Reggie Ballesteros (website, YouTube, Instagram, Instagram), also known as Reggie B Photo, is an official Fujifilm X-Photographer based in San Fransisco, California. He shoots both film and digital, and on his Fujifilm cameras he likes to use both RAW and JPEG. For his JPEGs, Reggie developed a Film Simulation Recipe that’s a close match to the Kodak Portra 400 film that he shoots and has developed and scanned (on a Noritsu) at Richard Photo Lab. He was very kind to allow me to share his Portra recipe with you on this website and the Fuji X Weekly App. Thanks, Reggie!
Portra 400 was introduced by Kodak in 1998. It used to come in two varieties: “NC” (Neutral Color, which had less saturation) and “VC” (Vivid Color, which had more saturation). I shot a little of both Kodak Portra 400NC and Kodak Portra 400VC back in the day, and I preferred the more colorful version. The film was redesigned in 2006 to improve grain and scanning. It was again redesigned in 2010, with the NC and VC emulsions dropped, replaced by a new mid-saturation version (simply called Portra 400), with more improvements to scanning.
I’m Your Huckleberry – Ridgedale, MO – Fujifilm X100V – “Reggie’s Portra”
As the name implies, Kodak Portra 400 is intended for portrait photography, but can be used for many other genres of photography. It’s similar to Portra 160, but with more contrast, saturation and grain. Believe it or not, ISO 400 was considered “high ISO” by many photographers back in the film days, and Portra 400 was one of the absolute best “high ISO” color films ever made. It’s still available today, and is very popular among film photographers.
When developing his Portra recipe, Reggie used the Kodak Portra 400 Film Simulation Recipe from this website as his starting point, and he tweaked it to more closely match his Portra scans and to better suit his photography. One film can have many different aesthetics, depending on how it’s shot, developed, scanned, and a whole host of other factors, so it’s great that Reggie made this alternative version, which might be closer to the exact look that you are after. Also, because this recipe uses Auto White Balance and doesn’t use Clarity, you might find that this one is more versatile than some other recipes. Oh, and take a look at the Kodak Portra 400 v2 and Kodak Portra 400 Warm recipes, which could potentially produce your desired aesthetic.
Pines – Lake Catherine SP, AR – Fujifilm X100V – “Reggie’s Portra”
One special note: Reggie has a 5% CineBloom diffusion filter attached to his lens whenever he shoots with this particular recipe. I have been using my Fujifilm X100V as a monochrome-only camera, but because I, too, have a 5% CineBloom filter attached to it, I made an exception so that I could test this recipe on that camera with the diffusion filter. For the shots captured on my X-E4, I did not use a diffusion filter; however, I do like how the 5% CineBloom subtly affects the image, and I recommend pairing it with this recipe if you can.
This Film Simulation Recipe is compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, & X-T30 II cameras. To use it on the X-T3 and X-T30, simply ignore Grain size and Color Chrome FX Blue, since your camera doesn’t have those options—the results will be slightly different, but nearly identical. More than likely this recipe is compatible with GFX and X-Trans V, but I haven’t tested it to know for sure.
Abandoned Long John Silver’s – Elk City, OK – Fujifilm X100V – “Reggie’s Portra”
Classic Chrome Dynamic Range: DR-Auto Highlight: -1 Shadow: -1 Color: +2 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpening: -2 Clarity: 0 Grain Effect: Weak, Small Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Weak White Balance: Auto, +2 Red & -4 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using “Reggie’s Portra” Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X-E4 and Fujifilm X100V cameras:
Below is a video that Reggie made which illustrates his Portra recipe quite well (he notes that the Shadow setting is incorrect in the video—it should say -1, not -2). Be sure to like and subscribe and all that stuff. Enjoy!
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Fujifilm cameras have a feature in Advanced Settings called “High Key” that I recently discovered is based on the Provia film simulation, and can be mimicked. While this “High Key” setting can produce nice-looking images, it’s not really my style, so I set out to create a Film Simulation Recipe to serve as an alternative to it, with an aesthetic that I appreciate a little more. Specifically, I wanted a generic overexposed Kodak color negative film aesthetic, perhaps Portra-like (or at least Portra-inspired), which is why I call this recipe Bright Kodak.
Bright Kodak might look familiar. It’s actually similar to a couple of other recipes, namely Bright Summer (a.k.a. “Preetra 400”) and Kodak Portra 400 Warm. If you like those recipes, you’ll certainly like this one, too. The key to using this Bright Kodak recipe is to increase the exposure—almost overexpose—to make the pictures nice and bright.
Palm – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Bright Kodak”
This Film Simulation Recipe is fully compatible with newer X-Trans IV cameras: Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, & X-T30 II. If you have an X-T3, X-T30, or X-Trans III camera, you can get similar results by ignoring Grain size and using a diffusion filter (such as 10% CineBloom) in lieu of Clarity. This recipe is also likely compatible with newer GFX cameras, although the results won’t be completely identical.
Classic Chrome Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: -2 Shadow: -2 Color: +4 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpening: -2 Clarity: -3 Grain Effect: Strong, Large Color Chrome Effect: Off Color Chrome Effect Blue: Off White Balance: Daylight, +3 Red & -7 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: +1 to +1 2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Bright Kodak” Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X-E4:
Cactus Evening – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
3 Tall Cacti – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Cacti Reaching to the Moon – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Palm & Flowers – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Pink – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Bougainvillea – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Palm Moon – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Neighborhood Palms – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
If You Know, You Know… – Gilbert, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Red Stripe – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Compared to “High Key”:
“High Key”
“Bright Kodak”
Compared to “Bright Summer” & “Kodak Portra 400 Warm”:
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Tree Blossom Sky – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Fujicolor Natura 1600”
Fujifilm produced Fujicolor Natura 1600, a high-ISO color negative film, from 2003 through 2017. It was only sold in Japan, but it became renown worldwide as word got out about this wonderful film. A lot of speculation has surrounded it. Is it simply renamed Fujicolor Superia 1600? Many people think so. Is it slightly modified Superia 1600 for Japanese skin-tones? Some people think so. Is it slightly modified Superia 1600 made specifically for the Fujifilm Natura camera? Perhaps so. I haven’t found any definitive evidence to conclude if Natura 1600 is unmodified Supera 1600 or a slightly modified variant of it—if it isn’t identical, it’s very similar.
