin, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Cesar Chavez St* – Austin, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Downtown and Colorado River* – Austin, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Bridge Encounter* – Austin, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Fujifilm X100 Photographer* – Austin, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Skateboard & Bike* – Austin, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Fisherman* – Austin, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Clouds Over Train Bridge* – Austin, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Urban Flower Blooms* – Austin, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Power Plant* – Austin, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Double Decker Cars* – Austin, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Greyhound Bus* – San Antonio, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Four Flags* – San Antonio, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Brick Building with Broken Glass* – San Antonio, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Majestic Theater* – San Antonio, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Aztec* – San Antonio, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*River Boat* – San Antonio, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Stairway* – San Antonio, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Large Leaves* – San Antonio, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Leaves by the Water* – San Antonio, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

*Amaranth Blooms* – San Antonio, TX – Fujifilm X-E5

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Fujifilm X-E5 in black:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Nuzira
Fujifilm X-E5 in silver:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Nuzira

Travel Photography in Texas and Oklahoma

Posted on July 6 by Ritchie Roesch

Let’s talk travel photography! I have two upcoming classes and photowalks this month: Austin on July 8th and Oklahoma City on July 25th. These will be centered around gear selection, tips, and Recipes for your summer outings. If you live in Texas or Oklahoma, I hope that you can make it to one of these two events.

The Austin class and photowalk will be at Precision Camera & Video, located at 2438 W. Anderson Lane, on Wednesday, July 8th. The class will begin at 5 pm, afterwards—about 6:30 pm—we will head over to the Austin Public Library to walk around downtown with our cameras. The fee is $5, and you do need to register (click here). It’s going to be a great time of learning, community, and photography. This is only two days away, but it’s not too late to join!

Above left: Idalou, Texas, with Fujifilm X-T5 using the Superia Negative Recipe; Above right: Pawhuska, Oklahoma, with Fujifilm X100V using the Kodak Tri-X 400 Recipe

The Oklahoma City class and photowalk will be at Bedford Camera & Video, located at 3110 N. May Ave, on Saturday, July 25th. The class will begin at 4 PM, afterwards—about 6:00 pm—we will head over to Scissortail Park to walk around with our cameras. This event is free; however, if you plan to come, you do need to register (click here). It’s going to be a great time of learning, community, and photography. This is only about two-and-a-half weeks away, and will arrive quickly. If you are in the Oklahoma City area, be sure to join us—I hope to see you there!

Those are the only classes and photowalks currently scheduled. Events like these are always a lot of fun, and it’s so great to meet you and talk gear and photography with you. If you are in the vicinity of Austin or Oklahoma City, be sure to come out. These types of events are highly collaborative, and it takes a lot of people to pull them off, including representatives from Fujifilm and the camera stores—I want to give a big “thank you” to everyone involved. And I hope to see some of you real soon in Texas and Oklahoma!

“Really Crap & Lazy Advice” — Ignore the Gatekeepers

Posted on July 1 by Ritchie Roesch

*Red Boat in Nyhavn Canal* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF – Avalon Ace

Last night I was scrolling Instagram when I saw a Reel that bothered me a bit. Maybe you saw it, too. It wasn’t from anyone I follow, just something the algorithm thought I would like. I would have much preferred to have been shown content from those I follow, but Meta kind of sucks and instead gives me things that I don’t really care for. The video in question was insulting, so I thought I would address it.

Specifically, the person in the video, who has a somewhat large following, doesn’t like that a lot of people within the Fujifilm world don’t edit their photos. “I don’t have a problem with Fujifilm cameras,” the video starts out. “My problem is with the brand and people telling you that you shouldn’t edit your photos, that you should skip Lightroom and editing, and that you should only do straight out of camera. I think that is really, really, really crap and lazy advice.” It goes on from there, and only gets worse. At the end he reveals that this is why he’s moving to Leica. Apparently he thinks that Fujifilm shouldn’t point out to their customers that their camera-made JPEGs are pretty darn good, and he doesn’t seem to like the Fujifilm community in-general and doesn’t want to be associated with such people. Perhaps not enough Fujifilm photographers were buying his preset packs?

First, I don’t think anyone is saying (or, if they are, it’s very, very, very few) that you can’t edit your photos, only that you don’t have to if you don’t want to. There are a thousand ways to do photography, and no one way is better than another. It’s only what works for you personally. If that’s shooting RAW and editing in Lightroom, great. If that’s unedited straight-out-of-camera JPEGs, cool. If that’s film photography, awesome. For a lot of people it can be a combination of things, just depending. There is no right or wrong way to do photography, and anyone who tells you otherwise is gatekeeping and should be ignored.

*Misty Saguaro* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Pacific Blues

Fujifilm Recipes can be used in a surprising number of ways, not just for unedited straight-out-of-camera photography. Personally, aside from cropping/straightening and maybe a small exposure adjustment sometimes, I don’t edit my photos. I used to, until I realized that the straight-out-of-camera JPEGs could be made to look like my edited RAW images. That discovery literally changed my life (no hyperbole). Before that, I edited so many photos it’s not even funny. Personally, I don’t enjoy editing, and I’ve found it unnecessary for my photography. But that’s just me. Other people (like my wife) will sometimes edit the JPEGs, which have a fair amount of latitude for manipulation, in Capture One. Other people use the JPEGs sometimes and the RAWs other times, just depending on the picture and what they will use it for. There are some who are strictly RAW-only and still use Recipes because it helps them to better pre-visualize in the field how the edited photos will look, and it gives them a head start in the editing process. One person will sometimes layer the out-of-camera JPEG over the edited RAW image, and blend them together. It’s all about what works for you—not what other people are doing—and there are a plethora of possible paths, all of them legitimate.

Going back to the video, the implication is simple: if you don’t edit your photos and you tell others that they don’t have to, you are “really, really, really” crappy and lazy. That’s complete nonsense and just bullsh*t. A completely awful and insulting take. Someone who edits RAW photos is not inherently any better or worse than someone who doesn’t, and their pictures aren’t inherently better or worse, either. Even Ansel Adams used Polaroids and wrote a whole book about it. Was he being lazy? Was he giving crappy advice when he wrote a whole chapter on the benefits of one-step photography (skipping the development stage)? Was he a bad photographer because he didn’t always use the darkroom? Of course not! Nobody would argue that, but that’s essentially the argument of the video.

