Kodak Portra 400 | FUJI X WEEKLY

Comparing Fujifilm Film Simulation Recipes To Film (Videos)

The Snap Chick YouTube channel recently published a video where they compare actual Kodak Tri-X 400 film with the Kodak Tri-X 400 film simulation recipe. It’s a very fascinating video! If you’re looking for something to do, give it a watch—it’s about 15 minutes long. Definitely worth your time.

While we’re on this topic, check out the two videos below, which compare actual Kodak Portra 400 film with my Kodak Portra 400 recipes (the top video is this Portra 400 recipe, and the second video is this Portra 400 recipe).

Fujifilm X-T3 & X-T30 Film Simulation Recipe: Kodak Portra 400 v2

Posted on August 17 by Ritchie Roesch

*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

*Moffatt Ct.* – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Find these film simulation recipes and many more on the Fuji X Weekly — Film Recipes App!

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Fujifilm X-Trans IV Film Simulation Recipe: Kodak Portra 400 Warm

Posted on July 6 by Ritchie Roesch

*Old Trolley Building* – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Portra 400 Warm”

This Kodak Portra 400 Warm recipe came about after the Kyle McDougall Portra-Style comparison article. These settings are an attempt to get closer to Kyle’s preset aesthetic. Some film simulation recipes are good for everyday use, while some are good only in the right situations. This is one falls into the latter category, I think. This recipe isn’t for everyone or every situation, but for some people in the right situations, this recipe will be greatly loved! I think it looks best in sunny daylight, but can produce interesting results occasionally in other lighting situations, too. Thank you to Ryan for helping out with this!

One film can have many different looks depending on how it’s shot, developed, and scanned or printed. This Kodak Portra 400 Warm film simulation recipe is an alternative aesthetic. Portra 400 was introduced by Kodak in 1998, and was redesigned 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.

*Evening Chair* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Portra 400 Warm”

If you like my other Portra recipes, you might like this one, too. It uses Clarity, which slows down the camera considerably—I hope that Fujifilm speeds this up with a firmware update at some point. This recipe is only compatible with the latest Fujifilm X-Trans IV cameras: the X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, and X-E4. This was a Patron early-access recipe on the Fuji X Weekly App, so if you are a Patron you’ve had access to this Kodak Portra 400 Warm recipe for awhile—there’s now a new early-access recipe in its place, so be sure to check that out!

Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: -1
Shadow: -2
Color: +2
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: -2
Clarity: -2
Grain Effect: Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Off
White Balance: 5500K, 0 Red & -7 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +2/3 to +1 1/3 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Kodak Portra 400 Warm” film simulation recipe:

*Dumpster, Truck* – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Beer & Wings* – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Bright Yellow House* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Western Structure* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

*Turn of the Century* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

*Train Bridge* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

*New Holland* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

*Food Field* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

*Sunlight in the Forest* – Sundance, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

*Leaves Below Tree* – Sundance, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

*Wispy Grass* – Sundance, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

*Pond Creek* – Sundance, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

Find these film simulation recipes and many more on the Fuji X Weekly — Film Recipes App!

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New Patron Early-Access Recipe: Kodak Portra 400 Warm

Posted on December 31, 2020 by Ritchie Roesch

Yesterday I added my Kodak Portra 400 v2 film simulation recipe to the Fuji X Weekly blog. That was a Patron-only early-access recipe on the Fuji X Weekly app, but now it’s available to everyone! I think a lot of people will really appreciate that Portra 400 v2 recipe. Now there’s a new Patron early-access recipe on the app in its place called Kodak Portra 400 Warm. If you are a Fuji X Weekly Patron, check it out!

This new Kodak Portra 400 Warm recipe came about after the Kyle McDougall Portra-Style comparison article. These settings are an attempt to get closer to Kyle’s preset aesthetic. Some film simulation recipes are good for everyday use, some are good only in the right situation. This is one falls into the latter category, I think. This one isn’t for everyone or every situation, but for some people in the right situations, this recipe will be greatly loved! I think it looks best in sunny daylight, but can produce interesting results sometimes in other lighting situations, too.

