Tag: Soft Tones

Underwood, Deep Forest Mood Film Recipe
Creative deep tones film recipe for exploring the details found in nature

Here’s a fresh new look at the Reala Ace film simulation, found on the newer Fujifilm X Series cameras. I have it on my X-S20 via a software update, but models like the X100VI, X-M5, X-E5 and X-T50 will have it available too.

In this recipe, I’ve explored a deeper look that keep the low contrast character of Reala Ace, but uses underexposure to dramatically change the look of the resulting photos. Blacks become a dominant feature, but with the impressive tone control of our cameras, we actually see a lot of mood and detail in the deep tones.

The colour balance here is fairly neutral, working well with forest and woodland finds, and a reduced saturation adds to the character of the resulting photos. In dull weather, the result can almost look moonlit, and I’ve come to prefer using this recipe when the weather is damp or grey.

It’s a fun recipe to experiement with, presenting your familiar favourites in a very different way. I love it for woodland walks, but I am excited to see what you make of it too. Have fun!

Moody and deep with a dark overall look, but retaining shadow details.

Underwood Film Recipe
- Simulation: Reala Ace
- Grain Effect: Strong, Small
- Colour Chrome Effect: Strong
- Colour Chrome Blue: Weak
- White Balance: Fluorescent 2
- WB Shift: -4 Red, +4 Blue
- Dynamic Range: DR200
- Highlights: -2.0
- Shadows: +4.0
- Color: -4
- Sharpness: -4
- ISO Noise Reduction: -4
- Clarity: -4
- EV compensation: -1 (important to underexpose)
If you enjoy the look of these deeper tone images, don’t forget to check out the Film Recipes app, which has over 800 film recipes, including all of those on this site, and a wide selection of deeper look recipes to try.

Late autumn is mushroom season in the UK. Here with the moody tones of the Underwood film recipe

Pine cone and green moss, captured with the Underwood film recipe

Cinematic depth on a misty morning, using the Underwood film recipe

Embrace the dark side with the Underwood film recipe

Anemone in bright sunlight, highlighed with the deep character of the Underwood film recipe

Deep greens and controlled whites, trying out the range of the Underwood film recipe

Reala Ace like you’ve not seen before – Underwood film recipe

Alpine details from an Austria holiday, RAW processed with the Underwood film recipe

End of season blackberry bramble, turning yellow and highlighted with the Underwood film recipe

A deep tones look at Autumn in teh rainy woods, using the Underwood film recipe
November 5, 2025
Kodak Portra 400, Classic Film Recipe
Justin’s Kodak Portra 400 Film Recipe for X100V, X100VI and Fujifilm X-Series cameras

I’ve taken a few passes at the Kodak Portra look in my experiments with film recipes. These have included my first (and entirely servicable) version, Kodak Portra and a stylised variant, Kodak Portra Grainy which works well in sunny conditions. I also published Kodak Portra Daily, which was designed to be more usable in a wide range of conditions, and has a lovely film-like tone and character.

But of course, film can have a varied character, and in the hands of different photographers and in different environments the results can be different. I follow a number of film photorgaphers and film photography groups, and began to see more and more Portra photos that had a look that was softer and not as creamy as some of the other Portra recipes out there.

Inspired by these sophisticated and soft toned examples, my interpretations evolved and I published my Aged Kodak Portra recipe, a Kodak Portra 160 film recipe, and now, this revisit of the Kodak Portra 400 look. In these latest three, I have switched to Eterna as the base simulation, finding that it more accurately matched the samples that I most enjoyed.

The result of all this time and testing is my Kodak Portra 400 film recipe, with a cinematic film-like feel, lots of versatility, and a wonderful output that has a sophisticated analog vibe. I’m very pleased with it, love shooting with it, and am happy to add it to the recipe collection.