I have a Fujicolor Superia 1600 Film Simulation Recipe already, and it’s a recipe that I personally quite like. I had no desire to remake it, but (you know) one film can have many different aesthetics, depending on a whole host of factors, including (but not limited to) how it was shot, developed, and scanned. With that in mind, I looked at Fujicolor Natura 1600 examples that I found online, and from scratch (not using the Superia 1600 recipe as a starting point) I made a whole new recipe to mimic Natura 1600—not surprisingly, the settings ended up being similar to the Superia 1600 recipe. Alternatively, this could be called Fujicolor Superia 1600 v2.
Clown Truck & Geo – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Fujicolor Natura 1600”
A fun thing that I did for some of these pictures is set the ISO to 1600—I think the results are especially good at that particular ISO; however, it’s more practical to use a larger range of ISOs. So set the ISO to 1600 if you’d like, or set it to Auto (up to ISO 6400) if you’d prefer—I tried both, and found either to be acceptable. This particular recipe is only compatible with the Fujifilm X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II cameras. If you have an X100V or X-Pro3 and want to use this recipe, I suggest setting Highlight to -1 and Shadow to +2. The results will be similar, but not identical.
Classic Negative Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: -1.5 Shadow: +1.5 Color: -2 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -2 Clarity: -4 Grain Effect: Strong, Large Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong White Balance: 5500K, -1 Red & -2 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Fujicolor Natura 1600” Film Simulation Recipe on a Fujifilm X-E4:
Carpet & Curtain – Flagstaff, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Crown Railroad Cafe – Flagstaff, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Dinner Conversations – Flagstaff, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Daily Specials – Flagstaff, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Dynalift – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Ice Cream – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Concrete Blossoms – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Tulips for Sale – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Hazy Blossom – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Evening Sun Through Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Flower Cluster – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Easter Egg Hunt – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Pine Tree & Rocks – Bryce Canyon NP, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Two Bridges – Bryce Canyon NP, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Fujicolor Natura 1600 recipe compared to the Fujicolor Superia 1600 recipe:
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Mountain Reeds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T1 – “Scanned Negative”
I was playing around with white balance shift, and came across some settings that I thought looked interesting. I wasn’t attempting to mimic any specific film or process, but was simply experimenting with tints. I’m pretty well acquainted with white balance shift, but I was searching for inspiration—and I found it!
While this film simulation recipe wasn’t modeled after any specific film, what it reminded me of is an improperly color-corrected negative film scan. You see, color negative film is orange (because of the yellow and magenta masks), and when scanned and inverted into a positive image, it will have a green-cast that needs to be color corrected. Some scanners will do this automatically, and some will require manual adjustments. If not color corrected completely right, the picture can have a color cast that might seem a little off—in this case, slightly too green (depending on the light), but not by a lot (and not always). In any event, I think this recipe has a certain mood that’s definitely interesting in the right situations.
Sidewalk Bell – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X-T1 – “Scanned Negative”
This “Scanned Negative” film simulation recipe is compatible with all X-Trans II cameras that have the PRO Neg. Std film simulation. The XQ1, XQ2, and X10 I believe don’t have this film simulation, so it’s not compatible with those cameras. If you have an X-Pro1 or X-E1, feel free to try this recipe, too, although the results will be slightly different.
PRO Neg. Std Dynamic Range: DR200 Highlight: -1 (Medium-Soft) Shadow: 0 (Standard) Color: -2 (Low) Sharpness: 0 (Standard) Noise Reduction: -2 (Low) White Balance: 5300K, -5 Red & -4 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 3200 Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured on my Fujifilm X-T1 using this “Scanned Negative” film simulation recipe:
Classic Adventures Parked – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T1
Open Sign – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T1
Yellow Poncho – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X-T1
Icy Hose – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X-T1
Reflected, Not Reflected – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X-T1
Stairway to Nativity – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X-T1
Post & Trashcan – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X-T1
Ivy & Winter Home – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X-T1
Snow On Green Bush – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X-T1
Neighborhood in Winter Snow – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T1
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Anders began by looking at some old prints he has, which were captured on Kodak Gold 200 film. He noticed that these prints looked a little different than my Kodak Gold 200 recipe, but one film can have many different looks depending on how it was shot, developed, printed and/or scanned, or even which generation of the emulsion you’re viewing. This recipe mimics the aesthetic of his prints, but he noticed that it also matches many examples of Gold 200 that he found online.
Kids in a Tree – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Gold v2”
This recipe is compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II cameras. To make this recipe work on the X-T3 and X-T30, Anders suggests using Grain Strong, White Balance 5900K (with the same shift), and ignoring Clarity—I suggest that you consider using a weak diffusion filter, such as 1/8 Black Pro Mist or 5% CineBloom, in leu of Clarity. In addition, for X-Trans III, ignore Color Chrome Effect. The results will be slightly different, but nearly the same. Anders suggests trying this recipe with a 3200K white balance for night photography.
Classic Chrome Dynamic Range: DR200 Highlight: 0 Shadow: -1 Color: -1 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -1 Clarity: -2 Grain Effect: Strong, Large Color Chrome Effect: Weak Color Chrome Effect Blue: Off White Balance: 5800K, +2 Red & +4 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this new Kodak Gold v2 film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:
Moon Behind Pine – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Moon Behind Cattails – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Safe Zone – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Makeshift Gate – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Wood Post – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Trail to Visitors Center – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Green Leaves in January – Farmington UT – Fujifilm X100V
Hanging Red Berries in Winter – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Berries and Barren Branches – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Brown Reeds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Jo in a Tree – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Jo Under The Tennis Net – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Rural Creek – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm H-H1 – “Kodak GT 800-5”
My Kodak Max 800 film simulation recipe was modeled after some film I found that had “Kodak GT 800-3” imprinted on the negatives. After some research I found out that it was Kodak Max Zoom 800 (specifically, the third iteration of this film). Kodak Max Zoom 800 was replaced by Kodak Max Versatility Plus 800 in 2006, and those negatives had “Kodak GT 800-4” imprinted on them. Well, I found some more prints plus the negatives, and this film has “Kodak GT 800-5” imprinted on them. I searched and searched, but I didn’t find any information on this film. My suspicion is that Kodak updated the Kodak Max Versatility Plus 800 film in some way, yet kept the name the same, but that’s just a guess—it could be an entirely different emulsion sold under a different name. In other words, I’m pretty sure “Kodak GT 800-5” is a descendant of Kodak Max 800, but I wasn’t able to find any specific information on it.
