Thank you Oehagen! Hopefully it will over time. It’s a bit esoteric, so it will likely take time to find the audience it’s intended for. Thank you for your support!
10 months for me. Looking at changing brands, for portability reasons and wanted to understand the film simulations. I shoot film also, so this was an excellent way to learn. Thanks.
Agreed! I’ve been shooting Fujifilm since 2012 and this is extremely useful detail and the most thorough explanation. There are differences between bodies and lenses. I immediately noticed that the XT5 has more contrast than the XT4, and the 56 f1.2 WR is much warmer than the 18mm f1.4 or 33 f1.4, so images from the new 56mm need to be about 400-500K cooler than the other lenses. I was also a Mastin Labs tester and find those film presets to be an excellent starting point while editing.
This is not the run of the mill TH-cam video about simulations, it's a masterclass Color Science of Film. Excellent work, thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.
I've been saying for years that the real power of film simulations would be unlocked if Fuji were to add an HSL adjustment for individual colors. Great video!
Wowww …. Tremendous video, so practical and powerful. This is why I joined the fuji community after years of shooting Nikon. It’s so much more than camera gear. It’s also about controlling the image quality in terms of all the parameters that render the image.
With the DR200 and DR400 modes the amount of analog amplification is reduced. So, when you take the a photo, it'll be underexposed and highlights are preserved. Then a specific DR200 or DR400 tone curve is applied in camera software to get the right exposure. (These DR200 and DR400 tone curves are different as the DR100 one, otherwise the camera would blow the highlights again and this would all be for nothing.) In the end you'll have a photo with the right exposure, but with far more details in the highlights and a tiny bit more noise - mostly in the shadows. This also works for RAW photos. IMHO It gives a bit of a film look to the photos - especially with ACROS with it's special noise algorithm. I love photography, but using my camera, not my computer. So I am a Fuji SOOC JPEG shooter and I almost always shoot with DR400. I set my ISO to 800 (auto ISO 800 - 6400), because ISO800 produces less noise as the ISO640 that is minimal needed for DR400 on my XT30 camera. Only when situation demands, I reduce the DR to 200 or turn it off by setting it to 100. I use the same settings on my X100S. Modern day digital cameras are so incredible good at higher ISO, especially Fujis with X-trans sensors. With the X-trans sensors you'll won't spot those ugly high ISO purple and green blobs on your photos between ISO 160 - 6400! The noise looks rather organic. More film grain like.
For me 6400 is waay too grainy on x-trans 1 an 2 sensors, but 5000 is still okay. Sad that it is only possible to limit auto ISO at 3200 or 6400 with nothing in beetwen.
I'll second some of the comments below in saying that this is an exceptional explanation of how to better understand and implement Fuji film sims. I'll also add that every video that comes out of this channel is amazing. If I could double subscribe to this channel I would. Keep up the amazing work.
As someone with tetrachromacy (someone who can see more colors than the average person,) I have always had a love/hate relationship with colors. I’m the type of person, who, when choosing a paint color, has to get really scientific about and crazy absorbed in all the nuances of each color option. Color ocd, if you will. As I’m sure you can imagine, this has (unfortunately?) translated to my photo editing as well. It’s a blessing and a curse, but what I’m getting at here is this: your video has been one of the MOST helpful I have ever seen in terms of explaining and unpacking the finer details of the wonderful world of Fujifilm simulations. You broke things down so scientifically and did such a lovely job of explaining how hints in a way that was easy to follow and understand. This video was the reason I subscribed to your channel today. So, all of that to simply say: THANK YOU!
Thank you for this indepth evaluation! I have a X70 and a X100v. Film simulation is where the fun is for me. Profesionally i use Nikon and Blackmagic. I turn to Fuji to only enjoy the process of quick snap, both these camera’s give me a lot joy. On a personal note, its always enjoyable watching your videos. You have a relaxed natural vibe that really makes it easy watching start to finish.
Got my XH2s yesterday, great timing. Im neck deep trying to decide which film sim i want most for each type of subject. Also, it's damn criminal you only have 36k subs, this channel is amazing.
I loved your explanation of film color and emotion, I’d listen to you talk for hours about why certain film were given characteristics to evoke certain emotions
Very kind comment! Thank you!! I'm always super fascinated by this stuff - but some of it is no longer really researchable. Lots of proprietary/trade information that is withheld from public access, or those who designed them may not longer be alive, etc. Much of what we know is just what was printed or communicated at the time, which is insightful but rarely the whole story.
Wow, after recently getting back into photography (after many years of inactivity), I bought a X-S10 and an entire TH-cam (under?)world of Fujifilm users has opened up to me. Can't believe how much great content creators (like you) are around. Thanks!
Thank you so very much!! Yes, it’s nice to know that they will always remain two different mediums - but it’s also good to know what aspects of filmic images we like so we can manipulate some of those things in our digital images. Ultimate control over your image-making should be the end goal.
Man... I have seen a lot of videos about this topic... but yours is definitely the best one and the more complete. On point with every topic mentioned!
Fantastic explanation of the differences between the simulations. I am learning how valuable understanding them can be. I didn't know about the fast shadow roll-off on Astia before, or recommendation for nature as a compromise between Provia and Velvia. For interior shots, even indoor naturally lit portraits, I have noticed that classic chrome, which you seem to like, is a great choice because lighter coloured walls (espec white) really stand out and give the interior a cleaner brighter look (if that is important in your photo). Thanks!!