Photography is deeply personal, and many people—the gatekeepers—tie their identity to how “skilled” they think they are. When someone else succeeds with a different method—shooting JPEGs, iPhone photography, etc.—it threatens the fragile belief that their way is the only legitimate path. It’s a defensive shield: If you do it differently and are successful, then my choices—and hence myself—might be less special. Gatekeeping is a way of preserving a hierarchy that does not naturally exists. I’m a real photographer because I do it this way, and you’re not because you don’t. It’s a game of king-of-the-hill, except nobody else is playing. And it’s just dumb.

I’ve been told I’m doing much harm to photography because I don’t edit my photos and I tell other people that they don’t have to, either, if they don’t want. That’s crazy! You do photography however you want to do it, and worry less about what others are doing. If you want to shoot Leicas, edit RAW files, and sell Lightroom presets, by all means do so. If you want to spend less time at a computer and more time out creating photographs, Fujifilm might just be the brand for you. Whatever way you want to do photography, go ahead and do it that way, and don’t let the gatekeepers tell you that you are less-than for it. In the end, nobody really cares how you made the photograph, they only care that you made it.

7 Must-Try Recipes for the Fujifilm X-T3 & X-T30

Posted on July 1 by Ritchie Roesch

Part 1: 5th-Gen, Part 2: 4th-Gen

This is Part 3 of what will be a five-part series exploring Fujifilm Recipes for each generation of cameras. Beginning with the latest models, we will work our way back towards the older cameras. For each article, I will suggest seven Recipes to try. This is intended for those new to the whole Recipe thing, who haven’t tried them before (or perhaps only a few Recipes so far). The intention is to provide you with a list of seven that you can program into your C1-C7 Custom Setting presets.

The list below, which are the seven Recipes for Part 3, is specifically for the Fujifilm X-T3 and X-T30 cameras, the first two X-Trans IV cameras, which are in a category of their own. If you have one of those two cameras, these are the correct Recipes for you. This is far from an exhaustive list of fourth-generation Recipes, it’s only seven really good ones to get you started. Something to note is that with the X-T3 & X-T30, you cannot save a White Balance Shift within C1-C7; however, the camera will remember one WB Shift per WB type. With that in mind, each of these use a different WB type so that you don’t have to remember to adjust the WB Shift when going from one Custom Setting preset to another. If you are unsure which Fujifilm Recipes to begin with, these are ones that I highly recommend.

Kodak Portra 400 v2

Kodak Portra 400 v2 does well anytime the sun is out, but especially for “golden hour” near sunrise and sunset. As the name suggests, it’s a good option for portrait photography, but it’s excellent for many other genres, too. This Recipe uses the Daylight White Balance.

Classic Kodak

While Classic Kodak can be used anytime the sun is out, it is a great options for middle-of-the-day situations. This Recipe uses the Shade White Balance.

Kodak Ultramax

I like to have at least one Recipe programmed into my camera that’s highly versatile and can be used no matter the situation. One of my personal favorites is Kodak Ultramax, which uses Auto White Balance.

Kodak Vision3 250D

Although each of the first four Recipes have a Kodak-negative-like look, Kodak Vision3 250D produces a notably divergent aesthetic than the three above. This Recipe uses the Fluorescent 1 White Balance.

Fujichrome Sensia 100

Fujichrome Sensia 100 offers a notably different look than the options above. It’s one of my favorite Recipes for sunrise and sunset colors when the sky is pink and purple, but is good for a lot of other situations, too. It uses the Fluorescent 2 White Balance.

Jeff Davenport Night

If it’s between dusk and dawn, especially if there are city lights, Jeff Davenport Night is the recipe to use on your X-T3 and X-T30 cameras. Period. It uses a Kelvin White Balance.

Analog Monochrome

Filling out the last slot was tricky because most of the White Balance types have already been used. There are basically three options: choose an X-Trans III Recipe—which are fully compatible with the X-T3 and X-T30—that uses a different WB type (that’s what I’ve done here, as Analog Monochrome utilizes Incandescent); use an Auto WB Recipe—perhaps Ilford Delta Push Process—and disregard the WB Shift, and accept the results for what they are (which will be nearly the same, but not exactly the same); or use a Daylight WB Recipe—perhaps Kodak Tri-X 400—and substitute Daylight with Underwater, which is similar enough that you’re unlikely to notice the difference.

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AI Can’t Match the Aesthetic Correctly

Posted on June 29 by Ritchie Roesch

*Bike Bags* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5 – Provia Positive

Someone told me, “When I want a Recipe for a certain look, I just ask AI to make it for me.” I’ve heard a similar sentiment a few times. In fact, there are a couple of website and apps that will do it for you. Just upload a picture, and AI will create a Recipe that supposedly matches the picture. ChatGPT and other AI programs can do it, too. But is it any good?

It’s an easy test, actually. Use a photo that was made using a Recipe, and see if it comes up with the same or similar settings. If not, then it doesn’t do a good job. Test it again using a photo made using that same Recipe, and see if it gives you the same or similar settings as the first time. If it doesn’t, then it’s inconsistent and can’t be trusted. In order for AI to be a useful tool for this, it needs to be both accurate and consistent; if neither are true, it’s not a good tool.

If you upload a photo to AI and ask it to create a Fujifilm Recipe, you hope that it’s going to produce reasonably similar results to the photo you uploaded. If not, then what’s the point? You might as well just use random settings, or let darts or dice determine what to program into your camera. Someone once told me that AI is better than a complete novice, but not as good as an expert. I think there’s a lot of truth to that, but when it comes to creating Recipes, AI might actually be worse than the novice.