The 4″ x 6″ prints I found were captured in 2008 while on a day-trip to Sedona, Arizona, and were developed at Walgreens. I’m pretty sure the film was shot using a disposable camera, although I don’t remember why (I remember the trip, but I don’t remember anything specific about the pictures). The prints have a strong warm (red/orange) color cast, are somewhat desaturated, and have dark shadows. I’m not sure if this is due to the film itself, or the development and printing by Walgreens, or because they’re degrading with time, or a combination of all three—perhaps something else entirely, like sitting too long in a hot car (always a possibility in Arizona). Whatever the reason, I thought the aesthetic was interesting, so I recreated it on my Fujifilm X-H1.
A Poor quality scan of a print from actual Kodak GT 800-5 film.
A goal of mine for 2022 is to buy a better scanner. I had a “better” one (by better, I simply mean better than what I currently have, because it was mediocre, or really “good enough”), but it stopped working about 10 months ago. This current scanner, which is part of a printer/scanner combination, is particularly bad for some reason. I say all of this because the scan above doesn’t do the print justice, but I wanted to include it anyway to give you an idea where the inspiration for this recipe came from.
This Kodak GT 800-5 film simulation recipe is compatible with all X-Trans III cameras, which include the Fujifilm X-Pro2, X100F, X-E3, X-T2, X-T20, and X-H1. You can also use it on the X-T3 and X-T30 by setting Color Chrome Effect to Off. Because of the particularly warm color cast, this isn’t a recipe that’s for everyone or every situation, but in certain situations this will produce interesting results, and some of you will definitely like it.
PRO Neg. Std Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: 0 Shadow: +3 Color: -3 Sharpness: -2 Noise Reduction: -4 Grain: Strong White Balance: 7100K, +7 Red & -5 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this “Kodak GT 800-5” film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X-H1:
Storm Over Mountains at Sunset – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Winter Mountain – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Snow Covered Blackberry Vines by a Creek – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Winter Berries – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Blossom Remnants 1 – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Blossom Remnants 2 – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Milkweed in January – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Small Spillway – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Rural Road Near Creek – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Path in the Marsh – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Cattails & Frozen Pond – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Frozen Waterway – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
Citations Will Be Issued – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-H1
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Lately I’ve been really enjoying the new Eterna Bleach Bypass film simulation found on the Fujifilm X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II cameras. It occurred to me that those with “older” cameras, like X-Trans III and the X-T30 and X-T3, are missing out, so I wanted to do something about it. Now back in May I created a recipe for these cameras called Chrome Bypass that sort of fulfills this, but it wasn’t an attempt necessarily at mimicking the Eterna Bleach Bypass film simulation; however, I used it as a starting point for this recipe. After much adjusting and experimenting, I decided that this was the closest that I could get to Eterna Bleach Bypass for those without it.
The Eterna Bleach Bypass film simulation is intended to resemble cinematic film that’s had the bleach skipped during development. It has low-saturation and high-contrast, and almost a silvery aesthetic. This recipe isn’t a 100% match to the film simulation, but it’s as close as you’re likely to get. And it produces some really nice results—I very much enjoyed using it!
This recipe is intended for those who have a Fujifilm X-Pro2, X100F, X-E3, X-H1, X-T2, X-T20, X-T30, or X-T3 camera. If you have an X-Pro3 or X100V, you can use this recipe, too, but you’ll have to decide what Grain size you want (either Small or Large). Those with an X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, or X-T30 II can also use this recipe (after deciding on Grain size), but I would recommend the Ferrania Solaris FG 400, Muted Color, Silver Summer, or LomoChrome Metropolis recipes instead, which use the Eterna Bleach Bypass film simulation.
PRO Neg. Std Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +3 Shadow: +3 Color: -4 Color Chrome Effect: Off or N/A Sharpness: 0 Noise Reduction: -4 Grain Effect: Weak White Balance: Incandescent, +8 Red & -9 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
Sample photographs, all camera-made JPEGs, captured with a Fujifilm X-T30 using this “Eterna Bleach Bypass” film simulation recipe:
Warning Falling Bike – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Lost Mouse Hat – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
November Leaves – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Leaves Along the Autumn Path – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Path Covered in Autumn Leaves – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fallen Tree Across the Gap – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Yellow Leaves in the Forest – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Red Leaves in the Forest – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Little Red Berries Dangling – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
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Episode 04 of SOOC was this morning. I want to give a big “Thank You” to everyone who tuned in and participated—you are the ones who make these episodes great! If you missed it when it was live, you can still watch it (above). We ran a little long (almost two hours!), but I hope you learned something, that you were inspired, and/or that it was entertaining enough to make it worthwhile. Asking for two hours of your time is a lot, and we really appreciate everyone who journeyed along with us today!
For those who may not know, SOOC is a monthly live video series, with each episode focused on a different film simulation recipe. It is a collaboration between Tame Your Fujifilm (Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry) and Fuji X Weekly (Ritchie Roesch). SOOC is a fun and educational experience where we not only talk about Fujifilm camera settings, but also answer your questions and give tips and tricks. Basically, we’re trying to help you master your Fujifilm camera, with a focus on simplifying your photographic workflow.
In this month’s episode we discussed my Kodacolor film simulation recipe, and viewed the wonderful pictures that you captured with this recipe. We also introduced the next recipe: Agfa Optima 200. Upload your pictures here to be featured in the next video! Episode 05 will be on November 18th, so mark your calendars, and I look forward to seeing you then!
If you appreciated Episode 04, be sure to hit the “thumbs up” button on YouTube. Also, help us spread the word by sharing the video on your social media accounts. Thanks so much!