This video is absolutely fantastic mate. I’ll watch the first part about what each is another time. Or two I’m sure. Thanks so much for such a robust, and clear, discussion of the film sims - great for previous film shooters and digital newcomers. Great job.
Very well done video. However for those that want a true film look, I suggest shooting some slide film. Seeing a well exposed slide on a light table is an eye opening experience.
I watched this a few days ago. It came up again on my "recommended for you" feed. (Ha!) I didn't leave a comment the first time, but I will this time. This is an excellent explanation of Fuji's film simulations. Well done and thank you. Subbed!
U R a 💎 ❤ 🙏👍. As usual great help for Fujifilm user or any other so far. Great great great help man. We’re so grateful to have someone like u🎉. Thanks Maestro 🙏
Thanks for the rad comment!! I so very much appreciate the super kind words. More than anything, I am making the content that I want to see - so just happy others can enjoy it too.
Jumping off of Sony, which I dearly love, for the XT3. I've spent more time creating film emulations in programs, and less time actually shooting. I prefer my OM1 from 1974 for the ultimate satisfaction, and the XT3 filled that spot perfectly. I can now extract the joy of just ripping JPEGs as I scoot along on certain travels. Video also!
I have just acquired a Fujifilm X-T5, and I'm on a steep learning curve. This is a BRILLIANT video. Much to digest, and it will no doubt take me quite some time to get my head around the many subtleties and details, but I feel as if I have a much better grasp of this subject (about which I knew nothing 2 weeks ago!), than I did before. I'll be rewatching this for sure. (As an Aussie viewer, I also appreciate the ironic sense of humour! 😉)
Eterna is actually one of my favorite recipes to mess with and tweak in post. I need to start making and messing around with more SOOC images, but Eterna's been my go to as a base to start editing on for the past few years at this point, as well as Acros. Also when using Acros, turn the grain setting off, the recipe itself actually has it's own grain that shows more in the shadows. If I want more grain out of that recipe, i'll shoot at a higher ISO for it to look more natural.
Thanks for the great words! Happy to have a new, enthusiastic viewer! Sadly the algorithm likes to hide our videos sometimes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But we’re happy you found us!
Please please please make a follow up to this!!! I’ve been shooting Fuji since the old S5 Nikon body, and learned more from this video than I have in the past ten years!!! I LOVED the in depth review and history / comparisons for each simulation. Can’t wait to see more videos from you guys! I’ve sent this to every Fuji shooter I know! Hopefully we can boost those view numbers!!!❤
Getjcn! Wow, such an amazing comment! Thank you so so very much. I just follow my curiosities and can only hope that they are well received. I’m beyond thrilled that this video is finding a home for Fujifilm shooters. Thank you very much for spreading the love!
A trick I use to avoid the delay when using the clarity parameter in a custom profile is to shoot in CL mode instead of S mode. This prevents the camera from displaying that annoying “STORING” screen
What a cool video. I'm constantly in and out of weird affair with Fujifilm and other brands. On the one hand I love getting baked in JPEGs so I don't have to edit...because I hate editing. But I can get better files using RAW, especially from my Canons/Sony/Nikons, and then just use presets to get "close enough" to the film simulations.
Great video, thank you. I've been wanting to switch to a Fujifilm camera just for the film simulations. I also think tweaks in post take to long and and not always render the same results. I'm getting the X-T5.
Thank you for such a rewarding video! Finally there's an explanation why Classic Chrome looks nothing like a real Kodachrome slide. Like my Dad's slides, Kodachrome was also highly prized for its archival properties. Why the need for all these faded simulations? Actually your examples of Classic Negative seems much closer to Kodachrome. I'll have to try it, especially now that my eyes have been tuned from viewing actual Kodachrome slides.
Thanks for all that. I'll point out that the Dynamic Range function does more than just restrict your ISO. However the higher the setting you choose, the higher the ISO threshold that lets you use the feature will be. Take a high contrast picture at ISO800 with DR set to off and set to DR400% and you'll get a massively different result, although the ISO setting didn't change. I like the feature sometimes in order to keep more highlights in the sky on landscape shots, but it does tend to produce a flat looking image that requires some post-processing to recover mid range contrast. Cheers.
Thanks for this great comment and insight. In my years of discussing the feature with FF, they’ve never revealed to me that it was much more outside of the grey point functionality. But I love this insight because obviously there is more at play. In the end, one is going to have to give up something to get something.
Great information here! I personally haven’t liked most of the recipes I’ve seen because they just don’t look like their film counterparts. After dabbling with them, I went back to shooting RAW and working with a few presets I like. As someone who shot Kodachrome a lot from the 70s through the 90s, I can say Kodachrome was known for punchy color, and Classic Chrome is much too faded to look anything like it. From what I’ve read, Classic Chrome’s creators were going for the memory of Kodak-ish transparency film, not actually trying to replicate Kodachrome. Wouldn’t it be great if Kodak went back to building sensors with Kodachromey color!
I appreciate the great comment. The tricky thing about matching to film, especially colour film is that the lenses, subject, and most importantly development play a huge role in the look, regardless of calibrated chemistry. So, if someone is matching to Kodachrome, my question would always be - to what image or set of images. Also - only recently have some advancements been made in translating the additive colour mixing science into a decent representation of subtractive colour properties. From what I can tell it’s still only available in post and is not an easy nor inexpensive process. Thus, simulations IMO should be treated more like instagram filters. Just another way of making your jpg’s seem unique and a bit more special - or custom created to a shooting scenario.
