Kodak Tri-X 400 | FUJI X WEEKLY

3 Must-Try Fujifilm Recipes

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

I got back from Fujikina NYC yesterday. Apparently, it was the most-attended Fujifilm-specific event ever in the world! I got to meet a lot of you, and shake a lot of hands. I had some great conversations with many different photographers. One specific conversation was with Dan Bailey, who I’ve talked with before but never met in-person until a few days ago. He gave me a suggestion that I thought was great, and I want to share it with you right away.

You see, when people are new to Fujifilm cameras and Film Simulation Recipes, it’s difficult to know where to begin. There are over 400 Recipes on the Fuji X Weekly website and in the App, and figuring out which ones to use first can be overwhelming. Dan suggested that people should start with just three. Finding and programming seven Recipes can be a lot; however, a list of only three Recipes is a lot easier for the newcomer, and a great way to get your feet wet. After that, if you want to try others, you can add one or two (or up to four) more if you’d like.

*White Bridge Across Pond* – Charleston, SC – Fujifilm X-E4 – Pacific Blues

Dan’s idea is that there could be many different groups of three Recipes, with various styles or use-cases in mind. Maybe one could be for a 1970’s aesthetic. Perhaps another is for portrait photographers. Another could be for your summer vacation. The potential ideas are endless! I hope to make many of these lists, and organize them somewhere for easy access (I haven’t figured that part out yet). Thanks, Dan, for the wonderful suggestion!

This is the first set of three Recipes. If you are new to this whole Fujifilm Recipe thing and don’t know where to begin, the three below are a great starting point. Before we get to them, though, let me give you a brief guide on how to add them to your camera. You have to know how to program them before you can use them.

It’s not difficult to add Recipes to your Fujifilm camera, but it can be intimidating the first time or two. Pretty soon you’ll be comfortable with it, and adding them will seem easy. The slide above shows the quick steps. While in shooting mode (not playback), press Menu/OK, which opens the main menu. In the IQ set at the top, find and select Edit/Save Custom Setting—it’s usually on the third page. That will bring you to the screen seen in the picture above. Select one of the C1-C7 slots that you want to program the Recipe into, and enter the Recipe parameters (like Film Simulation, White Balance, Color, Highlight, etc., etc.). Save the Recipe, and don’t forget to give it a custom name so that you remember which one it is. There is a little variation between the models and generations, so your camera might look a little different.

The easier way is to send Recipes straight from the Fuji X Weekly App to your camera using the new App-to-Camera Recipe Transfer feature. Be sure to click the link in the last sentence for a how-to guide and to learn more about it. This feature makes the process really quick and simple. You can easily locate the three Recipes below in the App by using the search tool.

Now, to the Fujifilm Recipes! If you have a fifth-generation camera or a fourth-generation model (except the X-T3 and X-T30), these are must-try Recipes for those unsure which ones to use. Specifically, if you have a Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, X-T30 II, X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100S, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, or GFX100RF, this set is for you!

For this specific list, I wanted one Recipe that’s colorful and versatile, one that is more stylistic and color-negative-like, and one for black-and-white photography. I also wanted it to be compatible with the largest number of cameras. Some future lists might be for smaller groups of models, but for this first one I wanted to maximize compatibility. Without any further delay, here are three must-try Fujifilm Recipes:

Provia Positive

Provia Positive is one of my newer Fujifilm Recipes, published in May of this year. It was a collab between myself and Dan Allen. It’s colorful and highly versatile, and my personal favorite Provia-based Recipe. Use it anytime of the day or night. It’s great for most subjects and situations, especially travel photography. Provia Positive has a vaguely slide film look. It’s a great option for the C1 slot in your Custom Setting presets. I’ve been using this Recipe a lot lately.

Pacific Blues

Pacific Blues is bold yet classic. It’s intended for a sunny summer day at the beach, but it works in a variety of situations, including fog. While not modeled after a specific film, it unquestionably has a negative film like aesthetic. It’s one of my all-time favorite Recipes. There’s a version for fourth-generation models, and a version for fifth-generation cameras—make sure you pick the correct version for your camera.

Kodak Tri-X 400

In my opinion, there’s not a better B&W Recipe than Kodak Tri-X 400. If you love monochromatic images, this is a must-try. Created by Anders Lindborg, it’s a true honor to have it available to you on Fuji X Weekly. This is probably my top favorite Recipe for Fujifilm cameras.

This set of three offers a good introduction to the world of Fuji X Weekly Recipes. If you are new to all this and aren’t sure where to begin, give these a try. You might love them all and keep them in your camera, or you might only appreciate one or two—that’s ok, with over 400 to choose from, there’s bound to be a few that match your style.

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

7 Fujifilm Recipes to Replace RAW Editing

Posted on June 9 by Ritchie Roesch

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kodachrome 64

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

Kodak Portra 160 v2

Kodak Portra 160 V2 is another Recipe intended for sunny daylight conditions. Interestingly, a photographer recently loaded a roll of Portra 160 into his film camera and used this Recipe on his Fujifilm camera, and shot them side-by-side. The results? The images were nearly identical, difficult to distinguish from each other. This Recipe, which is a modification by Thomas Schwab of my old Kodak Portra 160 Recipe (which was made with some help of Piotr Skrzypek), is for fifth-generation Fujifilm cameras, which are the X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF. Also, those with fourth-generation cameras should try my Kodak Portra 160 Recipe.

Pacific Blues

While intended for a sunny day at the beach, the Pacific Blues Recipe is surprisingly excellent in a variety of conditions and for diverse subjects. It’s one of my all-time favorites. This particular version is for fifth-generation Fujifilm cameras, which are the X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF. There is also a version for fourth-generation models. Another Recipe to consider is Fujicolor 100 Gold.

Copenhagen Negative

Copenhagen Negative is one of the newest Recipes on Fuji X Weekly, and it’s already one of my favorites. This is for fifth-generation Fujifilm cameras, which are the X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF. You might also appreciate the 1-Hour Photo Recipe.

Fujicolor PRO 160C Warm

A part of the Film Dial Recipe set, Fujicolor PRO 160C Warm is highly versatile, and can be used anytime of the day or night. This is for fifth-generation Fujifilm cameras, which are the X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF. An alternative to consider is the PRO Negative 160C Recipe.

Vivid Velvia

Vivid Velvia is a bold Recipe for vibrant pictures. It’s best for landscape photography, or anytime you want to emphasize vivid colors. This Recipe is for fifth-generation Fujifilm cameras, which are the X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, X-T30 III, GFX100 II, GFX100S II, and GFX100RF, as well as some fourth-generation models: X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, X-T30 II, and GFX100S. You might also like The Rockwell Recipe.

Kodak Tri-X 400

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

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