For example, I uploaded the image at the top, Bike Bags, which was made using my Provia Positive Recipe, and asked ChatGPT to make a Recipe from that photo. You can see my chat with AI below:

I noticed two things immediately. First, it has a lot of similarities to Reggie’s Portra. Certainly not 100% (and for sure it’s not as good), but there some obvious parallels. Second, it says to use base ISO 160 and also DR200; since the Dynamic Range settings are ISO dependent, you can’t use DR200 at ISO 160. A minor grievance, but it illustrates that AI isn’t fully versed in Fujifilm settings. This is how Provia Positive compares to AI’s “Nordic Harbor” (a.k.a. Reggie’s Portra tweak):

The results are pretty divergent. You might like the AI version (it’s basically Reggie’s Portra with a slight green cast), but you can’t say that it’s a good facsimile of the Recipe it’s suppose to look like. Using the same account, I started a new chat and asked ChatGPT again to make a Recipe using the same photo, but I worded the question slightly different. It basically gave the same Recipe but with four changes: Reala Ace instead of Classic Chrome, Color 0 instead of +1, Shadow -2 instead of -1, and WB Shift +1 Red & -3 Blue instead of -2 Red & -4 Blue. Let’s take a look:

ChatGPT’s Reala Ace version of its “Nordic Harbor” Recipe

After this, I used a separate ChatGPT account and repeated step one precisely, and got even different results (this time it suggested Velvia). I then tried using different photos made with the same Provia Positive Recipe, and each time it gave me a different Recipe, and none were very close to my Recipe. Between the two accounts, I asked ChatGPT to make a Recipe based on a Provia Positive photo a total of 10 times. Even if it had given an accurate result once (which it didn’t), how could you trust it with divergent suggestions each time? How could you ever know which one would be most correct?

ChatGPT’s third attempt, this time with Velvia

I then tried other AI programs and apps, and repeated the test. Interestingly enough, on my first attempt with Claude, it gave a Reggie’s Portra like Recipe (just like ChatGPT), but with an even stronger green cast than ChatGPT’s iteration. Gemini also chose Classic Chrome on the first attempt, but played it safe and didn’t venture very far from factory-defaults. After 10 tries with these other AI apps and programs, plus the 10 I did with ChatGPT, I had a total of 20 results. Three things shocked me. First, Classic Chrome was chosen nine times, far more than any other film simulations. I assume this is because Classic Chrome is by far the most popular film sim for those who use Recipes, and that’s influencing AI’s answers. Second, Provia wasn’t picked even once. Not one time did AI choose the correct film simulation—not Provia, the “standard” option. Even on the programs specifically intended for making Fujifilm Recipes from photos, it got it wrong. If I had picked at complete random, most likely I would have chosen Provia at least one time (there are 20 film sims, and I made 20 attempts, but nine of them are monochromatic and not color). Third, one time Acros was given for the film simulation. One of the AI’s thought that Acros—a B&W film simulation—was the most correct! Wow.

This article is already way too long, so let me wrap this up. Yes, AI can make a Recipe that is based on a photo that you upload to it. Anytime you ask AI to do something, it will give you an answer. But is that answer any good? When it comes to Fujifilm Recipes, probably not. First, as you can see above, AI couldn’t figure it out. It also gave a different answer each time, and sometimes very nonsensical ones. Both the inaccuracies and inconsistencies are major red flags, and demonstrate that it’s not a trustworthy source for this particular task. It’ll probably get there someday, but it’s not there today. This is a very easy test, one that you can do yourself. If you ever wonder if any AI program or app can make a Recipe that matches the aesthetic of a picture that you upload to it, simply use an image that you already know the parameters of; if it can’t match it—or at least be in the general ballpark of it—then it’s not a good resource. You might actually be better off throwing darts, rolling dice, or picking the settings out of a hat at random.

Upcoming: July Travel Photography Classes & Photowalks

Posted on June 25 by Ritchie Roesch

Fujifilm is presenting a number of summer seminars on travel lenses and travel photography across America. They’ve asked me to lead two of them: one in Austin, Texas, on July 8th, and one in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on July 25th. If you live in or near those two cities, mark your calendars now and be sure join in on the fun.

The Austin class and photowalk will be at Precision Camera & Video, located at 2438 W. Anderson Lane, on Wednesday, July 8th. The class will begin at 5 pm, afterwards—about 6:30 pm—we will head over to the Austin Public Library to walk around downtown with our cameras. The fee is $5, and you do need to register (click here). It’s going to be a great time of learning, community, and photography. If you live anywhere near central Texas, I hope to see you there!

*Betsy the Burgundy Bullet* – Austin, TX – Fujifilm X100VI – Eterna Summer

Later in the month, on July 25th, I’ll be at Bedford Camera & Video in Oklahoma City. The full details are still being worked out, but it should be along the lines of an afternoon class followed by a photowalk. As soon as it’s all finalized, I’ll get the details out to you. If you live in or near Oklahoma City, be sure to check back periodically so that you don’t miss out.

I don’t have details on the other locations, so if you live outside of Texas and Oklahoma, check with your local camera stores to see if they have any events going on. It’s possible that they are hosting one of these summer seminars, and, if so, you’ll want to join in on it. If you live in Austin or Oklahoma City, I hope to see you this July!

Eterna Bleach Bypass is an Underrated Film Simulation

Posted on June 23 by Ritchie Roesch

*Low Sun over Tetons* – Grand Teton NP, WY – Fujifilm X-E4 – Ferrania Solaris FG 400

Among Fujifilm’s 20 Film Simulations, Eterna Bleach Bypass might be the second least popular, only ahead of Sepia. In my opinion, it is the most underrated and under-appreciated option. Introduced on the Fujifilm X-T4 in 2020, Eterna Bleach Bypass remains exclusive to newer-generation cameras, so those with older models don’t have it available to them. Of the recent Film Simulations—Reala Ace, Classic Negative, Nostalgic Negative, Eterna, and Eterna Bleach Bypass—this one seems to get the least love, which I think is a bit unfair.

To understand the Eterna Bleach Bypass Film Simulation, it helps to first understand what it’s trying to replicate. Bleach bypass is a film processing technique in which the bleach stage is reduced or skipped during development, leaving silver in the emulsion along with the color dyes. The result is an image with higher contrast, muted colors, and a gritty, dramatic tonality—almost as if a black-and-white and color frame were combined together into one. It’s a more common darkroom technique for motion pictures than still photography, but it has been used for both. If you have ever watched the movie Saving Private Ryan, you’ve seen actual bleach bypass. Fujifilm’s Eterna Bleach Bypass Film Simulation is essentially an approximation of their Eterna motion picture film processed this way. It has strong contrast and is the lowest saturated of all the color Film Simulations.

*Tilted Saguaro* – Tucson, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – 1960 Chrome

Eterna Bleach Bypass is not a “works for everything” type of Film Simulation like Classic Chrome, Reala Ace, etc.. It’s more for when the subject and situation are “right” for it. Because of that, many never try it, or if they do, it’s once or twice and never again. When used intentionally, it can create cinematic images with a moody character. If you want to add drama to urban environments, partially cloudy or overcast sky, mountain scenes, and much more, this Film Simulation will do it.

Technically, you can get pretty close to factory-default Eterna Bleach Bypass by using the Eterna Film Simulation and increasing both Highlight and Shadow while also lowering Color and making a WB Shift adjustment. But there are straight-out-of-camera aesthetics that are only possible with the Eterna Bleach Bypass Film Simulation. It has its own look that’s immediately recognizable once you become familiar with it. Eterna Bleach Bypass is way underrated and deserves more fanfare. If you’ve never tried it, below are seven really good Fujifilm Recipes that use Eterna Bleach Bypass. I invite you to try one today!

1960 Chrome

The aesthetic of the 1960 Chrome Recipe comes from several photographs in various 1960’s issues of Arizona Highways magazine (I collect old copies of Arizona Highways, there’s so much great photography inside), so it has a vintage feel to it. This Recipe has compatibility with fourth and fifth generation models.

Ferrania Solaris FG 400

The Ferrania Solaris FG 400 Recipe is simply Kodak Portra 400 v2 with Eterna Bleach Bypass instead of Classic Chrome. Most Recipes don’t look particularly good when you change the Film Simulation, but in this case it does. This Recipe is compatible with “newer” X-Trans IV cameras (X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II); for fifth-generation models, set Color Chrome FX Blue to Off.

LomoChrome Metropolis

The very first Recipe that I created using the Eterna Bleach Bypass Film Simulation was LomoChrome Metropolis. This Recipe is compatible with “newer” X-Trans IV cameras (X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II); for fifth-generation models, set Color Chrome FX Blue to Weak.

Eterna Bleach Bypass

“Essentially black-and-white for color photography,” is how I described the Eterna Bleach Bypass Recipe. It’s compatible with “newer” X-Trans IV cameras (X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II); for fifth-generation models, set Color Chrome FX Blue to Weak.

Chrome City

Chrome City is found in the Universal Negative Recipe set, and is one of my favorite Recipes for dreary, rainy days. It’s intended for fifth-generation cameras.

Kodachrome Blue

The Kodachrome Blue Recipe mimics improperly scanned Kodachrome slides. Due to its unique design, Kodachrome is the most difficult slide film to accurately scan, so there are a lot of examples of the film with a blue cast, including some of my own that the lab did a poor job scanning. This Recipe is compatible with “newer” X-Trans IV cameras (X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II); for fifth-generation models, set Color Chrome FX Blue to Weak.

Pushed CineStill 800T

The Pushed CineStill 800T Recipe was intended for daytime photography, but is actually most well suited for nighttime situations. This one is compatible with X-Trans V cameras; for “newer” X-Trans IV (Fujifilm X-T4, X-S10, X-E4 & X-T30 II) use this version, and for the X-Pro3 and X100V use this one that has Eterna as the base.

Find these Fujifilm Recipes and many more in the Fuji X Weekly App! Consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support Fuji X Weekly.

About (Typical) Exposure Compensation

Posted on June 23 by Ritchie Roesch

I wanted to give a real quick word about the Exposure Compensation found within each Fuji X Weekly Recipe. I get questions about this fairly regularly, and there seems to be some confusion. Let me give a short explanation of what is meant when a Recipe says (for example) Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically).

The “typical exposure compensation” provided with each Recipe is intended to be a starting point and nothing more. It was never meant to be a rule, only general directions. For some recipes it’s a little more critical than others. For example, Vintage Kodachrome really does need a little underexposure in order to look right; conversely, Bright Kodak really does need a little overexposure to render correctly. But for the most part, this isn’t a critical aspect of a Recipe. It’s simply intended to give a little direction for those unsure.

One question that I get sometimes is: what about those who shoot in all-manual, and don’t use the Exposure Compensation Dial? Well, instead of “exposure compensation”, it’s just exposure. In other words, simply increase or decrease the exposure suggested by the meter by whatever the Recipe says. If your meter says (for example) f/4, 1/250, and ISO 400, and the Recipe says +1 exposure, simply use f/2.8 instead of f/4, or select 1/125 instead of 1/250, or choose ISO 800 instead of ISO 400 (choose one, not all three).

Another question that I get is: how do I program Exposure Compensation into my camera? There are some models that can save an exposure compensation within each Custom Setting preset (it won’t save a range—like +1/3 to +1—but it can save one, such as +2/3); however, most Fujifilm cameras cannot do that. For the majority of cameras, Exposure Compensation is a manual process done by turning the Exposure Compensation Dial on the top of the camera.

Each time you activate the shutter, the appropriate exposure for each scene should be judged individually. Even though a Recipe might say Exposure Compensation +2/3 to +1 (typically), perhaps for the unique lighting scenario in front of you, maybe -1/3 is most appropriate. Aside from that, we each have our own tastes and styles, and maybe for you, a slightly brighter or darker image is better. In other words, don’t take the typical exposure compensation values of a Recipe too seriously. It’s only meant to help you go in the right direction; however, each situation should be judged for what it is, which might be different each time.

Which brings me to two Recipes specifically: Reggie’s Portra and Reggie’s Superia. For Reggie’s Portra, I had listed +1/3 to +1 as the typical exposure compensation range. For Reggie’s Superia, I had listed it as +1/3 to +2/3. But Reggie Ballesteros—the creator of those two Recipes—never gave them, nor intended for them to have, any suggested exposures. The exposure for each picture should be judged individually. At his request, I removed the suggested exposure compensation range. Reggie is not wrong in this assessment, and it’s for a similar reason that I did not include a suggested exposure range for the Video Recipes.