LIttle boats in Brixham, captured using Kodak Portra 400 film recipe

Kodak Portra 400 Film Recipe
- Simulation: Eterna/Cinema
- Grain Effect: Weak, Small
- Colour Chrome Effect: Weak
- Colour Chrome Blue: Strong (IV) / Weak (V)
- White Balance: Fluorescent 1
- WB Shift: -2 Red, -4 Blue
- Dynamic Range: DR200
- Highlights: +0.5, or 0 on X100V
- Shadows: +0.5, or +1.0 on X100V
- Color: +2
- Sharpness: -2
- ISO Noise Reduction: -4
- Clarity: -2
- EV compensation: +1/3
There’s more in the app …

The film.recipes app contains over 750 film recipes, including these similar to Kodak Portra 400 …

Universal Chrome

Kodak Portra Too

Weekend Portra

The app is available for iOS and Android, and your purchase supports this project and the creation of more film recipes for you to try.

Exploring the meadows in the Austrian Tirol, with the Kodak Portra 400 film recipe

Calros Alcaraz is w heading for another win, with the Kodak Portra 400 film recipe

Iga Swiatek is serving, captured with the Kodak Portra 400 film recipe

It’s not always sunny of course, so here are a few grey day autumn leaves with Portra 400 film recipe

Hunting the last of the fall colors in mid-December, with the Portra 400 film recipe

The last moment … captured with the Kodak Portra 400 film recipe

A photowalk around the marina, using the Kodak Portra 400 film recipe

Summer grasses on a hot, bright day, with Kodak Portra 400 film recipe

Summer greens are warm and soft with the Kodak Portra 400 film recipe

These wooden buildings are a common sight in the mountain meadows. Kodak Portra 400 film recipe

Ferns turning from green to red marks the end of Summer. At sunset with the Kodak Portra 400 film recipe

The sun has risen over the mountain. In Seefeld, Austria with the Kodak Portra 400 film recipe

A simple dock on the Walchensee, captured with the Kodak Portra 400 film recipe

Calm waters and summer relaxation, taken with the Kodak Portra 400 film recipe

Soft tones and creamy hints, characteristics of the Kodak Portra 400 film recipe

Not just for sunshine. A misty day using Kodak Portra 400 film recipe

Along country lanes in the morning mist, with Kodak Portra 400 film recipe

Autumn woodland walk with Portra 400 film recipe
December 16, 2024
Tirolean Mono, Black & White Film Recipe
Monochrome film recipe for easy to use tones in landscape and travel photography

Towards the end of Summer, I ttok some vacation time in the mountains of Austria. As is typical for me, I thought a bit about which film recipes I might like to use when away, and thought that it was overdue the I tried out some black and white photography.

I’m not a particularly skilled photographer when it comes to black and white imaging, feeling that there is a different skill set, where people see more in the patterens of light and shade, than my usual territory of colour. For this reason, I tend to make mono film recipes that work well for me, who basically uses them to take exactly the same shots as I might in colour.

The advantage of these recipes perhaps is that they are easy to use for everyone, and will deliver decent results in a wide range of situations.

As it turned out, I found an additional benefit when using this look. The views across the mountains had quite a lot of haze, and often this washed out the colour of the more distant peaks, and could be distracting. With no colour in the image, this haze was magically erased, and any distracting colour wash was gone.

Features of this recipe include softened highlights, for easy use in bright conditions, and a strong grain, which adds a little extra character to shots. This grain doesn’t really show at the size of the images below, and of course is optional, should you prefer a smoother look.

A view down from the Rosshutte, using the Tirolean Mono film recipe

Tirolean Mono FIlm Recipe
- Simulation: Monochrome
- Grain Effect: Strong, Small
- Colour Chrome Effect: Off
- Colour Chrome Blue: Weak (IV) / Off (V)
- White Balance: 3900K
- WB Shift: 0 Red, +9 Blue
- Dynamic Range: DR200
- Highlights: -1.5
- Shadows: +0.5
- Color: 0
- Sharpness: -1
- ISO Noise Reduction: -4
- Clarity: 0
- EV compensation: 0
Other monotone film recipes that work well for general landscape shooting, include; Acroscape, Monographic and Kodachrome Mono.

Mountain views, captured with the Tirolean Mono film recipe

Using the Tirolean Mono film recipe in misty and rainy weather.

