Bronze Age, Toned Classic Negative Recipe

Classic Negative film recipe with a bronze colour tone

Bronze Age

I’ve created well over 200 film recipes now, and it’s understandable that some are visually similar to others. There are after all only a modest number of film simulations, and a reasonably narrow range of white balance and colour shift combinations that produce usable results. Every now and again though, I manage to come up with a recipe with a look that is all its own.

Bronze Age is such a recipe, with a noticably bronze tone colour shift that both warms and adds character to images. The look is nostalgic I suppose, but isn’t really vintage. I think it suits golden hour especially well, and generally bright conditions. It’s a strong effect, but still retains enough natural tone to be useful across a wide range of subjects.

So, Bronze Age is something different, something to try when you lack inspiration, or when you want to give a fresh look to your images that you haven’t tried before. Here are the recipe details, and as always, a range of my sample images to show you how I used the recipe.

Bronze Age Film Recipe Settings

Film Simulation	Classic Negative
Grain Effect	Weak, Large
Colour Chrome Effect	Weak
Colour Chrome Blue	Weak
White Balance	7500K, +4 Red, +2 Blue
Dynamic Range	DR200
Highlights	+1
Shadows	‑2
Colour	‑4
Sharpness	0
ISO Noise Reduction	‑4
Clarity	‑2
EV Compensation	-1/3

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Kodak Portra Bronze

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Bronze Age Film Recipe: Sample Photos

Community Photos

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

Photos by Fraser Reid

Bronze Age film recipe photo by Fraser Reid

March 29, 2024

Cotswold Standard, Rural English Recipe

Pro Neg Standard film simulation recipe designed for natural scenes

Cotswold Standard

On my commute to work, I often find myself daydreaming about film recipes and taking photos. The route I take passes through England’s Cotswolds and so I’ve dreamt up this recipe for rural, natural and backroad scenes.

My go to film simulation for natural scenes is Pro Neg Standard, which has a naturally soft look and a gently nostalgic film like feel. This suits the colour palette of landscape photography, and looks lovely in soft sunlight, such as at the ends of the day. In this spirit, Costwold Standard has a warm colour balance, reminiscent of the warm tones of the buildings and summer fields found in this region.

I’ve tested this recipe on my X-S10 from winter though to mid-summer and found it a flexible and versatile recipe, keeping a soft look throughout the seasons. I’m sure it’ll also work where you live, and bring a similar feel to your images too.

Cotswold Standard Film Recipe Settings

Film Simulation	PRO Neg.
Grain Effect	Weak, Small
Colour Chrome Effect	Weak
Colour Chrome Blue	Off
White Balance	Auto, +4 Red, ‑6 Blue
Dynamic Range	DR400
Highlights	‑1.5
Shadows	+0.5
Colour	‑2
Sharpness	‑1
ISO Noise Reduction	‑4
Clarity	0
EV Compensation	+1/3

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Pro Neg Daily

Cotswold Provia

Universal Standard

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Cotswold Standard Film Recipe: Sample Photos

March 6, 2024

Polaroid SX70 Film Recipe

Capture the spirit of instant printing based on the classic Polaroid SX70

Polaroid SX70

In pursuit of an analog film like look for my Fujifilm camera, I’m often inspired by photographs taken with older cameras using real film. These nostalgic styles are sometimes the classics, using Kodak, Ilford or Fujicolor film stock, but I am also a big fan of the Polaroid vibe. Here, the combination of lens, camera and instant printing deliver a photo with imperfections that are all part of the feel of this type of photography.

In this film recipe, I have taken inspiration from the Polaroid Gallery Facebook group, and in particular, two image by Giulio Berti posted in late January.

In these simple landscape photos, there is an aged look, with a result that is over-exposed, including a retro tone from red dominance in the neutrals. It’s transportive, taking us right back to decades gone by, and it was these combinations of elements and feelings that I’m trying to replicate in my Polaroid SX70 film recipe below.

Of course, our modern cameras are too sharp and precise to capture all of the informal and imperfect character in a real Polaroid image. But in the absence of vignette and blurry edges, we can still have fun in the spirit of shooting form the hip in a casual way.

Polaroid SX70 Film Recipe Settings

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

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Childhood Vacation

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Polaroid SE

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Polaroid SX70 Film Recipe: Sample Photos

Community Photos

Photos taken with the Polaroid SX70 film recipe by members of the Film Recipes community.

Photos by Emlyn H Jones

Polaroid SX70 film recipe photo by Emlyn H Jones

Photos by David Forsdike

Polaroid SX70 film recipe photo by David Forsdike

February 18, 2024

Portrovia, Fuji Provia meets Kodak Portra

A versatile film recipe with the softness of Portra and magic of Provia

Portrovia

Here’s a film recipe that spans the divide between the film styles of Fujifilm and Kodak. It blends the all round versatility of Fujicolor Provia with it’s magical colours, and the softness and film like feel of Kodak Portra. It’s a mash-up of sorts.