@@vistek I agree. I have a few Kodachrome presets and none of them get the colors *and the skin tones* all right, but they’re better than nothing. And better than recipes. Kodachrome was processed very specifically by machines and chemicals provided by Kodak, and the great majority of the few labs with that capability were owned by Kodak, so I would think that developing at least was pretty consistent. But for sure all the other variables you mention applied. Plus the fact that there were several generations of Kodachrome, so as you said: which one are you matching to? Great channel! I just found you but I am enjoying your well thought out content.
Wow! What an awesome video! I do have one basic question, and it may well be a stupid question, but if I start messing with a recipe based on say Astia but decide my adjustments are rubbish, how do I get back to the original settings for Astia?
Thank you SF! Great question - here's what I think... Grain is something that responds differently based on luminance (i.e. it will have a different appearance in the blacks vs mids vs highlights). Different stocks, different development methods can all effect this as well. So, when we look at real film grain we should see some irregularities in its appearance - sometimes obvious, sometimes subtle. That all being stated, I find that the samples I show 'at first glance' seem to be very similar. But if you dive deep into the images you will see that the Kodak film stock shows softness and raised blacks. Part of film grain is that it reduces resolution and the more grain, the lower the contrast. So a tell-tale sign of fake grain is grain overlayed on a sharp, high contrast digital image - regardless of how "organic" the grain structure is. If you compare the grain structure of the Fujifilm and the actual Kodak stock, you will see they are a very close match. Fujifilm also does a great job of softening the image. But the blacks are still a bit too digital, IMO. For me, the Fujifilm image still looks a bit digital. The Adobe result is good - I tried to match the grain as best I could, but it's a finer grain and the image is still very sharp with deep blacks. I suppose I could have gone in and kept tinkering with the Adobe image to match the blacks and softness better. Short answer: There are so many variables, but if if you can understand what effect grain makes on an image (organically), then you can make adjustments in post to try to get you as close as possible. The balance is just personal taste.
Incredible video! Good point about color phasing, I never quite realized what was missing, though your final edit did look very true to the film stock!
I’ve read that when shooting “Blow Up”, Antonioni painted trees, grass, roads, and houses (remember the row of red houses?) to achieve a heightened reality. This is also mentioned in the documentary, “Blow Up of ‘Blow Up’”. Antonioni made the producers get a tons of different shades of red to test for the houses, seemingly so many that it annoyed them a bit.
The DR200/400 setting to my knowledge samples highlights at base iso, and the shadows at the higher iso. Or in other words it provides 1 or 2 stops of highlight retention/shadow boost depending on the setting. If you know you’ll be developing in-camera, it does what I’d be doing anyway in post for people shots-trimming the highlights and boosting the shadows. Works excellently. What I don’t know is if the information is embedded in the RAW and usable in LRC. Fujis film simulations are fantastic and I love them. That said, your detailed review explains why I am generally always shooting raw-even when my “stock” JPEG settings work well, there is always a need for subtle tweaks or sometimes a totally different film sim. I love Astia for example, has the contrast I want sometimes, but it can be too yellow. Love provia, but it can be too flat. And so on. It’s nice to have a profile setup-as it makes creating JPEGs in-camera much faster.
What an amazing find, thank you so much! This is the best explanation of Fuji's film sims I've ever been able to find, Fuji itself has done a much poorer job at this. A great channel overall too - subscribed :)
Hi there! Thanks for the comment! I don’t recall which one it was but it’s in the FujiXWeekly App. Likely some type of warm vintage thing. Also likely Kodak.
I learned a lot from this one. I've just one wish, in that Fuji give us a file that's not based on a replication of a film stock but a representation of the actual, true colours...but don't get me wrong here, I love Fuji cameras, just think they could do better with their colour science.
Thank you for your comment! I can only guess as why you may not see the type of profile you’re after. There are two approaches to color science from a manufacturer’s POV. One is to make accurate colours (not saturation levels, but plotted on a vector, accurate) or pleasing colours. Over time, most people have preferred cameras that offer pleasing colours over accurate ones. For those who prefer accurate colours, Sony offers the best system. Their philosophy is more in that camp and they give you the most control over customizing the image through their picture profiles. I’m certain that most people who chose Fujifilm are not particularly concerned with accurate representation of colours.
Thanks for the great comment, Haerleif. Yes, I suppose that would be helpful for some. I chose to do it this way to force you to watch them all so you have context for each simulation.
Well, you certainly can’t have Fujifilm style looks in a Sony. You can do quite a bit of futzing with picture profiles in Sony cameras - and perhaps you can create some nice recipes. But I don’t know if it’s something that will match what FF can do. I’d say that Nikon or Panasonic (S5II) offer a closer experience with their custom LUT/Look feature.
Thank you so much for the lovely explanation. Gave me a lot of insight as to how Film Recipes are different to just filters. I was wondering if the film simulation are overlaying the noise over the image in a way that the blacks are a bit noisier than the whites (like the screen overlay option on photoshop).
I somewhat agree - though, then it begs the question of where it stops ... then you have to add a whole bunch of other features on an app no one pays for. So it's money in a hole. Where as you could use Capture One, which is basically XRaw Studio (much of the same functionality) - but also Capture One. I use Photoshop primarily and it's never really been an issue porting over the image.