If you aren’t a Patron, don’t worry. Like all of the early-access recipes, this one will eventually be made available to everyone. Just have patience. If you have the app but aren’t a Patron, yet you want to use this recipe, you can either wait for it to become free or become a Patron and help support the great things that are happening here! Really, Patrons are the ones who are making so much happen because I can’t do it on my own. If you are a Patron, thank you so much for your support!

*Beer & Wings* – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Portra 400 Warm”

*Bright Yellow House* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Portra 400 Warm”

*Dumpster, Truck* – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Portra 400 Warm”

Fujifilm X100V Film Simulation Recipe: Kodak Portra 400 v2

Posted on December 30, 2020 by Ritchie Roesch

*Sage Sunset* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Portra 400 v2”

One film can have many different looks depending on how it’s shot, developed, scanned or printed. This new Portra 400 film simulation recipe, called Kodak Portra 400 v2, is an alternative aesthetic, created by studying examples of actual Portra 400 film (thanks to Julien Jarry). The “other” Fujifilm X100V Kodak Portra 400 recipe was also created by studying examples of actual film (thanks to Thomas Schwab). They’re both good options for achieving a Portra look, and neither is more “right” than the other.

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, and now another early-access recipe has replaced it, so this one is now available to everyone! You might remember that this Kodak Porta 400 v2 recipe was mentioned in the Kyle McDougall preset comparison article.

*Ford Truck* – Centerville, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Portra 400 v2”

If you like my other Portra recipes, you’re sure to like this one, too. Because it uses Clarity, it slows down the camera considerably. I hope that Fujifilm speeds this up with a firmware update at some point, but in the meantime, if you can, my recommendation is to embrace the slowdown. This recipe is only compatible with the latest Fujifilm X cameras: the X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4 and X-S10.

Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: 0
Shadow: -2
Color: +2
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: -2
Clarity: -2
Grain Effect: Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Weak
White Balance: 5200K, +1 Red & -6 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this new Kodak Portra 400 v2 film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:

*Stacked Pallets* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Now Hiring* – Centerville, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Double-Double* – Centerville, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Burger Roof* – Centerville, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Julien Jarry with RED Camera* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Julien Filming* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Yellow Rabbitbrush* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Frary Peak Peeking* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Desert Brush* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Light Log* – Big Fork, MT – Fujifilm X100V

*Sunlight Through the Forest Trees* – Big Arm, MT – Fujifilm X100V

*One Lane Bridge* – Big Fork, MT – Fujifilm X100V

*String of Lightbulbs* – Flathead Lake, MT – Fujifilm X100V

*Dock at Night* – Flathead Lake, MT – Fujifilm X100V

*Moon Over RV* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Sunset RED* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Buffalo Point Sunset* – Antelope Island SP, UT – Fujifilm X100V

Comparing Portra Film Simulation Recipes to Kyle McDougall’s Lightroom Presets

Posted on December 7, 2020 by Ritchie Roesch

Kyle McDougall is a great photographer who shoots film and also Fujifilm X cameras. He recently created and shared some free Lightroom presets for creating a Portra look with your Fujifilm files. Fuji X Weekly reader Ryan, who you might remember from the Hugh’s RV video, shot some pictures with his Fujifilm X100V using different Portra film simulation recipes from this website, and he also applied Kyle’s presets to some RAW files in Lightroom. He sent me the pictures, and graciously allowed me to share them with you. Thank you, Ryan!