I never intended for the Exposure Compensation field of Fujifilm Recipes to be so confusing. I hope this clears it up a little for those who may have struggled with it. I never intended for it to be a rule, only a rough starting point for those unsure what the exposure should be. If it’s not helpful to you, feel free to ignore it.

7 Must-Try Recipes for 4th-Gen Fujifilm Cameras

Posted on June 22 by Ritchie Roesch

Part 1: 5th-Gen

This is Part 2 of what will be a five-part series exploring Fujifilm Recipes for each generation of cameras. Beginning with the latest models, we will work our way back towards the older cameras. For each article, I will suggest seven Recipes to try. This is intended for those new to the whole Recipe thing, who haven’t tried them before (or perhaps only a few Recipes so far). The intention is to provide you with a list of seven that you can program into your C1-C7 Custom Setting presets. For those with only C1-C6, you’ll have to choose one to exclude; for those with only C1-C4, you’ll have to cut three out.

The list below, which are the seven Recipes for Part 2, is specifically for fourth-generation Fujifilm cameras, which is to say X-Trans IV, but it’s a little more complicated than that. The fourth-generation cameras that this set is specifically for are the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, X-T30 II, and GFX100S. If you have one of those cameras, these are the correct Recipes for you. This is far from an exhaustive list of fourth-generation Recipes, it’s only seven really good ones to get you started. If you are unsure which Fujifilm Recipes to begin with, these are ones that I highly recommend.

Kodachrome 64

Kodachrome was the most iconic film, so it stands to reason that we should begin this list with the Kodachrome 64 Recipe. It’s intended for sunny daylight photography, but can sometimes be good in other scenarios, too, just depending on the subject and lighting. I feel like Kodachrome 64 is an essential Recipe to try.

Kodak Portra 400 v2

Reggie’s Portra

I like to have at least one Recipe programmed into my camera that’s highly versatile. There are several excellent options, but a personal favorite is Reggie’s Portra, which works in almost any light situation.

Pacific Blues

The Pacific Blues Recipe is intended for a sunny summer day at the beach; however, I have found it works wonderfully well on foggy or dreary days, too. It’s more dramatic and significantly different than the options above, so it offers a good alternative aesthetic that’s still film-like. This is one of my personal favorite Recipes.

The Rockwell

This list wouldn’t be complete without a Velvia-based Recipe. When the situation calls for something bold, The Rockwell will accomplish that, delivering vibrant and sharp results.

Serr’s 500T

Most Recipes are intended for sunny daylight; while some can still do well at night, there are Recipes specifically intended for night photography. Of those, Serr’s 500T is one of my favorites.

Kodak Tri-X 400

No C1-C7 would be complete without at least one B&W Recipe, and Kodak Tri-X 400 is my go-to option. I love monochromatic photography, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better Recipe than this.

Part 3: X-T3/X-T30

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.

7 Must-Try Recipes for 5th-Gen Fujifilm Cameras

Posted on June 21 by Ritchie Roesch

This is Part 1 of what will be a five-part series exploring Fujifilm Recipes for each generation of cameras. We will begin with the latest models, and work our way back towards the older cameras. For each article, I will suggest seven Recipes to try on your Fujifilm camera. This is intended for those new to the whole Recipe thing, who haven’t tried them before (or perhaps only a few Recipes so far). The intention is to provide you with a list of seven that you can program into your C1-C7 Custom Setting presets. For those with only C1-C6, you’ll have to choose one to exclude; for those with only C1-C4, you’ll have to cut three out.

The list below, which are the seven Recipes for Part 1, is specifically for fifth-generation Fujifilm cameras, which is to say X-Trans V, but it’s a little more complicated than that. Fifth-generation cameras are: X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF. If you have one of those cameras, these are the correct Recipes for you. This is far from an exhaustive list of fifth-generation Recipes, it’s only seven really good ones to get you started. If you are unsure which Fujifilm Recipes to begin with, these are ones that I highly recommend.

Kodachrome 64

Kodak Gold 200

This is a classic Recipe that’s always popular. Kodak Gold 200 produces warm photos, and is intended for use in sunny daylight situations. It’s especially good for golden hour, including sunrises and sunsets.

Pacific Blues

The Pacific Blues Recipe is intended for a sunny summer day at the beach; however, I have found it works wonderfully well on foggy or dreary days, too. It’s more dramatic and significantly different than the two options above, so it offers a good alternative aesthetic that’s still film-like. This is one of my personal favorite Recipes.

Reala Ace

The Reala Ace Recipe predates the Reala Ace Film Simulation release, and is based on Classic Negative. It’s more like the actual film of the same name than the Reala Ace Film Simulation, which is more like Fujicolor PRO 160C. This is a highly versatile Recipe that can be used anytime of the day or night.

Vivid Velvia

Boldly colorful, Vivid Velvia is intended for landscape photography where you want the scene to pop. It’s fairly versatile, but probably not the best option for portraits. If you are primarily a landscape photographer, you might find yourself using this one the most.

CineStill 800T

While some of the other Recipes will do well for nighttime photography, CineStill 800T is specifically intended for photographing after dark. You can use it during the day if you should desire a cool blueish cast, but for the most part you’ll want to save it for after sunset. This Recipe pairs well with a weak diffusion filter, like 5% or 10% CineBloom or 1/8 or 1/4 Pro Mist.

Agfa Scala

Agfa Scala is a new adaptation of an old Recipe. I’ve loved the Agfa Scala Recipe for a long-time, and an update for the latest cameras was long-overdue. This is one of my current favorite B&W options.

Part 2: 4th-Gen, Part 3: X-T3/X-T30

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7 Fujifilm Recipes to Replace RAW Editing

Posted on June 9 by Ritchie Roesch

*Sailboat at Nyhavn* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF – Vivid Velvia

By moving the creative process from the computer to the camera, Fujifilm Recipes can effectively replace RAW editing for many photographers. Instead of spending hours adjusting curves and sliders after the fact, you make the aesthetic decisions before even pressing the shutter. The colors, contrast, grain, white balance, and overall mood become part of the act of photography itself. Some people—gatekeepers—insist that RAW editing is the only serious path because it offers maximum flexibility, but maximum flexibility isn’t always the best path. Sometimes, limitations improve art.

