Low contrast cinematic film recipe with Eterna film simulation
I’ve been experiementing with low contrast (or matte) film recipe styles recently. I love the cinematic mood that you can acheive with a flattened tone curve, and overall soft aesthetic.
My first published recipe with this approach was Flatpack, a Classic Chrome look with a matte nostalgic vibe. For this recipe, I’ve worked instead from Eterna as a base simulation for a soft tone profile. For added atmosphere, I’ve used a colour balance that evokes a charaterful cine vibe, but also works really well for natural and outdoor scenes.
I’ve tested it in a variety of conditions, and although it is lovely in sunshine, I also really love the look in murky conditions, like mist, cloud and drizzle. It’s a real all weather recipe. I didn’t plan it that way, but it’s a happy accident that I’m very pleased about.
Flat Earth really doubles down on the cinematic vibe, and has a wonderfully calm and mellow tone. There’s also a bit of extra mood from a single stop of underexposure. If you enjoy this look even a little bit as much as I do, then you’ll soon be a champ on your socials with this flat tone style.
Flat Earth Film Recipe
- Simulation: Eterna/Cinema
- Grain Effect: Weak, Large
- Colour Chrome Effect: Weak
- Colour Chrome Blue: Weak
- White Balance: 6200K
- WB Shift: -2 Red, -2 Blue
- Dynamic Range: DR200
- Highlights: -1.0
- Shadows: -1.0
- Color: -4
- Sharpness: -1
- ISO Noise Reduction: -4
- Clarity: 0
- EV compensation: -1/3
Cinematic Looks
There are of course, a wide range of looks in cinema, from deep noir to the pop colours of Wes Anderson. But, when I think of a cinematic style, I dream up soft toned looks dripping with mood and charisma. Contrast is low and the scenery looks fantastic. In my cinematic recipes, I try to bring a bit of that into my photos. Here are a few favourites …
Film Recipes for Fujifilm Cameras 