Fujifilm simulation recipe for Classic Negative on X-Trans IV cameras
One of the most interesting film simulations on Fuji X-series cameras is Classic Negative. If you go back and find film photos printed back in the peak days of Fujicolor 35mm films like Reala, Superia, etc., you’ll see a look that has been magically recreated by the Fujifilm engineers.
This leads me to a deeply nostaligic film recipe, based on Classic Negative that celebrates this old film prints style. It’s set to push up the highlights and colour, because these tweaks give a look that I remember from prints in the 90s, and adds a little softness to hide the digital nature of the shots a little.
The recipe is called Back in the Day, and is great for sunny days and all those holidays and days out that you would have captured on your 35mm camera, back in the day.
Back in the Day Film Recipe
- Simulation: Classic Negative
- Grain Effect: Off (but you can add some if you prefer)
- Colour Chrome Effect: Off
- Colour Chrome Blue: Weak
- White Balance: 5600K
- WB Shift: +4 Red, -5 Blue
- Dynamic Range: DR200
- Highlights: +1.5
- Shadows: -1.5
- Colour: +2
- Sharpness: -2
- ISO Noise Reduction: -4
- Clarity: 0
- EV compensation: 0
If you enjoy this recipe, here are some others that have a similar style …
- Decade Print – which is has a faded retro look
- Fujicolor Classic – for a Fujifilm prints recipe
- Retrocolor Negative – warm tones with Classic Negative
Film Recipes for Fujifilm Cameras 
6 responses to “Back in the Day, like Nostalgic Film Photos”
Love this,
Should the white balance shift not be WB Shift: +4 Red, -5 Blue?
Thanks
Justin
LikeLike
Well spotted! I’ve updated the page, thank you 🙂
LikeLike
I thought it was me who entered the WB shift wrong (was +5B, before you changed it to -5B)). The photos I made today with this sim had a strange strong pink cast. Will give it another go next time I go to the woods.
Why not add a comment section (though not sure if its possible) for the new pages in links at top of page? Just an idea.
Cheers
LikeLike
I’m sorry about that mess up with the WB. It slipped past unnoticed I’m sorry.
I saw that the theme pages don’t have a comment section too. I’m new to WordPress, but I’ll take a look at whether it can be added to the template. Good idea
LikeLike
hello.. Does location make a big difference to film recipes? I live in Sydney Australia and it’s summer here now so clear bright sunny days with lots of harsh contrast. When I use this back to the day recipe my photo’s are coming out to reddish, with brown tones and very contrasty. I checked the recipe my XE-4 and all the settings are correct. I’ve been using so many other recipe’s from here without any issue, this one seems for me the only one that behaves this way? any help appreciated. thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Mark. I am sure that our position on Earth, and specifically latitude, makes a big difference to how our photos look. The light is very different in it’s intensity and the tone. Up here, we have strong variations between Summer and Winter, as well as throughout the day. Australia will have much brighter days, with hard shadows, and light will possibly be a little more blue that here as well.
On this specific recipe, there is an intended pink cast to it, designed in to replicate the look of prints made 20 or 30 years ago. It shows particulary in the near-whites and neutrals. It might also be made stronger in the differnt light. The good news is that there is a related recipe which has many of the same qualities, but with less red… https://film.recipes/2022/09/20/restore-from-backup-nostalgic-print-recipe/ … Restore from Backup might be a good one to try.
Alternatively, you could take the white balance and shift from Restore from Backup and apply it to Back in the Day, for a hybrid. Or, for a simpler fix, maybe bring the red shift of Back in the Day down from +5 to +3 and see if that gives a result that you like?
Thanks for commenting, and please do let me know how you get on.
LikeLike