I’ve already made a pair of perfectly serviceable recipes, Fujicolor Daily and Kodak Portra Daily, which present the two film house styles for everyday use. But recently, I’ve been experimenting with the Provia film simulation, and enjoying the results. It has a less pronounced style than other simulations, but still has something of the famous Fujifilm colours about it.

So, I was excited to see how a blend of the two styles might work out. I’ve applied the characteristic warm colour balance shift of Portra (although in a gentle way), the softness of DR400 and lifted shadows, plus a stop of over exposure, which you can push to 2 stops if you prefer.

So here we have it, Portrovia, an in betweener hybrid of the Fujicolor and Kodak styles, with a look that is versatile and flexible for all round shooting.

Portrovia Film Recipe Settings

Film Simulation	Provia
Grain Effect	Weak, Small
Colour Chrome Effect	Weak
Colour Chrome Blue	Weak
White Balance	Auto, +2 Red, ‑4 Blue
Dynamic Range	DR400
Highlights	‑1
Shadows	‑1
Colour	‑2
Sharpness	‑1
ISO Noise Reduction	‑4
Clarity	‑3
EV Compensation	+1/3

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Cotswold Provia

Provia Pastel

Punchy Provia

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Portrovia Film Recipe: Sample Photos

Community Photos

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

Photos by David Forsdike

Portrovia film recipe photo by David Forsdike

More Photos by David Forsdike

Photos by Nizam Sutimin

Portrovia film recipe photo by Nizam Sutimin

Photos by David Covarrubias

Portrovia film recipe photo by David Covarrubias

February 13, 2024

Gilt Trip, Antique Gold Tone Mono

Acros film simulation recipe with a nostalgic pale tone for golden hour

Gilt Trip

As a photographer that enjoys the atmosphere of an image as much as the composition, I enjoy film recipes that enhance or set a mood. In this toned mono film recipe, I wanted to captured something beyond the brown of a tyipcal sepia look, and get closer to the soft look of a hazy winter morning.

I chose this pale golden look, rather than a more saturated image because I found it a lot less distracting, and having tried a variety of hues, I also felt that it found a happy spot between too sickly, and too subtle that it might not feel intentional.

With its spirit in the softness of golden hour, I find that this recipe works best with soft light and silhouettes. There’s a deep shadow tone, which will deliver good results if you also capture some brightness in the scene as well. A more flat scene may end up looking drab, so for this one, the lower the angle of the sun, the better.

A bonus creative exercise you can play with, is to pair some images taken with Gilt Trip with a recipe with a complimentary colour. I’ve added a selection at the bottom of the page, showing how this golden look can work well alongside a blue toned colour recipe for contrast.

Gilt Trip Film Recipe Settings

Film Simulation	Acros
Grain Effect	Weak, Large
White Balance	Auto, 0 Red, 0 Blue
Dynamic Range	DR200
Highlights	‑1
Shadows	+3
Sharpness	‑4
ISO Noise Reduction	‑4
Clarity	‑4
EV Compensation	0
Monochrome Colour	WC +12, MG +4

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Gilt Trip Film Recipe: Sample Photos

February 8, 2024

Collodion Negative, Inspired by Early Photography

Classic Negative film simulation recipe inspired by early Collodion photography processes

Collodion Negative

This nostalgic film recipe is a sister to the Collodion Color film recipe, in that it is inspired by the same early photographic processes. It captures a muted tone look with extreme softness, in a nod to the earliest equipment and results from experiemental color photo processing.

The main reason for this second recipe is to give users without Eterna Bleach Bypass a chance to experiement with the same vibe. This recipe uses Classic Negative simulation, which if you don’t have, you could swap for Pro Neg Standard instead.

The main element here remains the strong -5 clarity setting, which adds a dreamy softness to images, and is especially impactful in out of focus areas, adding a hazy bokeh feel. This setting is one that many people dislike because of the processing delay, but it is a key element in the look, so do keep it if you can be patient between shots.

The resulting images are nostalgic, soft and have a muted tone. The recipe works well in soft light and the golden hour, and with the softness in out of focus areas, is a great one to try with macro subjects or abrstrat or detail shots. The look is simiar to Collodion Color, which inspired this recipe, so feel free to use either, and have some fun.

Collodion Negative Film Recipe Settings

Film Simulation	Classic Negative
Grain Effect	Off
Colour Chrome Effect	Strong
Colour Chrome Blue	Weak
White Balance	6400K, 0 Red, +3 Blue
Dynamic Range	DR200
Highlights	+1
Shadows	‑2
Colour	‑4
Sharpness	0
ISO Noise Reduction	‑4
Clarity	‑5
EV Compensation	-1/3

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Vistagram

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Collodion Negative Film Recipe: Sample Photos

January 26, 2024

Blue Monday, Experimental Blue Tones

Classic Negative film simulation recipe with a strong blue tone colour shift and cool colour balance

Blue Monday

When designing film simulation recipes, my processes are sometime inspired by images I see, or a mood I wish to capture. Other times, I play idly in X RAW Studio, testing different settings on RAW files I have taken on recent outings. This was how I came upon the wild and crazy blue tones of this recipe.