Great timing on this. I just had a Fujifilm X100V delivered. It's a lot of fun, just for the film simulations. I'm trying to decide how to set it up with film simulations as there are so many options. As far as I can tell, I'm limited to 7 custom settings, thus 7 film simulations. Am I wrong?
Thanks for the comment, Sky. Yes, you are correct. In camera you are limited to the custom banks. However, in Fuji X Raw Studio you can also create custom sims and save them. It’s not a complete solution, but it does mean that you can at the very least export your raw files with (as far as I can tell) unlimited simulations.
The difference between the film and the sensor is that film should be considered as something with a built-in "look" baked in while digital raw is look "ignorant" and you should do this "look" thing yourself. Just to add a fun fact: A lot of people find that digital is worse than film, is because when the digital transition happens, for most people with normal budget cameras, they hurt the most. Until the very late that I realized, in the early days when I was a kid, what I actually shot on my family point-and-shoot was actually a 35mm FULL-FRAME equivalent 5K-8K sensor with a dynamic range of 12-15 stops...... That's just about the same specs of my current camera Sony A7R2..... No wonder all those old photos ---- even though all taken very unprofessionally, on a point-and-shoot, still looks really good now...... Because back in the days no matter what camera you have, we all shoot on a FLAGSHIP FULL-FRAME SENSOR....... And that point-and-shoot I use as a kid is actually the equivalent of the full-frame Sony RX1....... Just how ironic!
By far the best explanatory video about Fujifilm film simulations I've seen! It deserves far more views.
Thank you Oehagen! Hopefully it will over time. It’s a bit esoteric, so it will likely take time to find the audience it’s intended for. Thank you for your support!
10 months for me. Looking at changing brands, for portability reasons and wanted to understand the film simulations. I shoot film also, so this was an excellent way to learn. Thanks.
Agreed! I’ve been shooting Fujifilm since 2012 and this is extremely useful detail and the most thorough explanation. There are differences between bodies and lenses. I immediately noticed that the XT5 has more contrast than the XT4, and the 56 f1.2 WR is much warmer than the 18mm f1.4 or 33 f1.4, so images from the new 56mm need to be about 400-500K cooler than the other lenses. I was also a Mastin Labs tester and find those film presets to be an excellent starting point while editing.
SERIOUSLY!!
Agreed! And, on top of being so informative, it's also quite entertaining the way they throw little jokes and animations in.
This is not the run of the mill TH-cam video about simulations, it's a masterclass Color Science of Film. Excellent work, thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.
Thank you so much for the super kind comment! I'm thrilled that you took something important from this!
I've been saying for years that the real power of film simulations would be unlocked if Fuji were to add an HSL adjustment for individual colors. Great video!
I'm new to this all, and my brother (a proper photographer) suggested a Fujifilm as my first proper camera. This has been BEYOND helpful, thank you!
So thrilled to hear this! Thank you for the lovely comment. :)
I’ve been watching Fuji Sim videos for years but this has to be the best one I’ve ever watched! Well done 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Thanks Tez!
Wowww …. Tremendous video, so practical and powerful.
This is why I joined the fuji community after years of shooting Nikon. It’s so much more than camera gear. It’s also about controlling the image quality in terms of all the parameters that render the image.
This channel is criminally underrated.
Ha! Thank you!!!
With the DR200 and DR400 modes the amount of analog amplification is reduced. So, when you take the a photo, it'll be underexposed and highlights are preserved. Then a specific DR200 or DR400 tone curve is applied in camera software to get the right exposure. (These DR200 and DR400 tone curves are different as the DR100 one, otherwise the camera would blow the highlights again and this would all be for nothing.) In the end you'll have a photo with the right exposure, but with far more details in the highlights and a tiny bit more noise - mostly in the shadows. This also works for RAW photos. IMHO It gives a bit of a film look to the photos - especially with ACROS with it's special noise algorithm.
I love photography, but using my camera, not my computer. So I am a Fuji SOOC JPEG shooter and I almost always shoot with DR400. I set my ISO to 800 (auto ISO 800 - 6400), because ISO800 produces less noise as the ISO640 that is minimal needed for DR400 on my XT30 camera. Only when situation demands, I reduce the DR to 200 or turn it off by setting it to 100. I use the same settings on my X100S.
Modern day digital cameras are so incredible good at higher ISO, especially Fujis with X-trans sensors. With the X-trans sensors you'll won't spot those ugly high ISO purple and green blobs on your photos between ISO 160 - 6400! The noise looks rather organic. More film grain like.
For me 6400 is waay too grainy on x-trans 1 an 2 sensors, but 5000 is still okay. Sad that it is only possible to limit auto ISO at 3200 or 6400 with nothing in beetwen.
I'll second some of the comments below in saying that this is an exceptional explanation of how to better understand and implement Fuji film sims.
I'll also add that every video that comes out of this channel is amazing. If I could double subscribe to this channel I would. Keep up the amazing work.
Thank you so much!!
As someone with tetrachromacy (someone who can see more colors than the average person,) I have always had a love/hate relationship with colors. I’m the type of person, who, when choosing a paint color, has to get really scientific about and crazy absorbed in all the nuances of each color option. Color ocd, if you will.
As I’m sure you can imagine, this has (unfortunately?) translated to my photo editing as well.
It’s a blessing and a curse, but what I’m getting at here is this: your video has been one of the MOST helpful I have ever seen in terms of explaining and unpacking the finer details of the wonderful world of Fujifilm simulations. You broke things down so scientifically and did such a lovely job of explaining how hints in a way that was easy to follow and understand.