The film simulation recipes that Ryan used are Portra 160, Portra 400, Portra 400 v2 (currently available to Fuji X Weekly Patrons on the Fuji X Weekly iOS app), and Portra 800. The two Kyle McDougall presets are Kodak Portra Style Neutral and Kodak Portra Style Warm. Kyle mentions that his presets aren’t intended to strictly mimic Portra film, but are his preference to how he likes his Fujifilm photographs to look based on his experience shooting the film. Portra can have many different looks, not only because there are different stocks that share the name, but also because how it’s shot, developed, and printed or scanned can greatly affect the exact aesthetic.

Let’s look at some pictures!

As you can see, there are some pretty significant differences between each recipe and Kyle McDougall’s Lightroom presets. Kyle’s presets create a bright picture with a strong yellow color cast. Portra can certainly be that way, particularly if overexposed. My first thought is that my Bright Summer (a.k.a. “Preetra 400”) recipe is probably the closest to Kyle’s Portra Style. My second thought is that I need to create a recipe that’s a closer match to Kyle’s presets!

Ryan explained, “At the beginning of this project I got kind of discouraged as the weather was transitioning into fall and was gray and dismal here on the west side of the Cascade’s. Sunlit scenes are what I had in mind. But I did my best to work with what I had, which helped my creativity, and one of those creative positives would be the fall colors that I tried to utilize. I loaded the recipes into my X100V, and when I saw an opportunity to take some images, I would take a pic, change to the next recipe, snap, load the next recipe, etc. In my camera, C2 is Portra 400 v2, C4 is Portra 400, C5 is Portra 160, and C6 is Portra 800. I found that when composing the shot, that exposing +2/3 is what I liked, so I tried exposing that way for all the images, though I can’t remember if I hit it the same every time, but did my best to keep the exposure the same between and for each image taken in a session, trying to keep things uniform. It was neat to see the differences between the different recipes. From what I understand, the different Portra films are unique in their own way. I’d say that the Portra 400 v2 was closest to Kyle’s preset. By the way, that recipe and Portra 160 are my favorites!”

Below are a couple comparisons of the Kodak Portra 400 v2 recipe and Kyle McDougall’s Kodak Portra Style Neutral preset.

Here are a couple comparisons of the Portra 160 and Portra 400 v2 recipes:

Thank you again, Ryan, for doing this project and sharing the results! It’s very fascinating, and I’m sure helpful to the Fuji X Weekly community. It’s helpful to me personally!

If you appreciated this article, let myself and Ryan know by leaving a comment!

Film Simulation Review: Abandoned RV Dealer with Kodak Portra 400

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Ritchie Roesch

*Journal* – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Portra 400”

I recently stumbled upon an abandoned RV dealership in North Salt Lake, Utah. It’s been vandalized. Broken glass and graffiti abound. Nature is doing its thing, too. It’s significantly dilapidated.

Hugh’s R.V. apparently hasn’t been closed for very long, I believe less than two years, but the building looks like it has been abandoned for a decade or more. One of the reviews I found for this place stated that it looked dilapidated—this was when it was still open!—so it was already in a state of disrepair prior to abandonment, and that partially explains why it looks so bad now. Perhaps more than anything, people have just trashed it since it closed.

I captured Hugh’s R.V. with my Fujifilm X100V using my Kodak Portra 400 film simulation recipe. I love how this recipe looks for many things, including structures. Really, it was an easy choice! This particular film simulation recipe could be many people’s “only” recipe. It’s good for such varied situations, and an abandoned building in afternoon light is no exception. This Portra 400 recipe on the X100V is an especially great combination, and a one camera, one lens, one recipe philosophy could be embraced. I appreciate the film-like aesthetic of my Portra 400 settings.

My challenge to you is for one week (or at least one day if that’s too much) use one camera with one lens and one film simulation recipe. If you don’t have an X100V, that’s no problem, just use what you do have. I think the restriction will empower your creativity. Limitations improve art. If you accept this challenge, let me know in the comments which camera, lens and recipe you plan to use, and also report how it goes. I look forward to your feedback!