I was testing different colour temperatures on the image of the cows in the frosty field you see below. Most film recipes with a natural or warm look have a temperature of 5500K or higher, but my experimentation led me deep into the blue zone and I settled at 4000K. Curiously, the image still had a soft of reality about it, although the grass was now very blue.

I started testing it on other images, and adjusting the other settings. The second magic power I discovered, was that this recipe was a sort of Golden Hour undo, allowing you to capture a scene in the soft hazy light of the time near sunrise or sunset, but strip away the golden tones, like it was the middle of a clear blue sky day.

I’m filing this film recipe under Extreme Styles and Recipes for Blue Tones, and although it is a novelty discoverd by idle experimentation, I quite like it, especially in bright golden light, such as with the shots below of sunlit leaves, or sunrise teasels. I hope you’ll give it a try, perhaps when you’re also feeling experiemental and want something completely different to explore.

Blue Monday Film Recipe Settings

Film Simulation	Classic Negative
Grain Effect	Off
Colour Chrome Effect	Off
Colour Chrome Blue	Weak
White Balance	4000K, ‑4 Red, +4 Blue
Dynamic Range	DR200
Highlights	‑2
Shadows	+1
Colour	‑3
Sharpness	0
ISO Noise Reduction	‑4
Clarity	‑3
EV Compensation	+1/3

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Blue Monday Film Recipe: Sample Photos

January 21, 2024

Gold Leaf, Extra Golden Golden Hour

Eterna Bleach Bypass film simulation recipe for fall color and golden sunsets

Gold Leaf

Here in the UK, the late autumn has finally delivered and we are blessed with mist, mushrooms and golden leaves. A lot of the trees are at peak colour right now, with beeches, sweet chestnuts and oaks all putting on a show.

Of course, it’s the UK, so it’s raining a lot too, but this past weekend saw a sunny break and so I took a lovely wander in the morning light. In the space of an hour, I took around 150 images, such was the abundance of golden subjects.

This gave me a chance to test out this recipe, Gold Leaf, which I had been saving for a morning just like this. It uses a strong warm shift colour tone and a +4 colour boost to bring back some saturation into the images.

It’s a recipe designed just for days like this, but by virtue of the strongly gold tone, it is also a great choice for a rich golden sky around sunrise and sunset too.

Gold Leaf Film Recipe Settings

Film Simulation	Eterna Bleach Bypass
Grain Effect	Weak, Small
Colour Chrome Effect	Strong
Colour Chrome Blue	Weak
White Balance	8800K, +2 Red, 0 Blue
Dynamic Range	DR400
Highlights	‑2
Shadows	0
Colour	+4
Sharpness	0
ISO Noise Reduction	‑4
Clarity	‑4
EV Compensation	-1/3

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Gold Leaf Film Recipe: Sample Photos

November 12, 2023

Autumn Eterna, for Enhanced Fall Colors

Eterna Cinema film simulation recipe for capturing autumn fall colours and golden hour

Autumn Eterna

When thinking about photographing Autumn colour / Fall color there are two likely directions you may be drawn too. The first is to look to emphasise the rich orange and reds, especially in sunshine, by using a warm tone and strong saturation. The other, is to work with the softer light and bring out a mellow atmosphere. This film recipe takes the warm color tone approach, using enhanced colour, but retains the generally cinematic balance of Eterna to prevent images from becoming overly false looking.

In this cinematic take on the autumn season I’ve taken the Eterna Cinema film simulation, one that already has a mellowness to it’s green and brown tones, and tuned it further for autumnal scenes.

Autumn Eterna Film Recipe Settings

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

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October 12, 2023

Apple Strudel, a Delicious Autumn Recipe

Film simlulation recipe using classic negative for cream, green and orange tones.

Apple Strudel

In my work on film simulation recipes, I sometimes find that food names seem to fit the looks that I create. An example is Soft Cinnamon, which has a cinnamon colour tone. I’m drawn again to a food reference for this new film recipe, because again there’s a colour pallete tone that reminds me of food.

I’m sure you are familiar with Apple Strudel, with its apple and cinnamon filling, and peachy golden pastry crust. There’s a mix of soft green and orange tones in this fabulous treat, which are both evident in the images taken with this film recipe.

Because of its fondness for orange tones, it’s a great choice around the fall for autumn colours, or in general when there’s a golden tone, such as around sunset in the golden hour. At other times, images are warmed, and neutral stake on a creamy look, like a splach of vanilla sauce, just like you get served with a strudel.

Apple Strudel Film Recipe Settings

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