Kodak Portra film simulation

Fujifilm X-E4 (X-Trans IV) Film Simulation Recipe: Portra-Style

Posted on September 22 by Ritchie Roesch

*Peach Tree* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Portra-Style”

After Anders Lindborg shared with me his interesting discovery that D-Range Priority (DR-P) is essentially the same thing as Hypertone on Fujifilm Frontier scanners, I immediately went to work creating a couple film simulation recipes that use D-Range Priority, since I didn’t have any. Like many of you, I thought that DR-P was a feature reserved only for extreme situations, and not for everyday use, but (as it turns out) it doesn’t have to be—DR-P can be utilized all of the time if you want.

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 Sunlight Through a Tree further down below.

*Tall Grass* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Portra-Style”

This “Portra-Style” recipe isn’t intended to faithfully mimic Portra film, but was inspired more by Kyle McDougall’s “Portra-Style” presets, which are, of course, modeled after Kodak Portra film. The Kodak Portra 400 Warm recipe was also inspired by these presets, and there are some similarities between this recipe and that one. I don’t know which is better, as they’re both good options for achieving a warm Portra-like aesthetic. For a more-accurate recipe, try Kodak Portra 400 v2. This recipe, which is closer to Portra 400 than 160, works best in natural light, especially daylight, although you can still get interesting results sometimes in other lighting situations. My “Portra-Style” recipe is compatible with the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II cameras.

Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range: D-Range Priority Auto
Color: +1
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: -2
Clarity: +3
Grain Effect: Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Weak
White Balance: 5000K, +2 Red & -6 Blue
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this “Portra-Style” film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X-E4:

*Jonathan* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

*Arrow & Cones* – Sandy, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

*Summer Tree* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

*Sunlight Through a Tree* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

*Fence & Tree* – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

*Cautious Nature* – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

*Bridge in the Forest* – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

*Yellow Leaves in Green Forest* – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

*Log in the Forest* – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

*Last Light on Dead Tree* – Fruit Heights, UT – Fujifilm X-E4

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

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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 800 v2

Posted on May 17 by Ritchie Roesch

*Flower in a Tree* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Kodak Portra 800 v2”

This Kodak Portra 800 v2 recipe is beautiful! It was created by Thomas Schwab, who has made several film simulation recipes published on this website, including Superia Xtra 400, Urban Vintage Chrome, Kodachrome II, Classic Monochrome, B&W Superia, and Monochrome Kodachrome. Thomas has also collaborated on other recipes, playing an important role in getting them right, including Kodak Portra 800, Kodak Ektar 100, Kodachrome 1, Kodak Portra 400, and Kodak T-Max 400. This new Kodak Portra 800 v2 recipe might be his best one yet!

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.

*Traffic Cone* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X-E4 – “Kodak Portra 800 v2”

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

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

Find this film simulation recipe on the Fuji X Weekly — Film Recipes App!

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

Posted on December 7 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!

Fujifilm X100V Film Simulation Recipe: Kodak Portra 800

Posted on November 3 by Ritchie Roesch

*November Cherries* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Portra 800”

There are some good online resources that are helpful when creating film simulation recipes for films that I’ve never used, which I did consult, but that’s not how these settings came about. You see, there’s a new version of my Portra 400 recipe (which I know you’ll love) that’s coming soon, and this recipe is a variant of that. Thomas Schwab, who I’ve collaborated with on a number of different recipes (including Portra 400), and who has actually shot Portra 800, helped me out with this one. Thanks, Thomas!

*Cabela’s Boy* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V – “Kodak Portra 800”

I know that many of will love this Kodak Portra 800 film simulation recipe! It’s really nice, and has a good film-like aesthetic. Does it faithfully resemble real Portra 800? I think it does, but film can look different depending on how it’s shot, developed, scanned or printed, and this recipe won’t mimic every aspect of the film. Even so, I think this one will be quite popular, and many of you will use it regularly. It’s only compatible (as of this writing) with the Fujifilm X100V, X-Pro3, X-T4 and X-S10 cameras.

Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: +1
Shadow: 0
Color: +3
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: -2
Clarity: -4
Grain Effect: Strong, Large
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect Blue: Weak
White Balance: 5200K, +1 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 800 film simulation recipe on my Fujifilm X100V:

*Brown Tree Leaves* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

Small Shrub – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Backyard Tree Leaves* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Yellow House* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Suburban Mailboxes* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Red Fire Hydrant* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Suburban Peek* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Evening Commute* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Smith’s* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Drug* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Suburban Dusk* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Parked Car in the Dark* – Salt Lake City, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Tunnel Bench* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Night Mall Architecture* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Empty Sidewalk at Night* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Christmas Decor Display* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Succulent & Globe* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Jon Wearing Cabela’s Hat* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Potted Plant on End Table* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Accidental Exposure* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

*Sunlight Through a Tree* – Farmington, UT – Fujifilm X100V

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: