Vivid Velvia – Fujifilm X-E5 (X-Trans V) Film Simulation Recipe

Roaring Fork – Great Smoky Mountains NP, TN – Fujifilm X-E5 – Vivid Velvia

One item on my “bucket list” was to visit the Great Smoky Mountains in the fall. Two weeks ago I was able to check that one off; however, I was a little early for the peak autumn show. The trees were only just starting to show fall colors, with little pops here and there. I’ll have to try again sometime in the future, and hopefully time it just a little better. Even though I was a week or two early, it was still an amazing place to visit, and I’m so glad that I was able to go.

I created the Vivid Velvia Film Simulation Recipe in preparation for the trip, intending to use it on this adventure. My two favorite Velvia-based Recipes are The Rockwell and Velvia Film. The Rockwell Recipe, named after Ken Rockwell and designed to be similar to his aesthetic (he actually used it!), is very bold and a bit over-the-top, sometimes a smidge too much. The Velvia Film Recipe, which is a part of the Film Dial universal Recipe set, is very nice, but occasionally not bold enough. This Recipe is intended to bridge the gap between the two, sitting right in-between both of them. It’s a slightly less over-the-top alternative to The Rockwell, and a slightly more bold version of Velvia Film; overall, it’s similar to both.

Autumn Spires – Gatlinburg, TN – Fujifilm X-E5 – Vivid Velvia

After using this Vivid Velvia Recipe quite extensively on the trip, I’m very happy with the results. It does well in a variety of situations, including nighttime photography. Obviously, this is not a good choice for portraits, but it’s one of the best options for colorful landscape pictures. This Recipe is compatible with “newer” X-Trans IV cameras (Fujifilm X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, and X-T30 II), all fifth-generation X-Trans models (X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, X-M5, X-E5, and X-T30 III), and “newer” GFX cameras (GFX100S, GFX100S II, GFX100 II, and GFX100RF).

Film Simulation: Velvia
Dynamic Range: DR400
Grain Effect: Weak, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome FX Blue: Weak
White Balance: Auto Ambience Priority, +1 Red & -3 Blue
Highlight: -1
Shadow: -1
Color: +4
Sharpness: +1

High ISO NR: -4
Clarity: +3
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: +1/3 to +1 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this Vivid Velvia Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X-E5:

Rotary Club – Gatlinburg, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Lights Left On – Gatlinburg, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Cold Drinks – Gatlinburg, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
White House – Canton, GA – Fujifilm X-E5
Abandoned Garage – Gatlinburg, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Sky Tram – Gatlinburg, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Compass Tower – Gatlinburg, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Fall Colors – Gatlinburg, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Fall Bridge – Gatlinburg, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Fall Trees – Gatlinburg, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Pine Trees – Canton, GA – Fujifilm X-E5
Sunlight through Tree Branches – Canton, GA – Fujifilm X-E5
Ely’s Mill Trucks – Gatlinburg, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Leconte Creek – Gatlinburg, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Roaring Fork Waterfall – Great Smoky Mountains NP, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Thousand Drips – Great Smoky Mountains NP, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Falls Between Boulders – Great Smoky Mountains NP, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Autumn Leaves on Rocks – Great Smoky Mountains NP, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Log Fence – Great Smoky Mountains NP, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Log Cabin – Great Smoky Mountains NP, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Ephraim Bales Cabin – Great Smoky Mountains NP, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Red Gondolas – Gatlinburg, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Nantahala River – Wesser, NC – Fujifilm X-E5
Stop at Ela Cabins – Ela, NC – Fujifilm X-E5
Abandoned Store at Night – White House, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Rock Concert – White House, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Electric Guitars – White House, TN – Fujifilm X-E5
Blues & Red – White House, TN – Fujifilm X-E5

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

Fujifilm X-E5 in black:
AmazonB&HMomentNuzira
Fujifilm X-E5 in silver:
AmazonB&HMomentNuzira

Find this Film Simulation Recipe and over 400 more on the Fuji X Weekly App! Consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support Fuji X Weekly.

Velvia Slide — FXW App Patron Early-Access Recipe for Fujifilm X-Trans IV, X-Trans V & GFX

Mountain Grass & Flowers – Boulder, CO – Fujifilm GFX100S II – Velvia Slide Recipe

Back in January, I published the Provia Summer Patron Early-Access Recipe, which was supposed to kick off a series of Early-Access Recipes to help clear out the backlog. I never intended for the Early-Access Recipes to be locked for as long as they have been, so I decided to fix that in 2025. My goal for this series was to publish a new Recipe every three to four weeks; however, it’s now May, and this is only the second one. I will try to do better moving forward.