This video was the reason I subscribed to your channel today.
So, all of that to simply say: THANK YOU!
What a fabulous comment, and fabulous super-power you have! Thank you so much!
This video should be required viewing for all Fuji owners. Thanks for putting it together.
Thank you Reuben! So appreciate that the work and time I put into it has proven to be of value to others!
Thank you for this indepth evaluation! I have a X70 and a X100v. Film simulation is where the fun is for me. Profesionally i use Nikon and Blackmagic. I turn to Fuji to only enjoy the process of quick snap, both these camera’s give me a lot joy. On a personal note, its always enjoyable watching your videos. You have a relaxed natural vibe that really makes it easy watching start to finish.
Thanks Lucky!
Excellent video! The best explanation I've ever seen for film simulations. You nailed! Thanks I will come back to this video many times!
Thank you very much for your kind comment!
A masterpiece ! So much knowledge, context and practical examples to pull it all together. THANK YOU ! 🌟 Paul
Thank you, Paul! Really appreciate the great comment. 🙏🙏
Got my XH2s yesterday, great timing. Im neck deep trying to decide which film sim i want most for each type of subject. Also, it's damn criminal you only have 36k subs, this channel is amazing.
Thanks Zach! Appreciate the kind comment. Enjoy your new camera!
I loved your explanation of film color and emotion, I’d listen to you talk for hours about why certain film were given characteristics to evoke certain emotions
Very kind comment! Thank you!! I'm always super fascinated by this stuff - but some of it is no longer really researchable. Lots of proprietary/trade information that is withheld from public access, or those who designed them may not longer be alive, etc. Much of what we know is just what was printed or communicated at the time, which is insightful but rarely the whole story.
Wow, after recently getting back into photography (after many years of inactivity), I bought a X-S10 and an entire TH-cam (under?)world of Fujifilm users has opened up to me. Can't believe how much great content creators (like you) are around. Thanks!
Thanks for the wonderful comment, Martin!
I thought this was going to be a gimmick-type video, but this was educational and relaxed my frustration with digital, that it will never be film. ק
Thank you so very much!! Yes, it’s nice to know that they will always remain two different mediums - but it’s also good to know what aspects of filmic images we like so we can manipulate some of those things in our digital images. Ultimate control over your image-making should be the end goal.
So glad Fuji leans photo and not video.
Man... I have seen a lot of videos about this topic... but yours is definitely the best one and the more complete. On point with every topic mentioned!
Thank you so very much for the amazing comment!! 🙏🙏🙏
Holy halation, Batman! This was the most technical, yet well-explained photography video I’ve seen in ages.
Ha! Thanks Logan! Super appreciate it!
Great video. Just upgraded from the xs-10 to the XT-5 and it was great to deep dive into the film sims
Fantastic explanation of the differences between the simulations. I am learning how valuable understanding them can be. I didn't know about the fast shadow roll-off on Astia before, or recommendation for nature as a compromise between Provia and Velvia. For interior shots, even indoor naturally lit portraits, I have noticed that classic chrome, which you seem to like, is a great choice because lighter coloured walls (espec white) really stand out and give the interior a cleaner brighter look (if that is important in your photo). Thanks!!
Thanks for the great commment, Richard!
Only video that explained the Inuit fuji film simulations. Thank you. Appreciate it
Thank you so much for the awesome comment!!! 🙏🙏🙏
This video is absolutely fantastic mate. I’ll watch the first part about what each is another time. Or two I’m sure. Thanks so much for such a robust, and clear, discussion of the film sims - great for previous film shooters and digital newcomers. Great job.
Thank you so much for the super generous comment!
I learned a ton from this video. It has just the right mix of theory and practical info. Thanks so much for producing it!
Thank you Shane!! Really appreciate the comment!!
Very well done video. However for those that want a true film look, I suggest shooting some slide film. Seeing a well exposed slide on a light table is an eye opening experience.
Agree. It's also about the total film experience - limited exposures, delayed results and just basic controls without layers of menus to wade through.
I watched this a few days ago. It came up again on my "recommended for you" feed. (Ha!) I didn't leave a comment the first time, but I will this time.
This is an excellent explanation of Fuji's film simulations. Well done and thank you. Subbed!
Thank you for the great comment and the support!!
YOU ARE A HERO. Thank you thank you thank you. Storytelling is top notch.
Thank you for the amazing comment!! 🙏🙏
U R a 💎 ❤ 🙏👍. As usual great help for Fujifilm user or any other so far. Great great great help man. We’re so grateful to have someone like u🎉.
Thanks Maestro 🙏
Thanks for the rad comment!! I so very much appreciate the super kind words. More than anything, I am making the content that I want to see - so just happy others can enjoy it too.
Jumping off of Sony, which I dearly love, for the XT3.
I've spent more time creating film emulations in programs, and less time actually shooting. I prefer my OM1 from 1974 for the ultimate satisfaction, and the XT3 filled that spot perfectly. I can now extract the joy of just ripping JPEGs as I scoot along on certain travels. Video also!
I have just acquired a Fujifilm X-T5, and I'm on a steep learning curve. This is a BRILLIANT video. Much to digest, and it will no doubt take me quite some time to get my head around the many subtleties and details, but I feel as if I have a much better grasp of this subject (about which I knew nothing 2 weeks ago!), than I did before. I'll be rewatching this for sure. (As an Aussie viewer, I also appreciate the ironic sense of humour! 😉)
Thanks for the wonderful comment and I’m sure you’ll love your new X-T5!
that was a fantastic, in depth view on the fuji film simulations! Well done!
