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Vintage Astia, a Nostalgic Negative Mood

Astia film simulation recipe with a warm grainy retro look for X-Trans IV

Vintage Astia

So here’s a recipe that doesn’t replicate any film in particular, but has many of the qualities of a film. This is down to the use of Astia film simulation as the base to the recipe. It has a solid film-like feel, especially in the tone of the highlights, and is also a nice break from Classic Chrome and Classic Negative, which are quite distinctive in their styling.

The vintage part is an added mood, bringing warmth, grain and a gentle reduction in saturation. The result is a warm look, with the retro feel of images as they once were, but without being too much like any Kodachrome or Fujicolor style. I’ve become quite partial to it, using it as a general use recipe in all sorts of conditions.

This recipe also has a passing resemblence to Nostalgic Negative from the newest cameras, so if you want a recipe to fake it, this may be the one.

Vintage Astia Film Recipe Settings

Film Simulation	Astia/Soft
Grain Effect	Strong, Small
Colour Chrome Effect	Strong
Colour Chrome Blue	Weak
White Balance	Auto (White Priority), +5 Red, ‑5 Blue
Dynamic Range	DR100
Highlights	‑1
Shadows	‑1
Colour	‑2
Sharpness	‑2
ISO Noise Reduction	‑4
Clarity	0
EV Compensation	0

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Astia Mellow

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Vintage Mood

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Vintage Astia Film Recipe: Sample Photos

Community Photos

Photos taken with the Vintage Astia film recipe by members of the Film Recipes community.

Photos by Alex Tenhave

Vintage Astia film recipe photo by Alex Tenhave

Photos by Andrea Braun

Vintage Astia film recipe photo by Andrea Braun

February 15, 2023

Wychwood Pale, for Walks in the Winter Woods

Eterna Bleach Bypass for a forest mood that works well in winter sunlight

Wychwood Pale

Winter is one of my favourite seasons for photography, with interesting bare natural shapes, muted colour palettes and the additional mood of frosts and low winter sunlight.

Photography in these conditions is perfectly suited to the Eterna Bleach Bypass film simulation, which embraces these characteristics in a contrasty but muted style.

I do feel that owners of older Fujifilm cameras are missing a treat here, because Bleach Bypass is so unique, but for those of us that have access to it, this recipe set-up is a favourite option for wintry walks in the woods.

As well as Bleach Bypass, this recipe uses negative clarity for a hazy effect, adding a little extra something, much like the Wychwood Hobgoblin beers, which are another favourite of mine at this time of year.

Wychwood Pale Film Recipe Settings

Film Simulation	Eterna Bleach Bypass
Grain Effect	Weak, Small
Colour Chrome Effect	Weak
Colour Chrome Blue	Weak
White Balance	7000K, 0 Red, +7 Blue
Dynamic Range	DR200
Highlights	+1
Shadows	+1
Colour	+4
Sharpness	‑2
ISO Noise Reduction	‑4
Clarity	‑4
EV Compensation	+1/3

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Winter Chill

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Wychwood Pale Film Recipe: Sample Photos

Community Photos

Photos taken with the Wychwood Pale film recipe by members of the Film Recipes community.

Photos by Justin Gould

Wychwood Pale film recipe photo by Justin Gould

February 12, 2023

Aquamarine, Watery Blue Tones Bleach Bypass
Watery pale blue tones film simulation recipe using Eterna Bleach Bypass

I’ve been having something of a run of creativity with Eterna Bleach Bypass recently, exploring all softs of colour shifts and creative angles. I’m so in love with the range of striking looks that can be created with this film simulation, I just had to share this one with you too.

I was inspired the colour of frost in pre-dawn light (often called the blue hour). There’s a pale blue green to the hue to it and a desaturated palette. In this film recipe, I’ve tried to extend this soft teal palette into a film recipe, great for watery scenes, low winter sunlight, and whenevery you want an aqua tone look.