Parkland views in bright sunshine. Tamed with the Tirolean Mono film recipe

Taking a boat trip on the Achensee, with the Tirolean Mono film recipe

Bright sunny conditions are easily handled by the Tirolean Mono film recipe

Capture the view, using the frame provided, or your own creativity. Tirolean Mono film recipe

The Rosshutte has cable care that lead off to the top of ski runs. Tirolean Mono film recipe

You can walk the slopes, or just admire the views. Tirolean Mono film recipe

Late afternoon in the wheatfields, with the Tirolean Mono film recipe

I have a thing for photographing wheat in the golden hour! Tirolean Mono film recipe

In fact, I’ll be happy in any weather, like this mist. Tirolean Mono film recipe

A personal favourite combination … wheat, mist, spiderweb and morning sun. Tirolean Mono film recipe

Looking up, with the Tirolean Mono film recipe

These last three were taken in Paris, although you might just have to trust me on that!
September 14, 2024
Birkenstock, Flat Tones for Photo Walks
Nostalgic flat tones film recipe with a cinematic Fujifilm feel

You may have seen in some recent film recipes that I took a trip to Paris this Summer to watch the Olympic Games Tennis. I created a number of new recipes that would hopefully suit the hard light conditions, perhaps work well in the streets of Paris, and bring something uniquely Fujifilm to my images.

Of all the recipes that I explored, this one is perhaps the most characterful, with a strongly nostgalgic vibe, very flat tones for a soft look, and warmth in a subtle way. It’s a cinematic look film recipe with a summer vibe. If you’re guessing ahead, you’ll know that the Eterna Cinema film simulation shares many of these features, and that is indeed the base for this recipe.

The real magic though comes from the somewhat unusual colour balance based on a Fluorescent setting. There are three of these, which are intended to bring artificial light back to something more neutral, but I personally find that they can be a wonderful starting point for a film recipe. Matched to Eterna with its mellow undertones, we get a unique new look.

I quickly became addicted to using this, and took all sorts of photos before my trip to Paris, and whilst there I took my personal favourite image from the tennis tourament. This shot of Iga Swiatek preparing to serve had such a retro feel to it that I just love, but it also shows me that tennis is an individual sport with the player alone in the arena battling for the win.

Preparation. Iga is ready to serve. Birkenstock film recipe.

Birkenstock Film Recipe
- Simulation: Eterna/Cinema
- Grain Effect: Off
- Colour Chrome Effect: Weak
- Colour Chrome Blue: Strong (IV) / Weak (V)
- White Balance: Fluorescent 1
- WB Shift: -3 Red, -4 Blue
- Dynamic Range: DR400
- Highlights: +1.0
- Shadows: -1.0
- Color: -2
- Sharpness: -1
- ISO Noise Reduction: -4
- Clarity: 0
- EV compensation: 0
Similar cinematic looks: CineStill 400d, Wigan Pier, Flat Earth, Ultrasoft 77 and also Starfield which are all both soft and flat toned in their nature.

A perfect partner for hazy golden hour light. Birkenstock film recipe

Let’s take a walk around the marina, with the Birkenstock film recipe

Faded colours and nautical looks, captured with the Birkenstock film recipe

Wearing their national colours with pride, Birkenstock film recipe

Sunny days by the river, Birkenstock film recipe

Looking out across the lake, with the Birkenstock film recipe

It’s a sunny day. Let’s rent the swan pedalo and go out on the water! Birkenstock film recipe

Wandering with my camera, and the mellow tones of the Birkenstock film recipe

Misty conditions are great with a flat tone recipe, like Birkenstock with its -1 shadow setting
September 2, 2024

Albariño, Soft Fresh Film Recipe

A soft and cinematic film simulation look for summer days and sunshine

Albariño

Here’s a film recipe creation that started life as a glass of wine. The Albariño wine hails from northwest Spain and Portugal and is a crisp and fresh tasting wine that I enjoy on occasion. As well as a lovely taste, it has a pale colour that is at once cream and pale green in subtle ways. Now you begin to see where the film recipe idea is coming from — a look that in part captures the character of this flavour and appearance.

At the heart of the recipe is the Eterna Cinema film simulation, which produces a lower contrast look that can be cinematic and soft at the same time. But for this look, it’s the character of the greens that I am particularly fond of — with Eterna they take on a green-brown tone that has real depth to it.

For this film recipe, I wanted to build on these characteristics to produce a look that I could use in a range of weather and light conditions, with warmth and nostalgia to the resulting pictures. The white balance, boosted highlights and shadows, and the use of a ‑2 setting for clarity all work together towards this goal.

