A boldly yellow Classic Chrome recipe built for sunshine, summer colour and golden hour vibes.

The Elements series in the Film Recipes App is built around recipes that each express a distinct character tied to colour and light. Oxygen brings fresh spring brightness, and Hydrogen delivers clean summer colour. But as the year turns warmer and richer — as golden light replaces the soft greens of early summer — a gap emerged. Sodium fills it. Named after the element’s intensely yellow character, the same quality that gives sodium vapour street lamps their unmistakable glow, this recipe brings a bold, clean yellow tone whlst avoiding the muddy warmth of some vintage or aged looks.

The yellow character comes from a carefully tuned colour balance rather than simply dialling up warmth. A fluorescent white balance base with a strong blue reduction and a nudge of red produces a yellow cast that is clean, cheerful and distinctly itself. Colour is pushed to +3, and a third of a stop of extra exposure keeps things bright and open. Classic Chrome provides the underlying structure — its characteristic restraint keeps the yellow from becoming chaotic, giving it shape and direction. The result is a look closer to the meticulously colour-graded worlds of Wes Anderson films than to the faded nostalgia of expired stock.

There is nothing subtle about Sodium, and that is entirely the point. It rewards bright conditions — sunny days, open skies, beach and summer scenes where the light is generous and the colours have room to breathe. The brighter the light, the better the results. It suits golden hour beautifully, where the natural warmth of the light feeds directly into the recipe’s character, and it works equally well for travel and holiday photography where you want images that feel joyful and vivid.

Load Sodium on a bright day with colourful subjects and commit to it fully. It delivers a consistently cheery look and feel that makes ordinary scenes feel like they belong in a film. The full Elements series — including Hydrogen and further additions — is available in the Film Recipes App.

Sodium Film Recipe Settings

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Sodium Film Recipe: Sample Photos

Using the Sodium Film Recipe

Each film simulation recipe has its own character and style. These features mean recipes are more suited to certain situations, or when seeking a particular look. Here are the categories that Sodium has been tagged with.