The aqua teal tones of the Aquamarine film recipe

Aquamarine Film Recipe
- Simulation: Eterna Bleach Bypass
- Grain Effect: Weak, Large
- Colour Chrome Effect: Weak
- Colour Chrome Blue: Strong (IV) / Weak (V)
- White Balance: Shade
- WB Shift: -3 Red, -3 Blue
- Dynamic Range: DR200
- Highlights: -2.0
- Shadows: -2.0
- Color: -3
- Sharpness: -1
- ISO Noise Reduction: -4
- Clarity: 0
- EV compensation: +2/3
This recipe is one of three that I developed together for the winter weather. See the other two here … Wychwood Pale and Silver Slate

A swampy thicket on a misty morning, Aquamarine film recipe

Moody tones in the deep woods, with Aquamarine film recipe

A frosty January morning on the canal, Aquamarine film recipe

Can you feel how cold it is? Aquamarine film recipe

The sun is rising behind the trees, Aquamarine film recipe

Winter catkins, taken using the Aquamarine film recipe

Sunset by the old boats, Aquamarine film recipe

Flaking red paint on an old boat, Aquamarine film recipe

Probably not seaworthy any longer. Aquamarine film recipe

Sunset over the fancy boats, Aquamarine film recipe

Aquamarine film recipe is fun to use in all weathers

These oysters are still closed up, so I put them back in the water

Watery scenes work well with Aquamarine film recipe

Close to the sand on the water’s edge, Aquamarine film recipe

Nautical marker after sunset, using the Aquamarine film recipe
February 10, 2023

Silver Slate, Mineral Tone Bleach Bypass

Muted tones film recipe using the Eterna Bleach Bypass simulation

Silver Slate

The winter weather in the UK has been inspiring me to wrap up warm and shoot some images in the cold and frosty conditions. This weather has a naturally muted tone with pale colours and lots of white. Working with the conditions has helped me to develop a number of Winter film recipes, including this one, which has a mineral silvery tone that reminds me of Welsh slate.

The base simulation is Eterna Bleach Bypass, available on the newer Fujifilm cameras only. It’s a strong favourite of mine and I really enjoy the striking low saturation styles that it can be nudged into making.

Silver Slate Film Recipe Settings

Film Simulation	Eterna Bleach Bypass
Grain Effect	Weak, Small
Colour Chrome Effect	Off
Colour Chrome Blue	Weak
White Balance	Fluorescent 3, 0 Red, ‑4 Blue
Dynamic Range	DR400
Highlights	‑2
Shadows	‑2
Colour	‑3
Sharpness	+1
ISO Noise Reduction	‑4
Clarity	0
EV Compensation	-1/3

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Silver Slate Film Recipe: Sample Photos

February 9, 2023

Quartz 400, Pocket Camera Instant Film

An instant film recipe with an expired look, for X-Trans IV cameras

Quartz 400

Here’s an interesting film recipe for exploring the instant film aesthetic that just goes to show what’s possible with film simulations in our Fujifilm cameras. This recipe brings together a quartz pink tinted analog look with the imperfections of low-cost instant photography. It reminds me of Instamatic or Polaroid films, or pocket cameras of decades past when prints were developed by a budget lab.

The recipe is based on Classic Negative, manipulated with colour balance shifts and minimal saturation. I love the look this produces especially when used in bright light, and shooting towards the light for a heavy blast of lens flare. I’d imagine it would be a fun recipe to try for a stylised fashion shoot, or a 70s theme party, or whenever you want to try an expired instant film look.

Quartz 400 Film Recipe Settings

Film Simulation	Classic Negative
Grain Effect	Weak, Large
Colour Chrome Effect	Weak
Colour Chrome Blue	Off
White Balance	7200K, +2 Red, +7 Blue
Dynamic Range	DR400
Highlights	0
Shadows	‑1
Colour	‑4
Sharpness	‑1
ISO Noise Reduction	‑4
Clarity	0
EV Compensation	+1/3

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Seventies Summer

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Quartz 400 Film Recipe: Sample Photos

February 5, 2023

Cineplus, a Punchy Classic Chrome Style

Cinematic classic chrome film recipe with rich color and contrast

Cineplus

Sometimes, when developing film recipes, the inspiration comes in the form of a single image. This was one of those occasions, when this fifties style image was posted in the Facebook group as an interesting look.

I kept returning to it, trying to find a recipe that came close to this interesting retro style.

The look sits somewhere between Classic Chrome and Classic Negative, and having explored both, I settled on Classic Chrome as the base simulation. To this, I added rich colour and tested various colour balances, until I settled on the below combination.