The result is comforting and calm, which works well for outdoor shots and my tendency to use the golden hour. It’s compatible with all X-Trans IV and V cameras, so you can give it a go on X100V or VI, X-T4 or 5, X-T30II or 50 and many other cameras in the Fujifilm range.

Albariño Film Recipe Settings

Film Simulation	Eterna/Cinema
Grain Effect	Weak, Large
Colour Chrome Effect	Off
Colour Chrome Blue	Weak
White Balance	5500K, +1 Red, ‑3 Blue
Dynamic Range	DR200
Highlights	+2
Shadows	+2
Colour	+2
Sharpness	‑2
ISO Noise Reduction	‑4
Clarity	‑2
EV Compensation	0

Similar Recipes

Sunny Standard

Tropic Haze

Walden Wunder

More similar recipes, and hundreds more exclusive looks, are available in the Film Recipes App.

Albariño Film Recipe: Sample Photos

Community Photos

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

Photos by Bert Broekhuis

Albariño film recipe photo by Bert Broekhuis

August 25, 2024

Olympic Pro, Versatile Pro Recipe
Pro Neg film simulation recipe with a versatile ‘go everywhere’ set-up for travel and trips

Earlier in the summer I took a trip to Paris to watch tennis at the Olympic Games. Regular readers will know that I’m a big fan of the sport, perhaps almost as much as I am of making film recipes. So, of course, I put the two together and took a number of new recipes with me to try out.

I’ve already shared a few of these, such as my all round high achiever, Olympic Ace for X-Trans V sensors, my Classic Negative for travel, Paris 24, and the creamy warmth of Paris Gold.

For this recipe, I wanted to compliment the others with a sophisticated and controlled look that brought a slightly flat, film like look to images. The results you’ll get are wonderfully analog and comforting, with a warm colour balance that adds just enough tone without heading into sickly territory.

Take a look at the sample images below, and then why not load up Olympic Pro into your camera and test it out on your next photo session?

Carlos Alcaraz on his way to victory, captured with the Olympic Pro film recipe

Olympic Pro Film Recipe
- Simulation: PRO Neg. Std
- Grain Effect: Off
- Colour Chrome Effect: Weak
- Colour Chrome Blue: Strong (IV) / Weak (V)
- White Balance: Daylight
- WB Shift: +2 Red, -5 Blue
- Dynamic Range: DR200
- Highlights: -1.0
- Shadows: 0.0
- Color: +2
- Sharpness: +1
- ISO Noise Reduction: -4
- Clarity: 0
- EV compensation: 0
Pro Neg Standard and Pro Neg High are two film simulations that have a more subtle Fujifilm look, and can make the base for recipes with a natural colour balance and everyday shooting. Take a look also at Au Naturel film recipe, Easy Going film recipe and Gold Standard based on Kodak Gold.

Look down in to Court Philippe Chatrier, with the Olympic Pro film recipe

Olynmpic tennis action, captured with the Olympic Pro film recipe

Spring colour, with the tones of Olympic Pro film recipe

Natural subjects captured in bright sunshine with the Olympic Pro film recipe

Warm tones in gloomy weather, with the Olympic Pro film recipe

Wandering along the shore with the Olympic Pro film recipe

Creamy Cotswold stone, and creamy pro neg tones, with Olympic Pro film recipe

Whites and pinks on a sunny day, using the Olympic Pro film recipe

Around the grounds, with the Olympic Pro film recipe

A win for Novak, captured from up high using the Olympic Pro film recipe
August 22, 2024
Daydream Believer, Summer Dream Film Recipe
Summer vibes film recipe with a warm and cosy feel

Summer days can spark creativity, and at the least, get you out and about with your camera in the sunny weather. This is a film recipe for these warm days, with a cosy look that is dreamy and soft and set to make the most of golden sunny light.

There are already several takes on this concept that are available on this and other sites. You may already know of Vibrant Arizona and Bright Summer from Fuji X Weekly, or perhaps Classic Cuban Negative by Osan Bilgi. On this site, Summer Story and Kodak Portra 66 are also good choices.

But, as we all know, there are a huge range of styles possible with our excellent Fujifilm cameras, so there’s always room for one more. So here we have another contender. Daydream Believer looks to capture the summer vibe with hazy softness from -4 clarity and sunny colour from (ironically perhaps) the Shady colour balance.