Thanks Paul!
Eterna is actually one of my favorite recipes to mess with and tweak in post. I need to start making and messing around with more SOOC images, but Eterna's been my go to as a base to start editing on for the past few years at this point, as well as Acros. Also when using Acros, turn the grain setting off, the recipe itself actually has it's own grain that shows more in the shadows. If I want more grain out of that recipe, i'll shoot at a higher ISO for it to look more natural.
Thanks for the great comment! Eterna is such a great profile.
This was excellent. The best thing that I’ve seen explains the crossover between digital and film.
Thank you for the great comment and the support, esanford!
The best explanation of Fuji simulation I’ve seen!
Thank you so much Victor!
I tried them for a month pretty extensively but decided raw with my own style is what I prefer
I just got my first Fujifilm (X-E2). I had all the feelings you spoke of. Great explanation on the history and color science too!
Thanks for the great comment! Enjoy your X-E2! Awesome camera!
The very first video of yours I'm watching and oh man, where have I been all this time?! 🔥👏
Thanks for the great words! Happy to have a new, enthusiastic viewer! Sadly the algorithm likes to hide our videos sometimes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But we’re happy you found us!
Amazing video. I'll definitely be referring back to this as I learn how to use my cam!
Thank you!
This was the best demo and explanation ever.
Thanks so much James!
Please please please make a follow up to this!!! I’ve been shooting Fuji since the old S5 Nikon body, and learned more from this video than I have in the past ten years!!! I LOVED the in depth review and history / comparisons for each simulation. Can’t wait to see more videos from you guys! I’ve sent this to every Fuji shooter I know! Hopefully we can boost those view numbers!!!❤
Getjcn! Wow, such an amazing comment! Thank you so so very much. I just follow my curiosities and can only hope that they are well received. I’m beyond thrilled that this video is finding a home for Fujifilm shooters. Thank you very much for spreading the love!
A trick I use to avoid the delay when using the clarity parameter in a custom profile is to shoot in CL mode instead of S mode. This prevents the camera from displaying that annoying “STORING” screen
This is a great tip! Thanks for sharing!!!
I must have shot 10K+ rolls of Fuji NPS160 - always had it printed to about the same as an 81c colour profile - warm skin, white dresses, green grass
this is more like a crash course .. full of scientific information. Thank you for the efforts.
Thanks for the great comment @AhmedElnosany!
What a cool video. I'm constantly in and out of weird affair with Fujifilm and other brands. On the one hand I love getting baked in JPEGs so I don't have to edit...because I hate editing. But I can get better files using RAW, especially from my Canons/Sony/Nikons, and then just use presets to get "close enough" to the film simulations.
Thanks for the comment! To each their own! There are many ways to accomplish our end creative goals. :)
Thanks, beyond the regular chat about Fuji simulations.
Thank you Jules!
Great video, thank you. I've been wanting to switch to a Fujifilm camera just for the film simulations. I also think tweaks in post take to long and and not always render the same results. I'm getting the X-T5.
Thanks for the great comment!
Thank you for such a rewarding video! Finally there's an explanation why Classic Chrome looks nothing like a real Kodachrome slide. Like my Dad's slides, Kodachrome was also highly prized for its archival properties. Why the need for all these faded simulations? Actually your examples of Classic Negative seems much closer to Kodachrome. I'll have to try it, especially now that my eyes have been tuned from viewing actual Kodachrome slides.
Thanks for the great comment! Yeah the idea of matching to actual film stock is rather subjective….
Thanks for all that. I'll point out that the Dynamic Range function does more than just restrict your ISO. However the higher the setting you choose, the higher the ISO threshold that lets you use the feature will be. Take a high contrast picture at ISO800 with DR set to off and set to DR400% and you'll get a massively different result, although the ISO setting didn't change. I like the feature sometimes in order to keep more highlights in the sky on landscape shots, but it does tend to produce a flat looking image that requires some post-processing to recover mid range contrast. Cheers.
Thanks for this great comment and insight. In my years of discussing the feature with FF, they’ve never revealed to me that it was much more outside of the grey point functionality. But I love this insight because obviously there is more at play. In the end, one is going to have to give up something to get something.
Where have you been all my life?
This is brilliant
Thank you!! I’m here now!
This video has so much value. Thank you!
Thank you so much!!
Very nicely explained the science of film simulations.
Thank you Vilas!
Wish I’d found this awesome video a year ago. So appreciate the huge amount of work involved. Might need and update for Reala 😃
Thank you for the comment!
Awesome explanation with actual visual comparisons to drive the point. ‘Compensation Preset’ please elaborate. Please.
Can you remind me where I talk about a compensation preset? Do you have a time code?
What a great video. So in depth but also so efficient
Thank you so much for the great comment, Benjamin!
Great information here! I personally haven’t liked most of the recipes I’ve seen because they just don’t look like their film counterparts. After dabbling with them, I went back to shooting RAW and working with a few presets I like.
As someone who shot Kodachrome a lot from the 70s through the 90s, I can say Kodachrome was known for punchy color, and Classic Chrome is much too faded to look anything like it. From what I’ve read, Classic Chrome’s creators were going for the memory of Kodak-ish transparency film, not actually trying to replicate Kodachrome. Wouldn’t it be great if Kodak went back to building sensors with Kodachromey color!