I didn’t have any 50’s interiors to work with, so I tried it with a by usual range of natural and landscape scenes. Whether it matches the source image, I don’t know, but I love how it has come out.

Cineplus Film Recipe Settings

Film Simulation	Classic Chrome
Grain Effect	Off
Colour Chrome Effect	Strong
Colour Chrome Blue	Weak
White Balance	5800K, +1 Red, +2 Blue
Dynamic Range	DR400
Highlights	‑1
Shadows	+1
Colour	+4
Sharpness	‑2
ISO Noise Reduction	‑4
Clarity	0
EV Compensation	+2/3

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Cineplus Film Recipe: Sample Photos

Community Photos

Photos taken with the Cineplus film recipe by members of the Film Recipes community.

Photos by Lethanh Nguyen

Cineplus film recipe photo by Lethanh Nguyen

Photos by Sam McFie

Photos by Darren Urda

Cineplus film recipe photo by Darren Urda

Photos by TheCameraEatsFirst

Cineplus film recipe photo by TheCameraEatsFirst

Photos by Kay Zer

February 2, 2023

Expired Geographic, Aged Eterna for Nature

Eterna based film simulation recipe to mimic the look on an expired film

Expired Geographic

I love the faded look of an expired film, and even more so when there’s a wash out colour cast that leaks across the images. You see this effect sometime when a long out of date 35mm film is developed and a hazy lomo style image is revealed.

In this film recipe, I wanted to create something similar to looks I’d seen and admired, with a green/brown cast and low contrast and saturation. Eterna was the natural choice for a base, because it already shares some of these qualities in its tone and contrast.

The more that I’ve used this recipe, the more I have come to love it. It often feels like it has jumped straight from the cinema screen, and has a mellow aged tone that makes me want to use it more and more.

Clarity and CC Blue are used in this recipe, so newer X-Trans IV and V cameras will be able to use it in full. For older sensors, skipping those two settings will give a similar look that should still have lots of character.

Expired Geographic Film Recipe Settings

Film Simulation	Eterna/Cinema
Grain Effect	Off
Colour Chrome Effect	Off
Colour Chrome Blue	Weak
White Balance	Fluorescent 1, ‑4 Red, ‑6 Blue
Dynamic Range	DR100
Highlights	‑1
Shadows	‑2
Colour	‑4
Sharpness	‑1
ISO Noise Reduction	‑4
Clarity	+3
EV Compensation	0

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Expired Geographic Film Recipe: Sample Photos

Community Photos

Photos taken with the Expired Geographic film recipe by members of the Film Recipes community.

Photos by Alex Tenhave

Expired Geographic film recipe photo by Alex Tenhave

Photos by Justin Gould

Expired Geographic film recipe photo by Justin Gould

January 27, 2023

Dawnstar, for a Golden Sunrise Mood

Classic Negative film simulation recipe with rich colour in golden hour

Dawnstar

Here’s a warm and cosy film simulation recipe to bring extra colour to golden hour. Sunrises and sunsets are made more orange, and golden hour is extended with warm rich tone that especially likes any cream, red or brown in an image.

As for the name, ‘Dawnstar’ is a location in the game Skyrim, and although the Jorrvaskr film recipe was directly inspired by the graphic style of the game, this one takes just the name.

I wanted to take the idea of a recipe for this time of day, and maximise the effects possible from our Fujifilm X-Series cameras. The base simulation is Classic Negative, so on older cameras you can try with Provia or use Velvia with colour at +1 rather than +4.

Dawnstar Film Recipe Settings

Film Simulation	Classic Negative
Grain Effect	Weak, Small
Colour Chrome Effect	Off
Colour Chrome Blue	Off
White Balance	6000K, +4 Red, ‑5 Blue
Dynamic Range	DR200
Highlights	‑2
Shadows	0
Colour	+4
Sharpness	0
ISO Noise Reduction	‑4
Clarity	‑1
EV Compensation	0

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Dawnstar Film Recipe: Sample Photos

January 27, 2023

Emergency Flare, for Maximum Light Leak

Film simulation recipe that uses settings to maximise lens flare in your photos

Emergency Flare

I love shooting into the light … I mean, I really love it. I love the blast of soft light that flares and leaks into a scene. It’s my personally preferred style, allowing me to capture atmosphere and mood, and wash out my images in a soft tones style.