Note that if the -4 clarity makes you uncomfortable (as I know it can for some photographers), then this recipe will also be just as happy with a mist filter to give a similar dreamy feel.

Glorious Summer colours, and a dreamy softness. That’s the Daydream Believer film recipe.

Daydream Believer Film Recipe
- Simulation: Eterna/Cinema
- Grain Effect: Off
- Colour Chrome Effect: Weak
- Colour Chrome Blue: Weak (IV) / Off (V)
- White Balance: Shade
- WB Shift: +2 Red, -2 Blue
- Dynamic Range: DR400
- Highlights: -1.0
- Shadows: -1.0
- Color: +4
- Sharpness: -2
- ISO Noise Reduction: -4
- Clarity: -4 (or mist filter)
- EV compensation: +1/3
Cosy summer vibes are brought out with the Daydream Believer film recipe

Warm spring sunshine on the bourganvillea. Daydream Believer film recipe

Warm tones and lots of colour. Capturing flowers with the Daydream Believer film recipe

A winter morning wander, with the Daydream Believer film recipe

Natural vibrant greens and soft blues are captured with the Daydream Believer film recipe

Winter beech leaves in the sunlight, with the Daydream Believer film recipe

Cinematic nature, with the Eterna simulation and Daydream Believer film recipe

An Easter time vacation in Mallorca was the perfect time to try the Daydream Believer film recipe

Mallorcan character, captured with the Daydream Believer film recipe
August 19, 2024

Acroscape, Landscape Acros Recipe

Mono film recipe tuned for landscape photography using Acros simulation

Acroscape

I shoot almost entirely landscape and natural scenes, and really love soft tones and muted colours. As a result, I find that I don’t use many mono recipes. Personally, I find it harder to ‘see’ scenes that will work well in mono, and I think that some of this comes from how most mono recipes have shadows that appear deeper than I expect, which puts me off using them.

So, I have made a couple of landscape friendly recipes that are great for all around outdoor shooting. These have tone profiles that feel more natural to me when shooting landscapes, forests and so on. Firstly, I made Monographic, then Kodachrome Mono, and now a third take on a landscape mono, which I call Acroscape. Of the three, this one has the deepest shadows, but is still a highly usable recipe in everyday outdoor conditions.

The main element for this look is a single step of overexposure, with the dial set to +1/3. Highlights are preserved with a DR400 setting and a ‑1 setting for highlights. In my tests, I enjoyed a little hazy softness with a ‑2 clarity setting, but this does cause a short saving delay, so do leave this off if that bothers you.

Acroscape Film Recipe Settings

Film Simulation	Acros + Green Filter
Grain Effect	Weak, Small
White Balance	Auto, ‑4 Red, ‑9 Blue
Dynamic Range	DR400
Highlights	‑1
Shadows	0
Sharpness	0
ISO Noise Reduction	‑4
Clarity	‑2
Monochrome Colour	WC +1, MG 0
EV Compensation	+1/3

Similar Recipes

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More similar recipes, and hundreds more exclusive looks, are available in the Film Recipes App.

Acroscape Film Recipe: Sample Photos

August 18, 2024

Olympic Ace, All Round Reala Recipe
Reala Ace film simulation recipe. Designed for trips, ready for anything

The Summer Olympics are upon us, and a trip to watch the tennis event has got me inspired to prepare film recipes for capturing scenes at the event. I’ve got a number of these in the works, including the first to be added to this site, Paris 24, based on Classic Negative.

For this look, I wanted to do two things; make a great looking film recipe with the Reala Ace film simulation, and also create one that I could use just about everywhere under whatever weather and lighting situation that might arise. Reala Ace is a good choice for this because, like Provia, is has a good all round performance without a strong style of its own.

The adjustments from standard Reala Ace include a softening of the tone curve to be kinder to shadow detail and strong highlights, a DR400 setting to futher enhance this tonal flexibility, and a reduction in saturation to give a more natural overall feel. The white balance is warmed, but still retains a natural colour look.

I’ve added plenty of samples below to show the versatility of this recipe, including sunny and grey days. I will add further images from my trip to the Olympic Games in the coming weeks.

