Film Simulations and Custom Profiles

Digital cameras have provided “color profiles,” or at the very least the ability to customize some aspect of the in-camera processing, pretty much from the beginning of the industry. Some might allow for monochrome images, or to increase saturation.

Fujifilm’s approach to this, however, is a band apart from their competitors. Fujifilm has been producing film since 1934; it’s no surprise that their dedication to color science is so ingrained into their products.

“Curiouser and curiouser!” cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English).

Fuji’s film simulations are more than simple color profiles. The film simulation alters how the camera interprets the visual data exposed to its sensor. When a photographer uses actual film, the end result is influenced by the film choice: some films are bolder, some capture more shadows; others might produce a warmer image or a greener image; negative film is typically a bit more subdued in color and contrast intensity than “positive” slide film; et cetera.

The film simulations aim to produce an end result for the photographer similar to the film experience. For more on this, I recommend my article on shooting film. For an in-depth dive into the differences between the stock Fuji film simulation options, this excellent post by The Phoblographer is worth reading.

Furthermore, the Fujifilm photographer isn’t limited to adjusting only the film simulation to achieve a desired effect. Creating custom profiles are the ultimate in-camera customization option and allow the user to strive for other film-like experiences or to create an entirely new look to their work.

Think of it as post-processing on the fly; even if the user is shooting in JPG only, the RAW data is first processed to shift color hues, highlight and shadow details, dynamic range of light, and color intensity; a beautiful grain texture can be applied if so desired; an effect called “color chrome” can be used to deepen vibrant colors. Sharpness and noise reduction can be adjusted. The white balance can even be color shifted — adding, for example, a blue-green tint or an orange hue to the image. Cameras newer than the X-T3 / X-T30 have even more options at their disposal to manipulate the final result.

“Who are you?” said the Caterpillar.
Alice replied, rather shyly, “I—I hardly know, Sir, just at present—at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.”

If you’re interested in tumbling down the rabbit hole of film simulation recipes and the recreation of specific film experiences, I strongly encourage a visit to Fuji X Weekly’s dedicated page on the topic. I enjoy testing out many of their settings; often times they inspire me to expand my artistic vision and to further modify their settings to suit my particular photographic taste.

When discussing the custom profiles, it’s important to note that there are differences between the various generations of Fuji equipment as to what’s available for the photographer to modify.

My X-Pro 1, for example, cannot assign a name to the profile. Nor does it have “color chrome” and some other options, including a few of the newer film simulations themselves. As mentioned, cameras newer than my X-T3 offer ever more granular options, including (from what I’ve read) the ability to save the color shifting of the white balance with the custom profile. On the X-T3 this is saved with the white balance options themselves, independent of the profile (although the profile can specify a white balance option — more on that.)

Frequently Asked Questions

“Why use these film simulations at all when I can just shoot RAW and do this in post processing?” Even if you’re happy spending time in front of the computer after every session to tweak or enhance your images, the film simulations and custom profiles can be used to pre-apply certain adjustments to your images. Lightroom and Capture One both support applying the camera’s profiles to the RAW images, which could potentially reduce time spent post-processing each image.

“Do I have to shoot JPG only?” Absolutely not. While the film simulation / profile is applied to the JPG in-camera, as mentioned, those settings can be applied to the RAW image in post-processing. Furthermore, I strongly encourage even the casual photographer who does shoot in JPG only to shoot in RAW + JPG. By doing so, an additional option of re-processing a taken image with a different simulation/profile is made available — this is an incredibly powerful utility, particularly for testing various configurations against a baseline image.

“Will this replace post processing entirely?” That’s up to you! I’ve found that my post processing efforts are often an attempt to find the perfect at the expense of the good; that accepting an image with what I’d perceive as imperfections can give it character. I find that using the film simulations and custom profiles will frequently produce results I am happy with as final results; at the very least, it significantly reduces my post processing efforts down to mere minutes per image. For more on my post processing workflow, check out this article.

If you’ve been shooting with a Fuji camera for a bit but haven’t moved past the “Standard” (i.e. Provia) setting, that’s okay too. Instead of thinking of it as “standard,” though, with other options being deviations from standard, start thinking of it as “I’m choosing to shoot with Provia” and become familiar with the concept of this being simply one of many choices available to you.

Custom Profiles and Recipes

NOTE: This information is now outdated. I will be working on maintaining a separate page that outlines my past and current film recipes.

Alright; enough exposition. Let’s talk about my custom profiles and recipes.