Episode 04 of SOOC is live today! Join Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry (Tame Your Fujifilm) and Ritchie Roesch (Fuji X Weekly) as we discuss the Kodacolor film simulation recipe and so much more! This will be both educational and entertaining, and well worth your time. SOOC is an interactive program, so we need your participation! I personally invite you to tune in at 10 AM Pacific Time, 1 PM Eastern—if you are not sure what time it will be where you’re at, you can use this time zone converter. I hope to see you soon!
What is DR-P? It’s basically a tone curve intended to maximize dynamic range. There are four options: Off, Auto, Weak, and Strong. When DR-P is Off, the camera uses DR (DR100, DR200, DR400) instead, and when DR-P is On (Auto, Weak, or Strong), DR is disabled. When DR-P is On, Highlight and Shadow are “greyed out” so those can’t be adjusted—the curve is built into DR-P. You get what you get. DR-P Weak is similar to using DR400 with both Highlight and Shadow -2, but with a very subtle mid-tone boost. This recipe calls for DR-P Auto, and the camera will usually select DR-P Weak unless there is a bright light source (such as the sun) in the frame, such as the picture below.
Big Grass Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Scanned Superia”
This recipe was inspired by pictures I found that were captured with Fujicolor Superia 100 film scanned with a Frontier SP-3000. Of course, how the film was shot, or even the scanner settings selected, can effect the exact aesthetic of an image. Even the same emulsion captured the same way and scanned on the same scanner can look a little different if the settings on the scanner are different (more on this in an upcoming article). I didn’t spend a lot of time trying to precisely match this recipe to those scans—it was more of a quick attempt, but I liked the results so I didn’t fine-tune it any further. It has a pretty good feel, I think, that produces pleasing results in many circumstances, although it isn’t the best for artificial light, and you might consider using Auto White Balance when not in natural light situations. This recipe is compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II cameras.
Classic Negative Dynamic Range: D-Range Priority Auto Color: +3 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpening: -3 Clarity: +3 Grain Effect: Weak, Small Color Chrome Effect: Weak Color Chrome Effect Blue: Weak White Balance: Daylight, -2 Red & +3 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +1/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Scanned Superia” film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X-E4:
RADAR Peak – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Colorful Blooms of Summer – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Last Red Rose – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
White Rose of Summer – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Yellow Country Flowers – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Little Yellow Flowers in the Wetlands – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Suburban Reeds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
No Parking Any Time – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
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Windows Within Windows – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Monochrome Negative”
It’s been awhile since I created a black-and-white film simulation recipe. Part of it is that my favorite recipe is Kodak Tri-X 400, and I often choose to shoot with that. Another factor is that the differences between monochrome recipes are often much more subtle than color. For this, I didn’t start out with the intention of making a black-and-white recipe—in fact, it began with Classic Negative—and I wasn’t satisfied with the look, so I switched to Acros, and immediately liked what I saw. A few small changes later, and this recipe was born. It’s not modeled after any specific film, so I named it Monochrome Negative, as it does have a nice film-like quality to it.
The trick to this film simulation recipe is underexposure. I found myself most often lowering the exposure by 1/3 or 2/3 stops (many of my recipes often call for the opposite). Highlight set to +3 will keep the image bright, while the underexposure will deepen the shadows and provide good contrast. Obviously each exposure should be judged individually, so don’t be afraid to deviate from this advice.
This recipe was designed on and intended for the Fujifilm X100V, which has a newer X-Trans IV sensor, but because I didn’t use any of the new tools, such as Clarity and the Color Chrome Effects, this recipe is compatible with all X-Trans III & IV cameras. On X-Pro3 and newer, choose Grain size Small; on all other cameras, which don’t have Grain size as an option, simply select Grain Strong. If your camera has the Acros film simulation, you can use this recipe!
Acros (+Y, +R, +G) Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +3 Shadow: 0 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpening: -2 Clarity: 0 Grain Effect: Strong, Small (Strong for those cameras without Grain Size) Color Chrome Effect: Off Color Chrome Effect Blue: Off White Balance: Daylight, 0 Red & 0 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 12800 Exposure Compensation: 0 to -2/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Monochrome Negative” film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:
1104B – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Withering Flowers Along a Wall – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
City Roses – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Backlit Turning Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Pikachu is a Little Hungry – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Space Fish – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Release – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Geese by a Tackle Box – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Do or Don’t Follow the Crowd – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Approaching Storm – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V
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Walking on a Bridge – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Kodak Portra 400 v2”
This film simulation recipe is a slight variation of my Kodak Portra 400 recipe. It came about after I made a Portra 400 v2 recipe for the newer X-Trans IV cameras, which was created after studying actual examples of the film provided to me by a reader. I wanted to create a similar modification for the X-T3 and X-T30, which became this recipe. One film can have many different looks, depending on how it’s shot, developed, and scanned and/or printed, so this isn’t necessarily a “better” recipe, just a slightly different take on recreating the film’s aesthetic. I really like this one, and I think you will, too!
Portra 400, which is a color negative film, was introduced by Kodak in 1998. It was redesign in 2006 and again in 2010. As the name implies, it’s intended for portrait photography, but can be used for many other types of photography. It’s similar to Portra 160, but with more contrast, saturation and grain. Believe it or not, ISO 400 was considered “high ISO” by many photographers back in the film days, and Portra 400 was one of the absolute best “high ISO” color films ever made. Interestingly, Kodak briefly made a black-and-white version of Portra 400!
Downtownscape – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Kodak Portra 400 v2”
This isn’t exactly a brand-new recipe. It was published as a Patron early-access recipe on the Fuji X Weekly App back on December 1st, so Patrons have had access to it for quite some time. Now another early-access recipe has replaced it, so this one is available to everyone! If you are a Fuji X Weekly Patron, be sure to check out the new early-access recipe in the app.