My intention for the Velvia Slide Recipe was a replication of Velvia 100 color reversal (slide) film, which should not be confused with Velvia 50 or Velvia 100F (although Velvia 100 is pretty similar to Velvia 50). I never used Velvia 100 (I have used Velvia 50 many times), so I relied on online resources, as well as my Velvia 50 slides. I feel like, in the right light, this Recipe does quite well at mimicking it, but it’s not always correct. It’s sometimes really convincing and sometimes less so; however, either way, I really like the look of it.

Book & Fake Succulent – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 – Velvia Slide Recipe

While there are many Film Simulation Recipes that use Velvia, this one is not quite like any that I’ve previously published. Perhaps Kodak Ektachrome E100VS and Improved Velvia are the closest. It works best in sunny daylight, but can also be good for natural light indoors. It’s especially well suited for colorful landscape photography.

This is a Patron Early-Access Recipe. If you are a Fuji X Weekly App Patron, you have access to it right now. If not, no worries, as it will eventually be made available to everyone, once it is replaced by a new Early-Access Recipe. With the exception of the X-T3 and X-T30, it is compatible with all fourth and fifth-generation X-Trans cameras, which (as of this writing) are the Fujifilm X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, X-T30 II, X-H2s, X-H2, X-T5, X-S20, X100VI, X-T50, and X-M5. It can also be used on the newer GFX models, including the GFX100S, GFX100S II, GFX100 II, and GFZ100RF.

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs using this Velvia Slide Film Simulation Recipe on a Fujifilm X-T4, X-S20, and GFX100S II:

Bougainvillea in Spring – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4
Oleander Branch in Bloom – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4
Garden Flowers – Charleston, SC – Fujifilm X-S20 – Photo by Jonathan Roesch
Blooming Bougainvillea – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4
Yellow Bougainvillea Backlit – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4
Palm Branch Curve – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4
Toyotires – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-S20 – Photo by Jonathan Roesch
Palm Trunk – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4
Spring Sun – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4
Setting Sun – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-S20 – Photo by Jonathan Roesch
Hawk Perched on Desert Rocks – Rock Springs, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4
Old Dog – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4
Lake Waves – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4
Flatirons – Boulder, CO – Fujifilm GFX100S II
Mohawk Mountain – Boulder, CO – Fujifilm GFX100S II

Find this Film Simulation Recipe and 400 more in the Fuji X Weekly App! Consider becoming a Patron subscriber to unlock the best App experience and to support Fuji X Weekly.

Colour Your Story — New Series by X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry

If you’re new to Fujifilm—or not new to Fujifilm but fairly new to Film Simulation Recipes, or just curious about your camera—and you’d like to take a deeper dive into the various Film Simulations, Fujifilm X-Photographer Nathalie Boucry has an excellent series on her blog called Colour Your Story that you need to check out and follow.

The way that this series works is that each Film Simulation gets two parts: an introduction and a deeper dive. The introduction article explains what that particular Film Simulation is and what it is good for. The sample pictures are with that film sim set with the default factory settings. The followup article, entitled Let’s take [it] to Another Level (or a similar sentiment), discusses some Recipes that use that film sim as the base. So far, Nathalie has two Film Simulations in the series complete: Provia and Velvia.

Provia — Fujifilm X-T50 — Standard Film Recipe
Velvia — Fujifilm X-T5 — Velvia Film Recipe

Colour Your Story, Ep 1: PROVIA — Start Your Journey with The All-Rounder
Let’s take PROVIA to Another Level
Colour Your Story, Ep 2: The Bold One is Velvia
Let’s take Velvia further

Definitely take a moment out of your day and read up on those four posts. The series is worth following—get on her mailing list (at the bottom of each article) so that you don’t miss out on the future installments. I’m looking forward to all of the rest—there are 20 film sims, so Nathalie undoubtably has her work cut out! A series like this takes a ton of effort to put together, so, if you appreciate it, be sure to leave her a comment on her page letting her know.

See also:
My 5 Favorite Film Simulation Recipes that use Provia
My 5 Favorite Film Simulation Recipes that use Velvia