Redscale photography | FUJI X WEEKLY

RedScale — Fujifilm X-Trans IV & V Film Simulation Recipe

*The Red Desert* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100VI – RedScale

Redscale is an analog film technique where you load a roll of color film into the camera backwards. The film is exposed from the wrong side—through the plastic backing—exposing the red layer first. The results are photographs with a predominately red color cast. Sometimes it’s yellow-ish, sometimes it’s orange-ish, sometimes it’s peach-ish, sometimes it’s purple-ish, but mainly it is red. Results can very from film-to-film, and also how the film is exposed and developed/scanned; however, a redscale photo is unmistakable—you know it when you see it.

You can buy film preloaded for redscale photography. Lomography has Redscale XR, which is an unknown Kodak emulsion loaded into the canister backwards (some have speculated it’s Ultramax 400). On Valentine’s Day, Harman released Red 125, which is backwards-loaded Phoenix 200. Harman Red 125 is what this RedScale Recipe was inspired by. Because the film is new, there aren’t a lot of examples yet. I’m not convinced that this Recipe is perfectly accurate, but it seems to be pretty close from the limited number of pictures I found online.

*Light on a Dark Wall* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4 – RedScale

Redscale photography isn’t for everyone or every situation—it’s a niche lomo-esque aesthetic. But if you want to get that look straight-out-of-camera, this RedScale Film Simulation Recipe will do that very convincingly. This is compatible with Fujifilm X-Trans IV (excluding the X-T3 and X-T30; use this Redscale Recipe instead) and X-Trans V cameras. While Classic Negative renders blue more deeply on X-Trans V than on X-Trans IV, because the color blue doesn’t really come through with this Recipe, it looks the same on both sensor generations. You can also use it on most GFX cameras.

Film Simulation: Classic Negative
Dynamic Range: DR200
Grain Effect: Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome FX Blue: Off
White Balance: 10000K, +9 Red & -9 Blue
Highlight: 0
Shadow: +2
Color: +4
Sharpness: -2
High ISO NR: -4
Clarity: -3
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: 0 to +2/3 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this RedScale Film Simulation Recipe on a Fujifilm X-E4, X100VI & GFX100S II:

*Classic Circles* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4

*The Very Best* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4

*Tall Chair* – Litchfield Park, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4

*Hat Rack* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4

*Nature & Structure* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100VI

*Chairs & Cart* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4

*Promenade* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100V

*CVS Sign* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4

*Two Bikes* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100VI

*Suburban Bike* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4

*Son, Shadow* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4

*Reflected Structure* – Tempe, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4

*Unlikely Friends* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm GFX100S II

*Palm Canopy* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100VI

*Suburban Tree* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4

*Palm Abstract* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4

*Closed for the Evening* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4

*Fire Flowers* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4

*Red Hair* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-E4

*Red Saguaro Fingers* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X100VI

This post contains affiliate links, and if you make a purchase using my links I’ll be compensated a small amount for it.

Fujifilm X100VI in black:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Wex, Nuzira
Fujifilm X100VI in silver:
Amazon, B&H, Moment, Wex, Nuzira
Fujifilm GFX100S II:
Amazon, B&H, Wex

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Apocalyptic Glow — A Fujifilm X-Trans V Film Simulation Recipe

Posted on April 1, 2024 by Ritchie Roesch

*Where are the Zombies?* – Casa Grande, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Apocalyptic Glow

I was watching some old Cold War era duck-and-cover videos over the weekend. You know, there’s a flash and everyone falls to the ground and covers their heads, as if that’s going to help. The mushroom cloud and bright orange glow, reminiscent of Oppenheimer, are inescapable, for those in the path. And that made me think: here’s a potential Film Simulation Recipe for my Fujifilm camera!

If you want to replicate the aesthetic of the end of the world, I think it must have an atomic radiance. Thankfully, Fujifilm cameras are highly customizable, and it’s possible to achieve an apocalyptic glow look straight-out-of-camera, no editing needed. If that’s what you are after, this Apocalyptic Glow Film Simulation Recipe is for you!

*Ruins* – Tumacacori, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5 – Apocalyptic Glow

While many of you won’t appreciate the look of this new Recipe, I think for some of you it might be your new standard, programmed into C1. It has that right level of ominousness and uneasiness to add drama to your images. Turn a boring scene into something incredible just by using the Apocalyptic Glow Film Simulation Recipe! It’s compatible with all Fujifilm X-Trans V cameras, plus all X-Trans IV models with the exception of the X-T3 and X-T30. I’m sure that it can be used on newer GFX cameras, although it’s likely to render slightly different.