Classic Chrome Dynamic Range: DR-Auto Highlight: -1 Shadow: -1 Color: +2 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpening: -2 Grain Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect: Strong White Balance: Daylight, +2 Red & -6 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: +2/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Kodak Portra 400 v2” film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X-T30:
Blackberry Forest Evening – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Three Backlit Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Tiny Red Berries – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Broken and Boarded – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Window to the City – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Lululemon – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Two Tall Buildings – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Hotel – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Two Cranes – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
A Downtown Cityscape – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
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I was asked to create a film simulation recipe for AgfaChrome RS 100 color transparency film. Agfa made this slide film from 1984 through 1995, with an “improved emulsion” released in 1992. I never used AgfaChrome RS 100, so I have zero experience with the film. It was difficult to find examples of, and old issues of Popular Photography and Photographic magazines were my best resource. Despite the challenges, I was able to create a film simulation recipe that I’m very happy with.
This AgfaChrome RS 100 recipe renders pictures beautifully! It has a great vintage analog feel to it. People might think that the images are old film pictures that you scanned, and they certainly won’t suspect that they’re straight-out-of-camera JPEGs! I’m confident that this recipe will be an instant favorite for many of you.
Flower Garden – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – “AgfaChrome RS 100”
Because this X-Trans IV recipe requires Classic Negative, Clarity, and Color Chrome FX Blue, it’s only compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10 and X-E4 cameras—unfortunately it’s not compatible with the X-T3 and X-T30. I believe that it is compatible with the GFX100S, although results will likely be slightly different. If you have a compatible camera, be sure to give this AgfaChrome RS 100 recipe a try!
Classic Negative Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +1 Shadow: -1 Color: +2 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpening: -2 Clarity: -3 Grain Effect: Strong, Small Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong White Balance: Daylight, -3 Red & +5 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +1/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “AgfaChrome RS 100” film simulation recipe on my X100V and X-E4:
Bowl on a Shelf – Scottsdale, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Parking Garage – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Below Deck Parking – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Smile – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V
Little Dragon – Scottsdale, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Free People – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Towering Cloud – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Drive Slow, But Don’t Park – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Checkerboard – Scottsdale, AZ – Fujifilm X100V
Patagonia – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Green Grapes – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Blackberries – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Pink Among Green – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Little Cherries – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Permission to Park – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
One Way – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Honey Bucket & Trailer – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
We Are Open – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Park City Downtown – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Buildings in Downtown Park City – Park City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
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When Thomas Schwab shared with me his Fujicolor Super HG film simulation recipe, he also sent me an alternative recipe that uses Astia instead of Classic Negative. I gave it a try and thought that it worked quite well for landscape photography, particularly in sunny conditions. It can produce interesting results indoors or on cloudy days, but I think it really shines in sunshine. It’s called “Super HG Astia” because it is a modification of the Super HG recipe, but with Astia.
This “Super HG Astia” recipe wasn’t intended to mimic any particular film; however, it does have some resemblance to Fujichrome Provia 100F. For whatever reason, Fujifilm programmed the Provia film simulation to look more like Astia film, and the Astia film simulation to look more like Provia film, although neither are an exact match. This recipe brings the Astia film simulation closer to resembling Provia film (albeit unintentionally). It’s definitely not a perfect facsimile, but it does nonetheless produce a very nice Fuji color-reversal film aesthetic.
Green Pines – McCall, ID – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Super HG Astia”
This recipe is compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, and X-E4 cameras. I accidentally used Large grain for some of my pictures, and the results were fine, but Small grain is better in my opinion—feel free to use whichever Grain size you’d prefer. For the X-T3 and X-T30, you can use this recipe by ignoring Grain size, Clarity and Color Chrome FX Blue—the results will be slightly different, but pretty close. For X-Trans III cameras, you’ll have to additionally ignore Color Chrome Effect; again, the results will be a little different but still very similar. If you’ve got an X-Trans III or newer camera, I invite you to try this recipe. I want to give a special “Thank you!” to Thomas for creating and sharing this recipe!
Astia Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +2 Shadow: +1 Color: +2 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpening: -1 Clarity: +2 Grain Effect: Weak, Small Color Chrome Effect: Weak Color Chrome Effect Blue: Weak White Balance: Fluorescent 2, -3 Red & -1 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: +2/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Super HG Astia film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X-E4:
Blue Dumpsters – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
This Sucker’s Electrical – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Gas Pipe – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Ms Pac-Man – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Pen – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Missing Boxer – Phoenix, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
Watching A Two-Screen Movie – Scottsdale, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4
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DPReview listed their Top 5 Best Fujifilm Film Simulations in the video above. I think it’s great that they’re highlighting Fujifilm’s great JPEG options and give light to some of the film simulations. While I’m sure that they made adjustments to the stock settings, I feel like they haven’t discovered the joy of film simulation recipes, and are mostly using the stock settings. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, because out-of-the-box the different film simulations are great, but with some tweaking you can achieve all sorts of different looks. I think it’s something that they’d really appreciate, if they only knew.
I went on the Fuji X Weekly — Film Recipes App (available for iOS and Android) and filtered by Camera and Film Simulation. If you are a Patron on the App, you can filter the recipes by camera model or sensor, and by film simulation or color/b&w—the best app experience is reserved for Patrons. For this experiment, I chose the Fujifilm X100F and Classic Chrome. There are 15 different options, each with a different aesthetic (Vintage Kodachrome didn’t fit on the screenshot list). Those are just the X-Trans III recipes that use Color Chrome. If you don’t filter by camera or sensor, there are 45 recipes that use Classic Chrome (and over 150 total recipes)!
I know in the video they say that Classic Chrome is “gross” but perhaps it’s only because they haven’t used the right film simulation recipe. It could be that one of those 45 mentioned above produces a look that they’d love.
I don’t want to rehash DPReview’s video, so instead I will list some of my personal favorite recipes, organized by Film Simulation (they’re not ranked), which you’ll find below. There are so many to choose from, and narrowing it down is a tough task, so obviously not all of my favorites made the list. There are so many Classic Chrome and Classic Negative options that I love, so those two were especially difficult to decide what to include below. Hopefully you’ll find this this exercise helpful, or at least fun, and maybe discover a new recipe to try.
No Credit Tires – Bountiful, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Sepia”
Now it’s your turn! Which of these film simulation recipes do you like best? Which recipes that I didn’t include are your favorites? Let me know in the comments!