For now I’ll be focusing on the X-T3 and not the X-Pro 1; I’ll come back and update the article with X-Pro 1 data at a future date.

“What’s the difference between a profile and a recipe?” Nothing, really. I tend to think of the storage slot for the settings as the “profile” and the actual data inside that profile as the “recipe,” but there’s essentially no difference.

The “Edit/Save Custom Setting” option is on page 3/3 of the menu section “I.Q.” The X-T3 has seven total custom profile slots, labeled C1 through C7.

An example of the “Fuji400H” custom profile (with add’l post work)

A note on how I’ve recorded some of these settings:

• Numerical adjustments are either 0 (baseline) or +/- adjusted.

• “BW Adj” is only used for black and white settings; it shifts the tonality of the image warmer (+) towards a more sepia tone, or cooler (-) towards a more silver/bluish hue.

• Some settings, such as the tones (highlight and shadow), allow for up to +4 but only -2 adjustments.

  • Tone adjustments can be thought of as degrees of severity: i.e., +3 highlights will increase brightness of highlights, while -2 will reduce brightness; +3 shadows will increase the contrast and darkness of shadows, while -2 will soften and reduce contrast.

• White balance color shifts are along an X/Y plane, so coordinates are used. { +3, -1 } means 3 degrees to the right and 1 degree down.

  • Y positive shifts towards blue, Y negative towards yellow; X positive shifts towards red, X negative towards green.

  • A handy guide:

    • { +, + } coordinates result in purple hues (red & blue shifts);

    • { +, - } coordinates result in orange hues (red & yellow shifts);

    • { -, + } coordinates result in teal hues (green & blue shifts);

    • { -, - } coordinates result in yellow-green hues (green & yellow shifts).

  • As mentioned earlier, White Balance shifts are not saved in the profile on X-T3, X-T30, and earlier cameras as of the publishing of this article (Sept 2020). This may change with a future firmware update.

  • However, there are multiple White Balance options available; a specific WB option can be stored with the profile.

    • Because of this, the photographer must either shift “Auto” for each profile when selecting it; or,

    • Specify the White Balance option and then adjust that option accordingly.

    • There are also “custom” white balance options; these might work, but they require the use of a grey card to set the white balance for the scene. These might still be used, however, to simply “note” the color shifts.

  • Hopefully, Fuji rectifies this soon with a firmware update; shifting the white balance is a crucial component of custom film simulation recipes.

• Noise Reduction is often slid down to -4 simply to avoid the camera applying NR processing to an image as much as possible.

  • While “0” would seem to imply “no effect”, it’s actually simply the baseline default amount of effect the camera would otherwise apply.

  • The same is also true for Sharpening.

• “Exp Comps” are the recommended exposure compensation setting(s) for that profile. Some profiles produce ideal results when stopped down 1/3 or when used between -2/3 and +2/3, for example. “N/A” simply means that there’s no specific exposure setting for that profile.

  • To remember this, I’ll often put the value in the name of the profile.

• “Other” might include ideal ISO ranges or other details.

c1 - Standard

This is my baseline profile. The only adjustment I’ve made to it is to set Color Chrome to “Strong” simply because it’s such a subtle — yet for me desirable — effect that I’d want applied to shots taken with Provia.

Use-cases: When I want my image to be an objective facsimile of the scene, or when I intend to test profiles against a base image. Also a great “grab and go” option if you’re not yet comfortable with another profile.

Film Sim	D Range	BW Adj	Grain	Color Chrome	White Bal	{WB Shifting}
Provia [Std]	DR100	N/A	Off	Strong	Auto	{ 0, 0 }
Highlight	Shadows	Color	Sharpness	Noise Reduct	Exp Comps	Other
0	0	0	0	0	N/A	N/A

C2 - CineStill

This recipe was found on Fuji X Weekly’s site. The idea is to mimic the teal/orange look often found in cinema. Eterna is used as the base film simulation, as it does a solid job on its own recreating a film-like look. (Indeed, it’s the recommended film simulation for shooting video if one does not intend to color grade the footage in post-processing.)

I have, admittedly, found few use-cases for this recipe so far; this recipe likely warrants further tweaking. Still, here are the settings.