Anyone for tennis? Capturing the crowd with the Olympic Ace film recipe

Olympic Ace Film Recipe
- Simulation: Reala Ace (try with Pro Neg Hi on older cameras)
- Grain Effect: Off
- Colour Chrome Effect: Weak
- Colour Chrome Blue: Weak
- White Balance: Daylight
- WB Shift: +2 Red, -4 Blue
- Dynamic Range: DR400
- Highlights: -1.0
- Shadows: -1.0
- Color: -1
- Sharpness: -1
- ISO Noise Reduction: -4
- Clarity: 0
- EV compensation: 0
Taking a walk around and English country garden. Olympic Ace film recipe

Blue scenes from around the tournament, using the Olympic Ace film recipe

White Spring blossom, with the soft tones of the Olympic Ace film recipe

Superstars of tennis at the Paris Olympics, taken with the Olympic Ace film recipe

Beach huts on a grey day, using the Olympic Ace film recipe

You wouldn’t believe how much these sell for! Olympic Ace film recipe

Scenes and characters at Roland Garros. Olympic Ace film recipe

Bright day pine scenes, with the gently warmed tones of Olympic Ace Film recipe

Country egg store, on a misty grey day. Olympic Ace Film recipe

Wandering along the Warsash waterfront, with Olympic Ace Film recipe

Tennis fans enjoying their day at the match. Olympic Ace Film recipe

A watery winter sunset, captured with the Olympic Ace Film recipe
July 26, 2024
Paris 24, Pour les Voyages
Prepared for a trip to Paris, a classic negative with dreamy tones

I’m a huge tennis fan, and around this site you might find recipes made for trips to tournaments such as Wimbledon (Centre Court and Kodak Portra Daily), and Barcelona (Clay Court and Pale Barca). It’s a fun exercise that I enjoy; to consider the types of photographs I might be able to take, and then to prepare a recipe to try. Similarly, these trips inspire new creations during and afterwards too.

At the time of publishing, the Paris Olympics are just around the corner and I have been lucky enough to get some tickets for the tennis event being held there at Roland Garros. I’ve been thinking about the shots I might capture. And, with warm sunny weather and creamy Paris architecture, I’ve created this dreamy Classic Negative as one of the recipes I will take along.

Of course, it’s not just limited to tennis tournaments or trips to Paris! This flexible recipe has a sunny day colour balance that will work all around the world, but especially nearer the golden hour.

It works well on any camera that includes Classic Negative, such as X100V or X100VI, the X-S10 and X-S20 or X-E4 and X-T50. Here are my sample images from the creation phase, along with scenes captured at the Olympics with this Paris 24 film recipe.

Capturing the moment, using the Paris 24 film recipe

Paris 24 Film Recipe
- Simulation: Classic Negative
- Grain Effect: Weak, Small
- Colour Chrome Effect: Weak
- Colour Chrome Blue: Weak (IV) / Off (V)
- White Balance: 5000K
- WB Shift: +2 Red, -4 Blue
- Dynamic Range: DR200
- Highlights: -2.0
- Shadows: -1.0
- Color: -1
- Sharpness: +1
- ISO Noise Reduction: -4
- Clarity: 0
- EV compensation: +1/3
If this isn’t quite right, try the similar look of Soft Negative or sharper CN24.

Looking up in London, with the Paris 24 film recipe

The Roland Garros Phillipe Chatrier stadium, captured with Paris 24 film recipe

Olympic ladies semi-final match, using the Paris 24 film recipe

Warm soft tones in the summer wheat, with the Paris 24 film recipe

Engrossed in the phones, captured with Paris 24 film recipe

Watching the watchers, with Paris 24 film recipe

Creams and pinks on sunny days, toned by the Paris 24 film recipe

Crossing the bright, captured with the Paris 24 film recipe

Looking across the Roland Garros site, with Paris 24 film recipe

Capturing the crowds at the Olympic tennis event, with Paris 24 film recipe

Just chillin’. Paris 24 film recipe

Sunny day beach scenes, using the versatile Paris 24 film recipe

Capturing rural scenes on a morning walk. Paris 24 film recipe

A golden sunset by the water, using cones and the Paris 24 film recipe
July 23, 2024