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Approaching Storm at Last Light – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Positive Film”
I was attempting to create a film simulation recipe that mimicked the aesthetic of Saul Leiter. The problem with this task is that Saul used many different films over the years; while he had a unique and recognizable style, his exact aesthetic varied significantly. These settings can sometimes mimic his look, but sometimes not, so I wouldn’t call it a success, but I just love how this recipe looks—that’s why I’m sharing it. If you’re attempting to recreate Saul’s aesthetic, this recipe is a good starting point. Another one to try is “Old Kodak“—available (as of this writing) as a Patron early-access recipe on the Fuji X Weekly app.
I think this recipe is in the ballpark of the “Positive Film Effect” on Ricoh GR cameras—perhaps not an exact match, but definitely a similar feel, which is why I named this recipe “Positive Film.” There’s a likeness to Kodak Elite Chrome or maybe Ektachrome 100G, although (again) it’s more of a similar feel than an exact match. Whether this recipe is close to Saul Leiter’s look, Ricoh Positive Film, or a Kodak transparency is debatable; what’s not debatable is that this recipe looks really, really good!
Blacktop Lines – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Positive Film”
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Sunlight Through The Forest – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Fujicolor NPS 160 Pulled”
Fujifilm introduced Fujicolor NPS 160 sometime in the 1990’s. It was a low contrast, low saturation color negative film intended for portrait photography. Fujifilm replaced it in 2004 with Fujicolor Pro 160S (later renamed Fujicolor Pro 160NS). I actually shot a few rolls of NPS 160 back in the day, and a picture of my parents captured with this film hangs an a wall in their house. Pulling the film, which is a technique where you overexpose and reduce development time to compensate, further reduces the contrast and saturation. This recipe looks a lot like NPS 160 that’s been pulled.
Empty Garage – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Fujicolor NPS 160 Pulled”
What I especially love about this recipe is that it has a soft feel that’s just wonderful. It has a film-like quality to it that’s easy to appreciate. I really love shooting with this recipe! Because it required the Classic Negative film simulation, Color Chrome FX Blue and Clarity, it’s only compatible with the Fujifilm X-E4, X100V, X-Pro3, X-T4, and X-S10 cameras.
Classic Negative Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: -2 Shadow: -2 Color: -4 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpeness: +1 Clarity: -2 Grain Effect: Weak, Small Color Chrome Effect: Weak Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong White Balance: Auto, -1 Red & -4 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: +2/3 to +1 1/3 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Fujicolor NPS 160 Pulled film simulation recipe:
Thomas Schwab
Photo by Thomas Schwab
Photo by Thomas Schwab
Photo by Thomas Schwab
Photo by Thomas Schwab
Photo by Thomas Schwab
Photo by Thomas Schwab
Photo by Thomas Schwab
Photo by Thomas Schwab
Photo by Thomas Schwab
Ritchie Roesch
Evening Condos – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Country Trailers – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Farm Dirt – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Sunlight Through Forest Branches – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
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Pink Roses – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Fujicolor Pro 400H Box Speed”
In my last post, entitled A Different Approach, I shared Anders Lindborg‘s new take on film simulation recipes, which included seven different Fujicolor Pro 160NS recipes that he invented. This is Part 2 of that article. Below you’ll find another seven recipes, this time for Fujicolor Pro 400H! If you haven’t read the first post, you’ll want to do that now, because this will make a lot more sense if you have that prerequisite understanding.
If you don’t want to take the time to read it (or if you’ve already forgotten), here’s a quick summery. Anders’ approach is to have a good base recipe that works well in most circumstances, but also have subtle variations of that recipe, that mimic pushed and pulled film, for when the conditions require either less contrast (pulled) or more contrast (pushed). You can use all seven Custom Presets in the Q Menu to save each of these recipes if you want, or just save the base recipe (called “Box Speed”) and adjust to the various variations on-the-fly, or save the base setting and have the variations programmed into X RAW Studio. Also, by design these recipes will work with any film simulation, even though they call for PRO Neg. Hi.
Like the 160NS recipe, I’m only including the “Box Speed” version in the Fuji X Weekly app, and I encourage you to use the Notes section under the recipe to store the pushed and pulled variations. These seven Fujicolor Pro 400H recipes are compatible with the Fujifilm X-T3 and X-T30 cameras. If you have a newer X-Trans IV camera (X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10 and X-E4), Anders recommends setting Clarity to -3 and Grain to Weak & Large. If you have an X-Trans III camera, ignore Color Chrome Effect; the results will be slightly different, but it will still produce good results. For Pushed +3 and Pushed +4, feel free to try Grain Strong.
This recipe wasn’t intended to mimic Fujicolor Pro 400H film, but it does resemble it fairly well. A lot of people like to overexpose real 400H film to get a pastel look; unfortunately, this recipe won’t achieve that particular aesthetic (but look here and here). Anders created this recipe by modifying his Pro 160NS settings; I made a couple of small modifications to it, but mostly these settings are created by him. Thank you, Anders, for creating these recipes and allowing me to share them!
Fujicolor Pro 400H Box Speed
Pops of Red – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: 0 Shadow: 0 Color: +1 Color Chrome Effect: Strong Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 White Balance: Daylight, +1 Red & -3 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
Free Pie – South Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Birthday Girl Coloring – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Shelf Plant – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fujicolor Pro 400HPulled -1
Snail – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: -1 Shadow: -1 Color: +1 Color Chrome Effect: Strong Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 White Balance: Daylight, +1 Red & -3 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
If you are adding this recipe to the Notes in the app, consider using this abbreviation: Pulled -1: HL & SH -1.
Green Aspen Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Tank Cars – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Yellow Cat – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fujicolor Pro 400H Pulled -2
Hazy Mountain – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: -2 Shadow: -1 Color: 0 Color Chrome Effect: Strong Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 White Balance: Daylight, +1 Red & -3 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +1 (typically)
If you are adding this recipe to the Notes in the app, consider using this abbreviation: Pulled -2: HL -2, SH -1, CLR 0.
Box Cars – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Suburban Sunset – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Hazy Tree – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fujicolor Pro 400H Pushed +1
Yucca Leaves – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +1 Shadow: 0 Color: +1 Color Chrome Effect: Strong Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 White Balance: Daylight, +1 Red & -3 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
If you are adding this recipe to the Notes in the app, consider using this abbreviation: Pushed +1: HL +1.