One of the great benefits of Recipes is freedom—freedom from the computer and Lightroom (or other RAW editing software), freedom from indecisive aesthetic choices, freedom from unfinished work (such as RAW files just sitting around waiting to be edited). Most photographs that are created using Recipes are finished the moment that they’re made, making the journey from vision to finished image dramatically shorter. Perhaps the greatest freedom that Recipes bring is time.

*Low Clouds Over Manhattan* – New York City, NY – Fujifilm X100VI – Kodak Tri-X 400

Another benefit of using Recipes is that it aligns with how a large number of people actually want to do photography. Not everyone desires photography to be half-camera and half-computer. Some simply want to capture meaningful moments, compelling scenes, and beautiful light without turning every outing into a post-processing project. There is no rule that says a photographer must shoot RAW and edit in Lightroom to be legitimate. If a Recipe delivers the look you want straight-out-of-camera, then you’ve already reached the destination. This is not to say that RAW has no place, only that it isn’t a prerequisite or requirement. There’s no right or wrong way to do photography, only whatever works best for you. That could be JPEGs, that could be RAW, it could be film, it could be all of those at different times, or something else entirely. Do whatever is best for you and your photography.

If you are looking for some Fujifilm Recipes to try that might convince you to stop editing RAW, I’ve picked seven that I think could do just that. Of course everyone has their own tastes and styles. You might like some of these and not others, or all of them, or none of them. The Recipes that could become your favorites might not even be in this list. But, if you are looking for some great ones to try, these are seven that I highly recommend.

Kodachrome 64

The Kodachrome 64 Recipe is modeled after the iconic film. It’s intended for sunny daylight photography, so it works best in those conditions, although I have had good results in some other situations, too. This particular version of the Kodachrome 64 Recipe is for fifth-generation Fujifilm cameras, which are the X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 II, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF. There’s also a version for fourth-generation models, one for the X-T3 and X-T30, as well as an X-Trans II iteration. You might also appreciate the McCurry Kodachrome Recipe.

Kodak Portra 160 v2

Kodak Portra 160 V2 is another Recipe intended for sunny daylight conditions. Interestingly, a photographer recently loaded a roll of Portra 160 into his film camera and used this Recipe on his Fujifilm camera, and shot them side-by-side. The results? The images were nearly identical, difficult to distinguish from each other. This Recipe, which is a modification by Thomas Schwab of my old Kodak Portra 160 Recipe (which was made with some help of Piotr Skrzypek), is for 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. Also, those with fourth-generation cameras should try my Kodak Portra 160 Recipe.

Pacific Blues

While intended for a sunny day at the beach, the Pacific Blues Recipe is surprisingly excellent in a variety of conditions and for diverse subjects. It’s one of my all-time favorites. This particular version is for 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. There is also a version for fourth-generation models. Another Recipe to consider is Fujicolor 100 Gold.

Copenhagen Negative

Copenhagen Negative is one of the newest Recipes on Fuji X Weekly, and it’s already one of my favorites. This is for 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. You might also appreciate the 1-Hour Photo Recipe.

Fujicolor PRO 160C Warm

A part of the Film Dial Recipe set, Fujicolor PRO 160C Warm is highly versatile, and can be used anytime of the day or night. This is for 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. An alternative to consider is the PRO Negative 160C Recipe.

Vivid Velvia

Vivid Velvia is a bold Recipe for vibrant pictures. It’s best for landscape photography, or anytime you want to emphasize vivid colors. This Recipe is for 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, as well as some fourth-generation models: X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, X-T30 II, and GFX100S. You might also like The Rockwell Recipe.

Kodak Tri-X 400

Last but far from least is Kodak Tri-X 400, the only black-and-white Recipe in this list. Created by Anders Lindborg, this is my all-time favorite B&W option. It can be used with any fourth or fifth-generation camera. Agfa Scala is another Recipe to consider.

Find these Fujifilm 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.

Your Camera’s Warranty Might Be Voided

Posted on June 8 by Ritchie Roesch

According to Fujifilm, using any non-licensed program (including Fujifilm’s own SDK) “to connect to, or control, any compatible Fujifilm camera, will void the camera’s limited product warranty.” I spoke with Fujifilm and confirmed this to be true. I was also told that they only give licenses to large corporations “like Adobe.” I bring this up because more and more, there are programs and apps that can connect to your Fujifilm camera, to remote control it or push Recipes to it, and so forth. Very few of these seem to tell you that doing so voids your camera’s warranty. I was also told by someone at Fujifilm that each time you connect, a marker is left in the camera, which Fujifilm could find to prove that a non-licensed program was connected to the camera.

Personally, I would be extremely cautious connecting any Fujifilm model that is still under warranty to any non-licensed software or app (anything that’s not officially from or supported by Fujifilm). Depending on your country, X-series gear can have up to a three year warranty, and GFX up to five year. You may want to look into the specifics of your camera and country to determine the exact length of your manufacturer warranty; for a lot of people, it will be just one year.

I bring this up because most of these programs and apps don’t tell you this. The developers are well aware (or at least should be) that if you connect your camera to their software it will void your warranty, but I think they’re afraid that if you knew the risk, you’d be less inclined to use their program, and they’d be less profitable. They’d rather be a bit shady than lose potential customers. The risk that they themselves are taking is that if your warranty gets denied and they didn’t disclose to you that using their app would void the warranty, you could hold them accountable (although good luck with that). My guess is that thousands (maybe tens of thousands) of Fujifilm photographers have unknowingly voided their warranty—they are completely unaware, and might be learning about it for the first time right now. That’s terrible, and it should be unacceptable.

With some of these programs, it’s even more shady than that. For example, many of them aggregate Recipes; however, some of the creators of those Recipes have no idea that their Recipes are even in the apps, and much of the time they are not even given credit, which is a shame. Worse, many photographers (who create Recipes) have their photos in these apps without permission or even credit (in other words, illegally). Someone who doesn’t even make Recipes is profiting off of those who do, including off of their photos. You’ll find tons of my Recipes, and when I’ve asked them to be removed, I have been told that there’s nothing technically illegal about it, so pound sand. That might be true (there could be a strong plagiarism argument), but it’s not cool in the least to do so. Someone who doesn’t even make Recipes shouldn’t be profiting off of those who do. With regards to my photos, that’s a daily (and uphill) battle to get them removed. If you’ve ever created and published a Recipe anywhere on the internet, there’s a good chance you’ll find it in at least one of these programs, and maybe your photos, too.