Film Sim	D Range	BW Adj	Grain	Color Chrome	White Bal	{WB Shifting}
Eterna [E]	DR200	N/A	Weak	Strong	2500K	{ 0, -3 }
Highlight	Shadows	Color	Sharpness	Noise Reduct	Exp Comps	Other
+3	+1	-1	+1	-4	N/A	N/A

C3 - Kodachrome -1/3

Another recipe from Fuji X Weekly, Kodachrome was a very common film used by photojournalists throughout the 20th century. It has a warm hue and a very analog feel.

In truth, Kodachrome’s original film formula changed over the years; Fuji X Weekly actually differentiates between a few Kodachrome variants. This is based on the “Vintage Kodachrome” option under the “X-Trans III” section.

The base film simulation for Kodachrome is Classic Chrome. As the name implies, this is often best used when exposure is stopped down by 1/3.

Use-cases: Capturing nostalgic scenes; Autumn landscapes; scenes of people or places around sunset. I wouldn’t necessarily use it for capturing sunsets themselves or for other general landscapes, but feel free to experiment.

Film Sim	D Range	BW Adj	Grain	Color Chrome	White Bal	{WB Shifting}
Classic Chrome [Cc]	DR200	N/A	Weak	Off	Auto	{ +2, -4 }
Highlight	Shadows	Color	Sharpness	Noise Reduct	Exp Comps	Other
+4	-2	+2	+1	-3	{ -1/3 to -1 }	N/A

C4 - Acros

This profile is currently my only black and white recipe, although I’ve experimented with others in the past.

It’s not that I use black and white less — quite the opposite, actually. I’ve just found that this recipe is nearly perfect for my black and white style and variations are seldom unwarranted.

As the name implies, it’s based on the Acros film simulation — I default to the “green filter” option as my use-cases often skew towards profiles of people, and the green filter is pleasant for skin tones while also increasing contrast in skies and whatnot. I do adjust the film sim to another Acros option based on scene and my preference/mood at the time.

Since the recipe is also simulating the Acros film itself, I didn’t get creative with the profile name. My primary variation from Acros film itself is the warmth of the hue: Acros had a slight warmth to it, while I’ve shifted closer to a neutral/silver tint.

Note that the white balance uses “Fluorescent 1” which skews cooler, and that color chrome is still applied despite being black and white. The latter is because despite being monochrome, the effect still applies to those richer colors and therefore increases the saturation of the grey.

Use-cases: It’s black and white, so, almost any use-case is appropriate. I tend to use it when I feel the color of a scene would detract from the subject matter — particularly for images of people or places.

Film Sim	D Range	BW Adj	Grain	Color Chrome	White Bal	{WB Shifting}
Acros (G) [Ag]	DR200	-1	Weak	Strong	Fluoresc. 1	{ 0, 0 }
Highlight	Shadows	Color	Sharpness	Noise Reduct	Exp Comps	Other
+2	+4	0	+2	-4	N/A	N/A

C5 - Urban Vintage +1/3

Another Fuji X Weekly recipe, and another where I haven’t quite decided how I feel about this recipe just yet. It sits somewhere between “Kodachrome” and “CineStill,” providing a cooler analog aesthetic.

I could have named this profile “Airstream” — for some reason the classic camping trailers come to mind when I use this recipe.

The coolness of the tint seems to imply a degree of dispassion and lack of personal sentiment for the subject, but that’s not always the case. It can also suggest a banality or barrenness to the landscape. (Such positivity!) With the exposure adjusted up by 1/3 of a stop, the end results have a bright, cool, washed out look.

I did use it recently on a photo shoot in Downtown Denver, although I also redid the color profiles on a few of those images in post processing because it just didn’t seem like the right fit in hindsight for some of the shots. I have to admit though, it conveyed both the oppressiveness of the heat and the eerie void of activity due to the current pandemic rather well.

This is another recipe that I think needs more tweaking or would possibly be replaced by something else.

Use-cases: So far, mostly urban/downtown settings.

Film Sim	D Range	BW Adj	Grain	Color Chrome	White Bal	{WB Shifting}
Classic Chrome [Cc]	DR200	N/A	Weak	Strong	4300K	{ 0, -3 }
Highlight	Shadows	Color	Sharpness	Noise Reduct	Exp Comps	Other
0	+2	-4	0	-4	{ +1/3 }	N/A

C6 - Fuji400H

This is a custom recipe of my own making, one which I find myself continuing to fall back on rather often. I’ve named it after the Fuji 400H line of film, and while it does resemble certain aspects of that film, I also wouldn’t say it’s exactly similar to it, either. I mostly associate it with this film because of its greener shift.