Red Tree – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Tree & Dark Clouds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
David Baldwin – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fujicolor Pro 400H Pushed +2
Wood Stripes – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +2 Shadow: 0 Color: +2 Color Chrome Effect: Strong Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 White Balance: Daylight, +1 Red & -3 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
If you are adding this recipe to the Notes in the app, consider using this abbreviation: Pushed +2: HL +2, CLR +2.
Mountain Biking – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Radar Mountain – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Bloomin’ Onion – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fujicolor Pro 400H Pushed +3
Three Artificial Plants – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +2 Shadow: +1 Color: +3 Color Chrome Effect: Strong Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 White Balance: Daylight, +1 Red & -3 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
If you are adding this recipe to the Notes in the app, consider using this abbreviation: Pushed +3: HL +2, SH +1, CLR +3.
Berry Bush Leaves #1 – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Berry Bush Leaves #2 – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Sky Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fujicolor Pro 400H Pushed +4
Old Phone – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +3 Shadow: +2 Color: +4 Color Chrome Effect: Strong Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -4 White Balance: Daylight, +1 Red & -3 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
If you are adding this recipe to the Notes in the app, consider using this abbreviation: Pushed +4: HL +3, SH +2, CLR +4, SHARP -4.
Berry Bush Leaves #3 – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Green – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Landscape Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Below are examples of using the Fujicolor Pro 160NS Box Speed recipe using other film simulations. You can do this with all of the pull and push variants, too, although I didn’t supply any examples of those because this article is already very long.
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Pink Paper Blossom – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Fujicolor Pro 160NS Pulled +2”
I received an email the other day from Anders Lindborg with this subject title: A Different Approach. Anders created the Kodak Tri-X 400 film simulation recipe, which is my personal favorite for black-and-white photography. I was immediately intrigued, and I was not disappointed as I read his message. I’ll let Anders explain this new approach below as he described it to me.
“Doing professional work is tough. Since getting a Fujifilm X-T3 (and later an X-Pro3), I’ve come to rely totally on the straight-out-of-camera JPEGs. They look great and I get more jobs just because I can deliver good results fast. After diving deep into the Fujifilm film simulations, I’ve come to realize that you cannot create a single recipe that will always look great. Sometimes the sunlight is so strong that everything gets blown out and the next day the same recipe will make everything look murky and dull.”
“Coming from a film background, I’m reasonably used to pushing and pulling film as needed. With cheap consumer film stocks, you could sometimes get absolutely horrific (or ”creative” as some call them) results, but the professional films were often quite predictable. Some film stocks have become legendary because they really could take a good beating, no matter how you treated them. Also, the exposure latitude of film is insane compared to digital, which is something I really have missed since switching. Awhile back I started experimenting with recreating this, but I slowly realized that it would require several different variations of my settings. When I was finished, I had used up all seven slots! A lot of research and assumptions went into the process. For example, I totally assume that Fujifilm knows what they’re doing and that their stock simulations are good. I can honestly say after all this, that—yes—they do know their game!”
“The settings emulate a flexible film look. They serve as a base that can be modified as needed on the spot via the Q Menu (for example: changing film simulation, white balance, tint, dynamic range, etc.). The objective was to always have working settings for any scenario that emulates how professional film behaves when being pushed or pulled. They’re intended for professional use and come out of both a need and want for realistic film-like simulations that are guaranteed to work, no matter what task I’m currently challenged with. Of course it’s up to the end user to tune it to their specific preferences, but I strongly recommend you leave the highlight/shadow settings as-is. They are heavily tested with all standard film simulations and you will get a nice looking result with them. These settings took me a couple of years to develop, but this is what I actually use every day now.”
“Just step outside and try to come to a conclusion about what the current weather and light conditions are like. If the sun is harsh, you need to pull. If the sun is blindingly bright, pull two steps. The same goes for pushing. If you’re missing just a bit of light, push one step. If it’s dull, push two steps. The third and fourth push settings are perhaps a bit special as the contrast starts to increase. On a regular day, of course you use the box speed setting. Once you’ve selected your setting for the day, stick with it! This is the key to consistent results.”
“I recommend shooting RAW+JPEG and having the settings stored in X Raw Studio. RAWs are great to have if you aren’t happy with the results of your selected setting. The settings were created for the Fujifilm X-T3, but can be easily adapted to taste on any X-series camera. On my X-Pro3, I set Clarity to -3 and Grain to Weak & Large on all slots.”
Thank you, Anders Lindborg, for creating and sharing this new approach!
Pink Rose – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “fujicolor Pro 160NS Pulled -1”
For those without a film background, let me briefly explain what pushing and pulling means in film photography. Film is rated at a certain ISO, for example ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, etc., which is a measurement of the film’s sensitivity to light (it’s pretty much just like on your digital camera). You can underexpose a roll of film and increase the development time to get correctly exposed pictures, and this is called push-processing or pushing the film. Also, you can overexpose a roll of film and decrease the development time to get correctly exposed pictures, and this is called pull-processing or pulling the film. Pushing the film increases the contrast, vibrancy (for color film), and grain, while pulling the film decreases the contrast, vibrancy (for color film), and grain. With film, you have to push or pull the entire roll and not just one or a few frames.
The genius of Anders’ method is that you can apply this film approach to your digital pictures, and you can do it with as few or as many frames as you wish. You can push one frame, pull the next, and shoot the third at “box speed” (nether pushed nor pulled) if you want. This type of flexibility was unimaginable in the film era!
In case you didn’t understand this approach, let me rephrase it. You have one recipe, but that recipe has push and pull variants. You can use any film simulation with the recipe, and Anders’ film simulation of choice is PRO Neg. Hi, but try any of them! The rest of the settings stay the same. His push and pull variants don’t necessarily represent stops of pushing or pulling, but more like half-stop increments (although Fujifilm lenses have 1/3 stop increments, but don’t worry about that). You can dedicate slots in your Custom Settings Menu for the recipe and variants, or you can have one Custom Settings slot set to the standard “box speed” recipe and adjust on-the-fly if you have the required changes memorized, or you can do it in X RAW Studio.