I appreciate the great comment. The tricky thing about matching to film, especially colour film is that the lenses, subject, and most importantly development play a huge role in the look, regardless of calibrated chemistry. So, if someone is matching to Kodachrome, my question would always be - to what image or set of images. Also - only recently have some advancements been made in translating the additive colour mixing science into a decent representation of subtractive colour properties. From what I can tell it’s still only available in post and is not an easy nor inexpensive process.
Thus, simulations IMO should be treated more like instagram filters. Just another way of making your jpg’s seem unique and a bit more special - or custom created to a shooting scenario.
@@vistek I agree. I have a few Kodachrome presets and none of them get the colors *and the skin tones* all right, but they’re better than nothing. And better than recipes. Kodachrome was processed very specifically by machines and chemicals provided by Kodak, and the great majority of the few labs with that capability were owned by Kodak, so I would think that developing at least was pretty consistent. But for sure all the other variables you mention applied. Plus the fact that there were several generations of Kodachrome, so as you said: which one are you matching to?
Great channel! I just found you but I am enjoying your well thought out content.
Wow! What an awesome video! I do have one basic question, and it may well be a stupid question, but if I start messing with a recipe based on say Astia but decide my adjustments are rubbish, how do I get back to the original settings for Astia?
Awesome deep dive. Loved this episode~
Thank you!!
I can't believe I haven't come across this video until now. so informative!
Thank you so much, selishots!
@@vistek no problem! You got my sub with this one! Excited to see more of your content!
Thank you for this thorough explanation of Fujifilm sims! Best yet 😁
Thank you webcastdude!
What a great vid, can't believe noone has done it to this detail before, n well done 👍🏼
Thanks Michael! Appreciate the kind comment.
Great video!! Hope it gets more views. One question I had was your thoughts on fujifilm grain compared to adding it in post.
Thank you SF! Great question - here's what I think... Grain is something that responds differently based on luminance (i.e. it will have a different appearance in the blacks vs mids vs highlights). Different stocks, different development methods can all effect this as well. So, when we look at real film grain we should see some irregularities in its appearance - sometimes obvious, sometimes subtle.
That all being stated, I find that the samples I show 'at first glance' seem to be very similar. But if you dive deep into the images you will see that the Kodak film stock shows softness and raised blacks. Part of film grain is that it reduces resolution and the more grain, the lower the contrast. So a tell-tale sign of fake grain is grain overlayed on a sharp, high contrast digital image - regardless of how "organic" the grain structure is. If you compare the grain structure of the Fujifilm and the actual Kodak stock, you will see they are a very close match. Fujifilm also does a great job of softening the image. But the blacks are still a bit too digital, IMO. For me, the Fujifilm image still looks a bit digital. The Adobe result is good - I tried to match the grain as best I could, but it's a finer grain and the image is still very sharp with deep blacks. I suppose I could have gone in and kept tinkering with the Adobe image to match the blacks and softness better.
Short answer: There are so many variables, but if if you can understand what effect grain makes on an image (organically), then you can make adjustments in post to try to get you as close as possible. The balance is just personal taste.
What a lovely summary of this topic. Thanks!
Thank you, somedego!
Wow. Great video. I´m impressed and kind of happy that my X-E1 does not have so many parameters to tweak ;-)
Thank you for the great comment!!
Great job! Very informative and presented nicely.
Thank You
Thank you, David!
very nice, this channel needs more subscribers!
Thank you so much for the great comment!
Excellent presentation. Thank you.
Thank you, nvrumi!
Incredible video! Good point about color phasing, I never quite realized what was missing, though your final edit did look very true to the film stock!
Thanks GooseCrack! 🙏✌🏼
extremely detailed and helpful! Thanks for sharing, much love!
Thank you very much!!
I’ve read that when shooting “Blow Up”, Antonioni painted trees, grass, roads, and houses (remember the row of red houses?) to achieve a heightened reality. This is also mentioned in the documentary, “Blow Up of ‘Blow Up’”. Antonioni made the producers get a tons of different shades of red to test for the houses, seemingly so many that it annoyed them a bit.
Oh that’s super cool! I had no idea. I’m def going to look up that documentary. Thanks for the rad comment!
Great info in a single video , you earned a subscriber
Thank you for the comment and the support! Very appreciated!
The DR200/400 setting to my knowledge samples highlights at base iso, and the shadows at the higher iso. Or in other words it provides 1 or 2 stops of highlight retention/shadow boost depending on the setting. If you know you’ll be developing in-camera, it does what I’d be doing anyway in post for people shots-trimming the highlights and boosting the shadows. Works excellently. What I don’t know is if the information is embedded in the RAW and usable in LRC.
Fujis film simulations are fantastic and I love them. That said, your detailed review explains why I am generally always shooting raw-even when my “stock” JPEG settings work well, there is always a need for subtle tweaks or sometimes a totally different film sim. I love Astia for example, has the contrast I want sometimes, but it can be too yellow. Love provia, but it can be too flat. And so on. It’s nice to have a profile setup-as it makes creating JPEGs in-camera much faster.
Thanks for the great comment, Matt!
Brilliant. Greetings from Belgium. Thank You for sharing.
Thank you / Merci / Bedankt, Marc! 🇧🇪🇧🇪🇧🇪
Best Fuji Sim video I've seen
Thank you so much Christopher! Really happy to hear this. :)
What an amazing find, thank you so much! This is the best explanation of Fuji's film sims I've ever been able to find, Fuji itself has done a much poorer job at this. A great channel overall too - subscribed :)
Thank you Sergey, for the really nice comment and the support!!