My Fujicolor 100 Gold Recipe and my photo used without permission or even credit in someone else’s app.

I’ve hesitated to say anything because some will take this as sour grapes. They will think that I’m just upset over competition. Look, there are legitimate creators doing wonderful things for the community, and I’ve happily pointed them out and linked to their websites or channels many times on Fuji X Weekly over the years. I’m for the community, and I think it’s great that so many are not only using Recipes, but are creating them, too. It’s a wonderful thing, and I never imagined that all of this would grow and grow and grow so much. It’s truly an honor to have a front-row seat. What I’m saying is: does that non-official-Fujifilm program that connects to your camera, whether software or app, tell you that by doing so your warranty will be voided? If not, that’s a big problem. You should be made aware, and from there you can make an educated decision to connect or not connect. If it’s hidden in the fine print, that’s an issue, too, because few actually read the fine print, yet it absolves the developer of responsibility.

Of course, Fujifilm themselves deserve some blame. You should be able to push Recipes into the Custom Settings presets (C1-C7 for most cameras, C-C6 or C1-C4 for others) right from the X App. You can do it from X RAW Studio, but it isn’t obvious. For that matter, there should be a mobile version of X RAW Studio. There’s a lot more that Fujifilm could and should do to make adding Recipes to your camera easier (something I’ve encouraged them to do, and even offered my assistance with). And maybe it’s a bit my own fault, too, because I’ve spent more than a year trying to go about all of this “the right way” by attempting to work with Fujifilm on something that was highly unlikely to ever work out, and ultimately didn’t. Because of this, my own implementation of a similar feature has been delayed and delayed and delayed. I desperately want to avoid voiding your warranty. If I did make something that would void your warranty, I would make everyone very well aware and not hide it, so that you could make whatever informed decision that you’re comfortable with.

Anyway, I need to end this post. I truly hope nobody gets hosed by an unknowingly voided warranty. Make whatever choice that you want, but I do think it’s beyond time for someone to say something publicly, so at least you know the potential consequences of the choice that you are making. I’m sorry that it has to come from me, I’d rather not be the messenger. I’ve put this off for a very long time hoping that something would change, but it seems to only have gotten worse with time.

Edit: I want to add a few quick things. First, you should learn the warranty laws that are specific to your country and state/region. Some places have stronger protections than others, some of which may prevent your warranty from automatically being voided just because you connect to an unlicensed program. Second, just because technically speaking your warranty has been voided, that doesn’t mean that Fujifilm won’t still honor it. They may or may not—in my estimation, depending on exactly what the problem is, there is a good chance that they will honor it. Third, even if they don’t, you might still have legal options (I’m not an attorney, nor am I an expert in warranty laws). I am only trying to make people aware of the potential risk, because they should absolutely be aware that there is a risk.

Fujifilm Recipe: Provia Positive

Posted on May 27 by Ritchie Roesch

*Baltic Sea* – Greve, Denmark – Fujifilm X-T5 – Provia Positive Recipe

About a month-and-a-half ago, Dan Allen sent a Recipe for me to try. It was based on Provia and was specifically intended for spring blossoms, so he called it Spring Provia. When I had the opportunity, I loaded it into my camera and tried it out. I didn’t get to use it a lot, but I did like the results. Fast forward to Fujikina Copenhagen. There was a Magnum exhibit that had a light table wall with hundreds of color transparencies displayed. It was really cool! I noticed one group of slides—I couldn’t tell you who the photographer was or what film was used or any technical information—that was reminiscent of Dan’s Recipe. I found the images I had made using his Recipe on the SD card in my X-E5, and reprocessed them in-camera to better match the slides. While I don’t think I got it completely perfect, I was very happy with the results. Then I continued to use the Recipe—a variant of Dan’s Recipe—while in Copenhagen.

My modified version, which I’ve called Provia Positive, is highly versatile. It’s hands-down my favorite Provia Recipe of all-time. As many of you may know, Provia is not my favorite Film Simulation, and I don’t personally use it often. This Recipe gave me a new appreciation for it, and is one I could see myself using regularly. It’s highly versatile, great for most subjects and situations. While portraits are probably hit-or-miss, it’s excellent for landscapes, still-life, street photography, etc., etc..

For Dan’s original Recipe—Spring Provia—use Provia, DR400, Grain Effect Off, Color Chrome Effect Strong, Color Chrome FX Blue Off, White Balance Daylight, WB Shift +1 Red & -1 Blue, Highlight -1, Shadow +1, Color +3, Sharpness 0, High ISO NR -4, and Clarity 0. I invite you to try Dan’s Recipe, it’s pretty good. My variant adds Grain (because grain was visible in the slides, and I like it personally), Color Chrome FX Blue Strong (to mimic the blue sky in some of the slides, perhaps the photographer used a polarizer filter), Auto White Priority (some of the pictures in the group were in different light situations, and Daylight didn’t match those), WB Shift +2 Red & -3 Blue (I went back-and-forth between +1 and +2 Red… +1.5 Red would have probably been most appropriate if it was possible, so I settled on +2), Color +4, Sharpness -1, and Clarity +2. I made quite a few small changes, but the core idea of Dan’s Recipe remains, so I want to give him credit for the original concept.

*Studio Ghibli Scene* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5 – Provia Positive Recipe

This Provia Positive Fujifilm Recipe is compatible with “newer” fourth-generation models—X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II—as well as all fifth-generation cameras—X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, and X-T30 III—and “newer” GFX models, like the GFX100S, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF. For the X-Pro3 and X100V, simply use Auto WB instead of Auto White Priority (outside of artificial light scenarios, it will look the same). For the X-T3 and X-T30, try Dan’s Spring Provia Recipe, which is compatible with those cameras.