Our Fujifilm cameras are modern and amazing, and have all sorts of design effort that has gone into reducing flare, at least to the point where you need to seek it out when you want it. I built this recipe to make it a bit easier, using recipe settings to lift shadows and maximise the flare effect.

So if you really love shooting towards the light, and prefer a washed out faded look, then reach for the Emergency Flare, and fire it to get the maximum flare possible.

Emergency Flare Film Recipe Settings

Film Simulation	Eterna/Cinema
Grain Effect	Weak, Small
Colour Chrome Effect	Strong
Colour Chrome Blue	Weak
White Balance	7500K, +2 Red, +5 Blue
Dynamic Range	DR200
Highlights	+1
Shadows	‑2
Colour	+2
Sharpness	0
ISO Noise Reduction	‑4
Clarity	‑4
EV Compensation	0

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Emergency Flare Film Recipe: Sample Photos

January 27, 2023

Au Naturel, Simply Clean and Crisp
A simple natural look film simulation recipe based on Pro Neg Hi

Here’s a film recipe for those of us that want our photos to look natural, clean and clear. There are minimal adjustments to colour or tone, using Pro Neg Hi as the base recipe. This gives a natural look to your images, with a simply realistic tone and pleasing colour balance. If you are a photographer that wants a distinctive look, but doesn’t always enjoy the strong toned film recipes, then this may be the one for you.

In the spirit of a clean and crisp image, this recipe does use Clarity at +2, which will cause a short delay when saving your images. You can skip this setting if you prefer, knowing that the results will be a little softer.

Similarly, if you camera doesn’t support a +0.5 setting for highlights, set them to +1 instead, e.g. on X100V.

The clean natural colour of Pro Neg in the Au Naturel film recipe

Au Naturel Film Recipe
- Simulation: PRO Neg. Hi
- Grain Effect: Off
- Colour Chrome Effect: Off
- Colour Chrome Blue: Weak (IV) / Off (V)
- White Balance: Auto
- WB Shift: +2 Red, -2 Blue
- Dynamic Range: DR200
- Highlights: +0.5 (use 1 if your camera doesn’t support 0.5)
- Shadows: -1.0
- Color: +2
- Sharpness: 0
- ISO Noise Reduction: -4
- Clarity: +2
- EV compensation: 0
Passing train, on a frosty morning, with Au Naturel film recipe

Fallen oak branches look wonderful in autumn, Au Naturel film recipe

The leaves are turning, captured with Au Naturel film recipe

A winter morning on the allotment, with Au Naturel

A forsted bottle in the winter sunlight, Au Naturel film recipe

Fuzzy frosting on a pastic bottle, using Au Naturel film recipe

Riverside park, a good place to try Au Naturel film recipe

Natural green tones, captured with Au Naturel film recipe

Depth gauge

Young swans preening

Whispy seed heads, taken with the Au Naturel film recipe

Breakfast time for the horses, Au Naturel film recipe

Winter on the canalside, with Au Naturel film recipe

Lock gates on a winter morning, captured with Au Naturel film recipe

Which way? Taken with Au Naturel film recipe

I’d like to try it … taken with Au Naturel film recipe

A winter sunrise (and frosty rock), captured with Au Naturel film recipe

Frosty scenes are common at this time of year, Au Naturel film recipe

Scenes from the forest floor in Autumn. Au Naturel film recipe

Sweet chestnut leaves, beginning to change colour. Au Naturel recipe

Pro Neg Film Recipes

Often overlooked in favour of the stronger styles of Classic Negative and Classic Chrome, Pro Neg Hi and Std are excellent simulations for a natural look.

They are tipped as good choices for portraits, but for nature shots, they produce a clean, slightly mellow look with two choices of contrast level. Here are a few other Pro Neg recipes to take a look at …
- Natural Standard – a nature loving recipe with great colour
- Gold Standard – a Kodak Gold inspired recipe with Pro Neg
- Agfacolor – Inspired by Agfa films with vibrant verdant greens
- Kodak Portra Pro – Bring a Portra 400 style to your photography
- Easy Going – a warm and soft recipe for casual shooting
January 25, 2023