Film Simulation: Velvia
Dynamic Range: DR200
Grain Effect: Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome FX Blue: Strong
White Balance: 10000K, +9 Red & -9 Blue
Highlight: -2
Shadow: +1
Color: +4
Sharpness: -1
High ISO NR: -4
Clarity: +4
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +1/3 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this Apocalyptic Glow Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X-T5:

*The End of the Road* – Litchfield Park, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

*About to Get Leveled* – Arlington, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

*Bowl Me Over* – Benson, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

*Left is Sus* – Saguaro National Park, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

*Blood Red Water* – Arlington, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

*Sign that People were Once Here* – Casa Grande, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

*Flowers & Boarded Up Doors* – Casa Grande, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

*Empty Mall* – Casa Grande, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

*Can’t Pedal Fast Enough* – Casa Grande, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

*Chuckleheads* – Bisbee, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

*The Cat Holds the Key* – Bisbee, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

*Burnt Building* – Bisbee, AZ – Fujifilm X-T5

It’s April 1st, and you probably have already figured out that this is an April Fool’s Day joke. Ha ha. I hope that you had a good laugh, or a mild chuckle at least once. It was actually my teenage daughter’s idea, and I thought it was funny, so I wen’t with it.

A few things real quick. Yes, you can use these settings if you want to—it’s a real Recipe, and will produce this look. It won’t be in the Fuji X Weekly App, because it’s a prank and not intended to be serious. The closest analog aesthetic to it is Redscale, where you load a roll of film into your camera backwards and expose the red emulsion layer first instead of last. I found (through some Internet searches) that Kodak Ektar 100 shot backwards (Redscale) and overexposed by about two stops does produce a somewhat similar aesthetic to this Apocalyptic Glow Film Simulation Recipe. If you like the look of it, feel free to try it. Otherwise, there are over 300 Film Simulation Recipes to choose from, and I’m sure there’s at least one that you’ll love.

My Fujifilm X-T30 Redscale Film Simulation Recipe

Posted on June 22, 2019 by Ritchie Roesch

Red Hill – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Redscale”

Redscale is a photographic technique where you shoot film backwards. Instead of shooting the film through the front, you shoot it through the backside. In order to do this, one must load the film into the canister backwards, or buy film that’s already been purposefully loaded backwards. Normally, in color negative film, the red layer is exposed last, for the light has passed through other layers and filters before it reaches it. When you shoot from the wrong side, light hits the red layer first. The results can be quite unique!

What’s interesting about Redscale photography is that the results can vary greatly, depending on the film, exposure and development. Most commonly, Redscale images have a strong maroon, red, orange or yellow color cast. Sometimes the color cast can be extraordinarily bold and sometimes it can be quite subtle. Even one roll of film can produce different looks depending on the light and how it was shot. Generally speaking, darker images tend to be more red and brighter images tend to be more yellow, but there are certainly exceptions to that. A Redscale image is easy to spot when you see one, but it can be difficult to strictly define the aesthetic.

Peach Morning – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30 – “Redscale”

I was asked by Fuji X Weekly reader Aycan Gonenc to create a Redscale film simulation. He had developed one already and shared his settings with me, but was hoping that I might make some improvements. I made some changes and adjustments and the results are this recipe, so it is a collaborative effort. What I will say is that the settings can be adjusted considerably, and one can still achieve a Redscale look. Simply change the film simulation from Astia to something else and you will create a different Redscale look. The white balance can be dropped to as low as 7700K, and the shift can have blue added or subtracted. Any of the settings can be adjusted to taste. These settings are only what I felt would produce a good Redscale facsimile, and I believe it does that.

Astia
Dynamic Range: DR200
Highlight: +1
Shadow: +2
Color: -2
Noise Reduction: -4
Sharpening: -2
Grain Effect: Strong
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
White Balance: 10000K, +9 Red & 0 Blue
ISO: Auto up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: -1/3 to +1/3 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using my Redscale film simulation recipe on a Fujifilm X-T30:

Building Sky – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Cloud Around The Ridge – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Red Mountain – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Overcast Ridge – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Clouds Floating Above The Mountain – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Orange Hill Under Red Sky – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Westbound I-84 – Peterson, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Evening Freight – Henefer, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Wood Fence Roses – South Weber, Utah – Fujifilm X-T30

Red Rose Fence – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Really Red Rose – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Pink Bud – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Floral Red – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Yellow Rose Gold – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Daisy Red – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Small Wild Blossoms – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Corner Trunk – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

T is for Tree – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

An American Home – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

299 – Coalville, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Red Engineer – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Continental Bike Tire – Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Red Window – South Weber, Utah – Fujifilm X-T30

Night Window – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Red Cross – Layton, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Tree Top – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Sunlit Leaf – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Russian Red – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Bolsey Orange – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Red Birds – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Red Eye Horse – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Girl & Hungry Horse – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Cat Cone – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Tractor Mirror – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Stucco Lamp – South Ogden, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

Iced Coffee Cups – South Weber, UT – Fujifilm X-T30

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