Starting with the Pro Negative Hi film simulation, this recipe emphasizes blues, greens, and greys while muting reds and yellows. (Muted might not be the right word, as they’re still quite vibrant; de-emphasized, perhaps.) It’s a great “rainy afternoon” aesthetic. Hmm, maybe I should rename it “Rainy Day” or “Pac NW” sometime.

Use-cases: This is often my go-to recipe for indoor scenes. I like to use it “around the house” as our interior features a lot of whites and greys with splashes of vibrant color. It also works well on the dogs.

Film Sim	D Range	BW Adj	Grain	Color Chrome	White Bal	{WB Shifting}
Pro Neg Hi [Nh]	DR100	N/A	Weak	Strong	Daylight	{ -1, +2 }
Highlight	Shadows	Color	Sharpness	Noise Reduct	Exp Comps	Other
+2	0	+1	+1	-4	{ 0 to -1/3}	N/A

C7 - Ektar

My final profile is dedicated to my attempt at recreating the feel of Kodak Ektar film, or at least at recreating the examples given by Fuji X Weekly. The intent is to produce really vibrant colors without veering into full neon, while also emphasizing shadows to create drama in the scene.

Having just shot a roll of Kodak Ektar film (pushed +2 to increase the saturation and contrast), I think the recipe is… close. I’ll be shooting another roll of Ektar here soon without pushing it, so I’ll be able to compare the variance experienced by doing so and then decide if the recipe is truly closer to base Ektar, or if it’s closer to the push processing. Right now I’m suspecting it’s closer to the push processing.

This recipe relies on the Astia film simulation which is currently under-represented in my profiles at a near criminal level. Astia is simply a wonderful film simulation in its own right; I’ll sometimes flip to C1 and then just swap the film from Provia to Astia. It’s quite lovely.

A challenge I have with this profile is that it seems to compete with my Kodachrome profile in terms of use-cases. The overlap seems to be rather frequent. It’s not that they’re incredibly common, it’s just that “sunny outdoor scenes with an analog aesthetic” is often my target output when I select this recipe, which then leads me to question using it or Kodachrome… which then leads me to flipping between them to decide which I like more… which is all just a huge distraction. (More on this in the Conclusion.)

One ponderous decision is the lack of grain on this one. I suppose since the intent is to mimic a 100 speed film, I’m less interested in adding grain. That being said, a weak grain goes a long way towards a more analog, textured feel to an image. If the lighting is low, then the natural high-ISO grain is fine; however if used in the bright outdoors, a grain option of “weak” might be recommended.

Use-cases: Well… a sunny, outdoor scene with an analog aesthetic; flora; dramatic low-light color scenes.

Film Sim	D Range	BW Adj	Grain	Color Chrome	White Bal	{WB Shifting}
Astia [S]	DR100	N/A	Off	Strong	Auto	{ +3, -2 }
Highlight	Shadows	Color	Sharpness	Noise Reduct	Exp Comps	Other
+1	+3	+4	+1	-3	N/A	N/A

Conclusion

I’ve mentioned it repeatedly but I really want to hammer home that most of these are perpetual works-in-progress. For a while I had 6 recipes stored in my profiles that “just worked” for me for nearly any scenario. Complacency is the enemy of creativity, though, so I set out to expand and experiment.

Note, however, that I really don’t have a decent option for shooting landscapes. One reason for that is on most landscapes I’m going to post-process anyway. If I’m set out on an adventure where loads of landscapes are expected to be taken, I’ll likely configure a profile with a recipe involving Velvia. It’s also worth noting that in that previous iteration of profiles, I had another Kodachrome-like option which did use Velvia that I really liked a lot. My Kodachrome variant may mutate as I use and tweak it.

I do think one of the great values provided by the custom profiles is the ability to quickly shift your shoot settings based on a scene or a mood. If I’m not confident with a profile or feel I don’t have one which adequately matches the desired output for a session, then I begin to reconsider my options.

Case in point: my “Fuji400H” profile is essentially a recipe that I’d previously loaded and used often, but I’d cleared it out to experiment with these others. I just last week wiped out a profile titled “Analog Vintage” and replaced it with “Fuji400H” simply because “Analog Vintage” overlapped too frequently with Kodachrome and Ektar.

I know this section is long winded and short on imagery; I’ll come back and edit this post with sample images, menu screenshots, my X-Pro 1 profiles, and even “retired profiles” so that I can keep up with those settings that have fallen out of favor but which might be worth reconsidering down the road.

Until then.