Anders actually sent me two recipes. The first, which you’ll find below, is called Fujicolor Pro 160NS. It wasn’t purposely intended to resemble that film, but it nonetheless does, more-or-less. The second, which you can find here), is called Fujicolor Pro 400H. The Pro 160NS recipe is the “standard” one, while the Pro 400H recipe is just a little more bold for when you need a bit more pizzaz.
There are seven versions of the Fujicolor Pro 160NS recipe: Pulled -2, Pulled -1, Box Speed, Pushed +1, Pushed +2, Pushed +3, and Pushed +4. You’ll find each of these below, although the Box Speed version is the only one included on the Fuji X Weekly app. My recommendation is to manually add the other versions into the notes section under the recipe in the app. These seven recipes are compatible with X-Trans III cameras plus the X-T3 and X-T30; for newer cameras Anders recommends setting Clarity to -3 and Grain to Weak & Large. As a reminder, these recipes are intended to look good no matter the film simulation used, despite it calling for PRO Neg. Hi. For Pushed +3 and Pushed +4, feel free to use Grain Strong if you’d like.
Fujicolor Pro 160NS Box Speed
Two Broken Cars – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: 0 Shadow: 0 Color: 0 Color Chrome Effect: Off Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 White Balance: Daylight, 0 Red & 0 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
Old Railroad Sign – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Rainy Day Railroad – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Hazy Mountain & Red Helicopter – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fujicolor Pro 160NSPulled -1
Clouds Over Green Mountain – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: -1 Shadow: -1 Color: 0 Color Chrome Effect: Off Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 White Balance: Daylight, 0 Red & 0 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
If you are adding this recipe to the Notes in the app, consider using this abbreviation: Pulled -1: HL & SH -1.
Cryo-Trans – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Jonathan – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Orange Flower – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fujicolor Pro 160NS Pulled -2
Trailer Interior – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: -2 Shadow: -1 Color: -1 Color Chrome Effect: Off Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 White Balance: Daylight, 0 Red & 0 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +1 (typically)
If you are adding this recipe to the Notes in the app, consider using this abbreviation: Pulled -2: HL -2, SH -1, CLR -1.
Not Driven – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Americana Country – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Uncertain Walking Path – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fujicolor Pro 160NS Pushed +1
Green Tree & Storm Clouds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +1 Shadow: 0 Color: 0 Color Chrome Effect: Off Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 White Balance: Daylight, 0 Red & 0 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)
If you are adding this recipe to the Notes in the app, consider using this abbreviation: Pushed +1: HL +1.
Garden Blooms – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
F’n’R – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Boy Smile – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fujicolor Pro 160NS Pushed +2
Worn Seat Abstract – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +2 Shadow: 0 Color: +1 Color Chrome Effect: Off Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 White Balance: Daylight, 0 Red & 0 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
If you are adding this recipe to the Notes in the app, consider using this abbreviation: Pushed +2: HL +2, CLR +1.
Shasta Trailers – Uintah, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Onions in Bloom – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Flowering Bush – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fujicolor Pro 160NS Pushed +3
Branches Over Creek – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +2 Shadow: +1 Color: +2 Color Chrome Effect: Off Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -3 White Balance: Daylight, 0 Red & 0 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
If you are adding this recipe to the Notes in the app, consider using this abbreviation: Pushed +3: HL +2, SH +1, CLR +2.
Two Cows – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Green Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Fujicolor Pro 160NS Pushed +4
Wet Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
PRO Neg. Hi Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: +3 Shadow: +2 Color: +3 Color Chrome Effect: Off Grain: Weak Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpness: -4 White Balance: Daylight, 0 Red & 0 Blue ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +2/3 (typically)
If you are adding this recipe to the Notes in the app, consider using this abbreviation: Pushed +4: HL +3, SH +2, CLR +3, SHARP -4.
Forest – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Wall Shelf – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Yellow Bike – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-T30
Below are examples of using the Fujicolor Pro 160NS Box Speed recipe using other film simulations. You can do this with all of the pull and push variants, too, although I didn’t supply any examples of those because this article is already very long.
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Kodak introduced Portra 800 in 1998. The Portra line has seen a number of revisions and updates over the years, but I couldn’t find any information if the current Portra 800 film is the exact same emulsion from 1998, or if it’s gone through some changes over the years like the ISO 400 and 160 versions. Portra 800 is one of the best options for high-ISO color photography, but I’ve never shot it myself.
Thomas compared images side-by-side captured with actual Kodak Portra 800 film with images captured with his Fujifilm X-Pro3, making numerous adjustments in X RAW Studio, to achieve this nearly-identical picture aesthetic. He put in a lot of work, and it shows! Thank you, Thomas, for creating this great recipe and for your willingness to share! You’ll find some of Thomas Schwab’s pictures below. This Kodak Portra 800 film simulation recipe is currently compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, and X-E4 cameras.
Classic Chrome Dynamic Range: DR400 Highlight: 0 Shadow: -2 Color: -4 Noise Reduction: -4 Sharpening: -2 Clarity: -5 Grain Effect: Strong, Small Color Chrome Effect: Strong Color Chrome Effect Blue: Strong White Balance: Daylight, +3 Red & -6 Blue ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400 Exposure Compensation: -2/3 to +1 (typically)
Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this new Kodak Portra 800 v2 film simulation recipe:
Thomas Schwab
Photograph by Thomas Schwab
Photograph by Thomas Schwab
Photograph by Thomas Schwab
Photograph by Thomas Schwab
Photograph by Thomas Schwab
Photograph by Thomas Schwab
Photograph by Thomas Schwab
Ritchie Roesch
Treetop Sky – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Colorful Trees – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Tree Over Creek – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Log & Flowers – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Log & Trail – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Urban Landscape – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
McTrash – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Lobby – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Buckle – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Urban Flower Pot – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Blooms in the City – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4
Nobody pays me to write the content found on fujixweekly.com. There’s a real cost to operating and maintaining this site, not to mention all the time that I pour into it. If you appreciated this article, please consider making a one-time gift contribution. Thank you!
FUJI X WEEKLY 