Fujifilm Recipe Settings Reference
A quick reference for what each in-camera setting does. Useful context for designing recipes.
Film Simulations
| Simulation | Character | Introduced |
|---|---|---|
| PROVIA/Standard | Neutral, balanced default | all bodies |
| Velvia/Vivid | High saturation and contrast slide film. Landscapes | all bodies |
| ASTIA/Soft | Saturated color but soft contrast. Flattering skin | all bodies |
| Classic Chrome | Muted, documentary-magazine color. Desaturated blues | X-Trans II era onward |
| PRO Neg. Hi | Portrait negative with a bit more contrast | all X-Trans |
| PRO Neg. Std | Softest color negative. Studio portrait work | all X-Trans |
| CLASSIC Neg. | Consumer-negative look (Superia-like). Strong color separation, cyan skies | X-Trans IV onward |
| Nostalgic Neg. | Amber warmth, soft highlights, rich shadows. 1970s "New Color" album look | X-Trans V + late GFX |
| ETERNA/Cinema | Very low saturation and contrast. Motion-picture stock | X-H1 onward (X-Trans IV standard) |
| ETERNA Bleach Bypass | Desaturated + high contrast. Silver-retention effect | X-T4 generation onward |
| REALA ACE | Faithful color with hard tonality. Balanced everyday film | X100VI / GFX100 II era onward |
| ACROS (+Ye/R/G) | Fine-grain, rich B&W. Filter variants shift gray rendering | X-Trans III onward |
| Monochrome (+Ye/R/G) | Simpler, flatter B&W | all bodies |
| Sepia | Toned monochrome | all bodies |
B&W filter effects: +Ye slightly darkens skies and lifts warm tones, +R strongly darkens skies/boosts contrast, +G darkens skin slightly and lightens foliage (good for male portraits).
Tone & color controls
-
Highlight / Shadow tone (…to …): negative = softer/lifted, positive = harder/deeper. X-Trans IV/V allow half steps.
-
Color (…to …): saturation. No effect on B&W sims.
- Sharpness (…to …): negative values look more film-like.
- Noise Reduction (…to …): most recipes run …. High NR looks plasticky.
-
Clarity (…to …, X-Trans IV/V and GFX): midtone micro-contrast. Negative values give a soft "hazy film" glow. Costs a beat of write time.
-
Grain Effect: strength (…/…) and, on X-Trans IV/V, size (Small/Large). Large + Strong reads as pushed high-ISO film.
-
Color Chrome Effect (…/…): deepens tonality in highly saturated colors (reds/oranges especially). Prevents saturated areas from blocking up.
-
Color Chrome FX Blue (…/…, X-Trans IV/V): same idea, blues only - deepens skies without touching the rest of the palette.
Dynamic range
- …: full contrast, base ISO available.
-
…: protects one stop of highlights. Requires ISO 320+ (X-Trans IV/V) or ISO 400+ (older).
-
…: protects two stops. Requires ISO 640+ / ISO 800+.
- Use … for scenes with bright skies or when the recipe lifts shadows. … when you want dense contrast and clean base-ISO files.
White balance shift
The strongest color-grading lever in a recipe. Applied on a 19×19 grid:
- R axis (+9 warm/magenta ↔ -9 cool/green-cyan)
- B axis (… ↔ -9 yellow/amber)
Common moves: R…-5 = warm vintage. R…+3 = cool cinematic.
R…-3 = gentle golden warmth. Large B- values drive the "aged photo"
amber cast.
Note: WB shift is global, one shift set per WB type on most bodies, so switching between recipes means re-entering the shift (newer bodies store shifts per custom slot).
Exposure habits
-
Negative-film looks (PRO Neg., CLASSIC Neg., Nostalgic Neg.) typically like +1/3 to +1 EV of overexposure.
-
Slide looks (Velvia, Classic Chrome as chrome) prefer 0 to -2/3 EV to hold highlights and keep density.
-
B&W with strong shadow tone often meters best at …/3 EV.
The settings live in the packs
This page explains how the controls behave. The validated recipes that put them to work, with every value and the datasheet evidence behind it, are in the packs.