The colors on the second image from Mexico at 3:52 just look amazing! What film simulation is this?? An answer would be fantastic! Awesome video btw!!
Hi there! Thanks for the comment! I don’t recall which one it was but it’s in the FujiXWeekly App. Likely some type of warm vintage thing. Also likely Kodak.
@@vistek Thanks a lot for the answer!!
Thank you for the very involved video. So glad I watched the whole thing.
Thank you, PBG! Really happy that the effort was worth it. 🙏
I learned a lot from this one.
I've just one wish, in that Fuji give us a file that's not based on a replication of a film stock but a representation of the actual, true colours...but don't get me wrong here, I love Fuji cameras, just think they could do better with their colour science.
Thank you for your comment! I can only guess as why you may not see the type of profile you’re after. There are two approaches to color science from a manufacturer’s POV. One is to make accurate colours (not saturation levels, but plotted on a vector, accurate) or pleasing colours. Over time, most people have preferred cameras that offer pleasing colours over accurate ones. For those who prefer accurate colours, Sony offers the best system. Their philosophy is more in that camp and they give you the most control over customizing the image through their picture profiles. I’m certain that most people who chose Fujifilm are not particularly concerned with accurate representation of colours.
This was excellent! Thank you.
Thank you Changsha! 🙏
this is just the best video about film simulations
Thank you very much!
Great video, wish you would separate the parts into chapters though or use headlines for each type you talk about.
Thanks for the great comment, Haerleif. Yes, I suppose that would be helpful for some. I chose to do it this way to force you to watch them all so you have context for each simulation.
Great Explanation in all respects... Thank You...
Thank you for the great comment!
Amazing video, great job!
Thank you Jovi!
Thank you Jovi!
Fuji's simulations are very impressive but imo the closest you can get to making a digital file look like a film scan is with Dehancer.
Can I do these with a A6000? I am planing on changing platform currently using a Fuji X-T10
Well, you certainly can’t have Fujifilm style looks in a Sony. You can do quite a bit of futzing with picture profiles in Sony cameras - and perhaps you can create some nice recipes. But I don’t know if it’s something that will match what FF can do. I’d say that Nikon or Panasonic (S5II) offer a closer experience with their custom LUT/Look feature.
23:40 You have to be careful here, increasing the value for shadows, for example +3, does not mean brightening the shadow but increasing it by 3
Thanks for the comment!
Thank you so much for the lovely explanation. Gave me a lot of insight as to how Film Recipes are different to just filters. I was wondering if the film simulation are overlaying the noise over the image in a way that the blacks are a bit noisier than the whites (like the screen overlay option on photoshop).
Thanks Dosi!
It would be awesome if Fujifilm added basic masking to their XRaw Studio. Even just radial and linear masking or a dodge and burn tool.
I somewhat agree - though, then it begs the question of where it stops ... then you have to add a whole bunch of other features on an app no one pays for. So it's money in a hole. Where as you could use Capture One, which is basically XRaw Studio (much of the same functionality) - but also Capture One. I use Photoshop primarily and it's never really been an issue porting over the image.
Great timing on this. I just had a Fujifilm X100V delivered. It's a lot of fun, just for the film simulations. I'm trying to decide how to set it up with film simulations as there are so many options. As far as I can tell, I'm limited to 7 custom settings, thus 7 film simulations. Am I wrong?
Thanks for the comment, Sky. Yes, you are correct. In camera you are limited to the custom banks. However, in Fuji X Raw Studio you can also create custom sims and save them. It’s not a complete solution, but it does mean that you can at the very least export your raw files with (as far as I can tell) unlimited simulations.
@@vistek The Fuji X Raw Studio looks interesting... I'll take a look. Thank you!
you're one lucky man, in which country were you be able to purchase the X100V?
Superb video. Extremely informative.
Thank you so much @The_Catt666!
What a detailed video! Bravo
Thank you, Anna!
Thank you for the awesome video! Great work! 👏
Thanks for the great comment! Appreciate it!
Had Fujifilm since late 2019 but TIL Fuji X Raw exists and for a good reason too
Incredible video! Thank you so much!
Thank you so much Tim!!
very useful information, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the comment! Really appreciate the support!
highly informative. thanks dawg
Thank you!!
Very detailed video. Thank you !
Thank you for the nice words!
Insanely good video, thanks a lot for this!
Thank you slipperydippery!! Really appreciate the comment!
The difference between the film and the sensor is that film should be considered as something with a built-in "look" baked in while digital raw is look "ignorant" and you should do this "look" thing yourself. Just to add a fun fact: A lot of people find that digital is worse than film, is because when the digital transition happens, for most people with normal budget cameras, they hurt the most. Until the very late that I realized, in the early days when I was a kid, what I actually shot on my family point-and-shoot was actually a 35mm FULL-FRAME equivalent 5K-8K sensor with a dynamic range of 12-15 stops...... That's just about the same specs of my current camera Sony A7R2..... No wonder all those old photos ---- even though all taken very unprofessionally, on a point-and-shoot, still looks really good now...... Because back in the days no matter what camera you have, we all shoot on a FLAGSHIP FULL-FRAME SENSOR....... And that point-and-shoot I use as a kid is actually the equivalent of the full-frame Sony RX1....... Just how ironic!
Excelent video.... I do miss Illford mate BW paper...
Thanks for the comment, Fernando!