Film Simulation: Provia/STD
Grain Effect: Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome FX Blue: Strong
White Balance: Auto White Priority, +2 Red & -3 Blue
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: -1
Shadow: +1
Color: +4
Sharpness: -1
High ISO NR: -4
Clarity: +2
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Provia Positive Film Simulation Recipe on a Fujifilm X-E5, X-T5, and GFX100RF:

*M/S Garde* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Yellow Bike, Yellow Wall* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Front Bike Tire* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-T5

*Promenade* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Red Wall, Yellow Wall* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Red Building at Kastellet* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Red Cafe* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Bike Bags* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Bikes at the Bay* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*North Atlantic Shore* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Bicyclist through Arch* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Boat Captain in Red* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Oskar Swan* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Hidden Kitesurfer* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-T5

*Paddling the Canal* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Canal Tour* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Canal View* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Boat Dash* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Fence Between Blossoms* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Sisters on a Bench* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Closed Tulip* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Wet Tulip* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-T5

*Little Blossoms Along Fence* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Blooming Wall* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Peace, Love & Ice Cream* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*End of the Fence* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Gran Torino* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Red & Purple Flowers* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Amusement* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Mismatched Towers* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Kastelsmøllen* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Accordion Player* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-T5

*PLH Sunset* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Lunch Behind Glass* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Coffee* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*NEMAR* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Rainbow Stairs* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Sunset From Lille Langebro* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

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Copenhagen Negative — A Fujifilm Recipe for Fifth-Generation Cameras

Posted on May 18 by Ritchie Roesch

*Baltic View* – Greve, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5 – Copenhagen Negative

A few months back, Fujifilm invited me to Fujikina Copenhagen. They wanted me to lead a couple of photowalks, give a brief presentation on Film Simulations and Fujifilm Recipes, and to display six of my photos on a wall at the event. They also asked if I could create a brand-new Recipe made for Copenhagen, which would be revealed at Fujikina. Of course I said yes! It was an incredible honor to be at Fujikina. It was a great experience, and I loved meeting a number of you in-person. I just got back home, and I wanted to get this Recipe published right away.

After some research and experiments, I narrowed it down to three options: one that was especially vibrant, one that matched some film scans someone made in Denmark, and one that was a variant of the middle option. I tested and refined each of them, and tested and refined some more. Then I put all three to a larger test. After reviewing the results, I knew right away the winner, which is this Recipe (the third option). I named it Copenhagen Negative in honor of the city that it is intended for. This Recipe has become one of my favorites, and I know that many of you will love it, too.

*Docked Boats* – Avalon, CA – Fujifilm GFX100RF – Copenhagen Negative

The two Fujifilm Recipes that Copenhagen Negative beat out have already been published. The vibrant one is called Vivid Chrome, and the middle option is called Avalon Ace. I really like those Recipes, too, and used both of them in Copenhagen. They would have been good choices for this project, but Copenhagen Negative edged them out, so it has the honor of being the only Recipe to ever be unveiled at a Fujikina event. Those who attended Fujikina Copenhagen have already had access to this Recipe for over a week.

Copenhagen Negative is great for sunny daylight, cloudy days, fog, natural light indoors, and golden hour. It’s not a good option for artificial light, though, so I would avoid it for nighttime photography. It works well for landscapes, urban scenes, street photography, still-life, portraits, and I’m sure many other genres. I have enjoyed using this Recipe over the last couple of months—in fact, even though I included a ton of sample pictures in this article, I left a whole bunch out that I would have liked to include, just because there were way too many pictures.

*Graffiti Wall* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5 – Copenhagen Negative

This Copenhagen Negative Recipe is compatible with all fifth-generation X-series cameras, which are the Fujifilm X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, and X-T30 III. It works well on the latest GFX cameras, like the GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF. You can use it on “newer” fourth-generation cameras like the X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II; however, it will render slightly different (don’t be afraid to try it, though). This Recipe works great with a little underexposure. Keep an eye out on the highlights, being careful not to blow them out.

Film Simulation: Classic Negative
Grain Effect: Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Weak
Color Chrome FX Blue: Strong
White Balance: 5700K, +1 Red & +1 Blue
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: +2.5
Shadow: -2
Color: +4
Sharpness: -2
High ISO NR: -4
Clarity: -3
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: 0 to -2/3 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Copenhagen Negative Film Simulation Recipe on a Fujifilm X-E5, GFX100RF, and GFX100S II:

*Red Boat at Nyhavn* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Tour Boat* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Strolling Nyhavn* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Nyhavn* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Yellow Tricycle* – Avalon, CA – Fujifilm GFX100S II

*Houses on a Hill* – Avalon, CA – Fujifilm GFX100S II

*House on a Foggy Hill* – Avalon, CA – Fujifilm GFX100S II

*Light Pouring through Lifting Fog* – Avalon, CA – Fujifilm X-E5

*Fogbow* – Avalon, CA – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Shoreboats* – Avalon, CA – Fujifilm X-E5

*Waterfront* – Avalon, CA – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Seaweed* – Greve, Copenhagen – Fujifilm X-E5

*Path in the Grass* – Greve, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Spiral Stairs* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Light Pouring Over Graffiti* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Smoker* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Nicklas* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*QuickSnap Panorama* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Serving Chicken* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Bicycles* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Vibe* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Fujikina Posters* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Doorway & Windows* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Window Seats* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Window Shopping* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Studio Space* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Red Windows Behind Fence* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Yellow Bike* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Kiosk* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Round Tower Replica* – Solvang, CA – Fujifilm GFX100S II

*Rooflines* – Solvang, CA – Fujifilm GFX100S II

*Rooftop Sunset* – Solvang, CA – Fujifilm GFX100S II

*Hamlet Square* – Solvang, CA – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Spring Flower Garden* – Solvang, CA – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Red Blossoming Flower* – Avalon, CA – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Field of Blossomed Flowers* – Buellton, CA – Fujifilm GFX100S II

*Tree & Golden Light* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Sunstar Over Urban Tree* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Sunlight Through the Ceiling* – Greve, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*White Bicycle* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Boyz B2 Bike* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Spray Painted Van* – Denmark, Copenhagen – Fujifilm X-E5

*Redeye* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm X-E5

*Bike Path* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Gasoline Grill* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

*Canal at Sunset* – Copenhagen, Denmark – Fujifilm GFX100RF

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