*Hugh’s R.V.* – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Portra 400”

*Hugh’s Graffiti* – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Portra 400”

*Closed Circuit –* North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Portra 400”

*ERNL* – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Portra 400”

*Open Door, Broken Window* – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Portra 400”

*Trash in the Shadow* – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Portra 400”

*Tubes & Tablets* – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Portra 400”

*Out of Office* – North Salt Lake, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Portra 400”

Fujifilm X100V Film Simulation: Kodak Portra 400

Posted on June 10, 2020 by Ritchie Roesch

Bridge Over Stream – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Portra 400”

This is a brand-new version of my X-T30 Kodak Portra 400 film simulation recipe, designed specifically for the Fujifilm X100V, X-Pro3 and X-T4. My “old” recipe isn’t, in fact, old, as I published it only one month ago, but already I have improved on it, thanks to Fujifilm’s new tools, and also thanks to Fuji X Weekly reader Thomas Schwab, who helped tremendously refine the recipe to be more accurate to actual Portra 400 film. You see, he captured some pictures with Portra 400 film and made some identical pictures with his X-Pro3. After a few small changes, this new recipe emerged. It’s very similar to the X-T30 Portra 400 recipe, the differences aren’t huge, but it is subtly better in my opinion.

Portra 400 was introduced by Kodak in 1998, and was redesigned 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. Like all films, results can vary greatly depending on how it’s shot, developed and printed or scanned, and even which version of the film you’re talking about.

Backlit Forest Leaves – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Portra 400”

This new Portra 400 film simulation recipe requires the use of Clarity, which slows down the camera considerably. Fujifilm suggests shooting RAW and adding Clarity later, but I just use the pause to slow myself down. The use of Clarity also means that this recipe can’t be used on “older” cameras, only the X100V, X-Pro3 and X-T4 (as of this writing), but feel free to apply the white balance shift of this recipe to the X-T30 version and see if you like it better.

Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range: DR-Auto
Highlight: -1
Shadow: -2
Color: +2
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: -2
Clarity: +2
Grain Effect: Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Weak
White Balance: Daylight, +3 Red & -5 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this new Kodak Portra 400 film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:

Light Green Leaves – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V

Sunlight In The Tree – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V

Forest – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V

Creek Through The Trees – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V

Light on the Water – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V

Creek – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V

Big Green Leaf – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V

Sunshine & Tree Leaves – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

Sunlit – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

Stone & Blooms – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V

Jo Swinging – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X100V

Brother & Sister Driving – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

Protect & Serve – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

Seagull on a Lamp – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

Stormy Reeds – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

My Fujifilm X-T30 Kodak Portra 400 Film Simulation Recipe

Posted on May 10, 2020 by Ritchie Roesch

Around The Bend – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 “Kodak Portra 400”

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. Like all films, results can vary greatly depending on how it’s shot, developed and printed or scanned, and even which version of the film you’re talking about. Interestingly, Kodak briefly made a black-and-white version of Portra 400!

I’ve been meaning to revisit Kodak Portra 400 for some time now. As you may know, I already have a Kodak Portra 400 recipe, which I created two years ago, but it requires a difficult-to-achieve custom white balance measurement. I was never really satisfied with that recipe, even though it can produce interesting results. I have been eager to create a new Portra 400 recipe, and, In fact, I’ve tried a couple of times, but without success.

Blue Sky Day – Syracuse, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 “Kodak Portra 400”

A Fuji X Weekly reader suggested to me that if I use my Kodak Portra 160 recipe, except increase Shadow, Highlight and Color by one, that should be pretty close to Portra 400. Indeed it is! I liked what I saw, but I played around with the settings more to see if I could improve on it. Turns out not much needed to be tweaked. I liked the results better with Color Chrome Effect set to Strong, but if you have an X-Trans III camera, which doesn’t have that feature, you can still use this recipe, but it will look slightly different. The only other change that I made was I set Grain to Strong.

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, +4 Red & -5 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 film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X-T30: