My Go-To Fujifilm Recipes - No, it's not Vibrant Arizona
My biggest gripe about Fuji X Weekly is that the sample photos are just…meh. They don’t accurately represent the color and end result of the recipes we tediously load up into our cameras. The feeling of “wtf is that?!” after you take a photo and it looks nothing like you imagined is one I don’t want anyone to experience. To make matters worse, it doesn’t seem they’re interested in taking in sample photos from the community. Maybe we can change that. For now, let’s talk about some recipes that did not come from Fuji X Weekly, but rather from some creative photographers.
The Recipes: Summer Chrome & Leica X
Like most Fujifilm shooters, I bounce between recipes all the time, but two of them have stuck with me long enough to earn (semi) permanent spots on my Fujifilm XT-5: Summer Chrome and Leica X. They both have very different personalities, yet they’re versatile enough to shoot almost anything. I live by the Pacific Ocean, so some days I want warm, dreamy nostalgia, other days I want sharp, clean images that hit like an editorial spread.
As I mentioned above, I did not come up with either of these recipes. Summer Chrome was created by Osan Bilgi and Leica X by Carl Cruz. Go follow them after you read this blog. If you’re only here for the recipes, scroll down a bit.
Summer Chrome
Summer Chrome is popular because it looks nostalgic, cinematic, and flattering. It’s the recipe you load up when the light looks too good to waste. Golden hour? BAM! Everything looks like that one unforgettable summer in your childhood that is now a core memory. European Summer? Your ex will be sorry they ever left you. Do you need a third reason to try it out?
This recipe also works in harsh mid-day light, although you may have to fix some shadows in post.
Keep in mind:
Fujifilm Recipes are never perfect and won’t always work perfectly in every lighting situation, my advice is to study and understand the light in your scene and adjust accordingly.
I found that if your scene has lot’s of pinks (like pink flowers), it may throw off the white balance, so you may have to play with the color temp and tint (cool it down and add green) in Lightroom to balance it a bit. Sometimes the JPEGs SOOC (straight out of camera) can be a bit too warm, you can play around with the Red and Blue shift coordinates, and see if it matches your scene better. Or fix it in post, it’s usually an easy fix, I’m not here to teach you how to edit, now go look at the sample photos below.
All these samples photos were shot on a Fujifilm XT-5, Fujifilm 18-55mm f./2.8-4.0 Kit Lens, Viltrox 25mm f/1.7, and TTArtisan 56mm f/1.8
Leica X
Leica X doesn’t play around. It is crisp, clean, modern. A perfect homage to Leica’s chromatic legacy. This recipe is bold, you can load it up on the streets and get that punchy look you’ve always pined for. With this recipe, my (or your) Fujifilm XT-5 is now “a poor-man’s Leica”, and I’m OK with that. I like to add some grain after the fact. Sue me. Come at me. Friggin’ tag me and try to cancel me, I dare ya. I like the grain from Lightroom better, I’ve got more control.
Anyway, now that you’re done with your little tantrum, we can continue.
In general, this recipe will lean on the cooler side, definitely cooler than the warm tones we’re used to seeing from Leica, but I think that’s a good thing. It really delivers that analog-meets-modern feel to your JPEGs. Try it out, maybe you’ll hate it. I’m not your dad.
A few notes: Most of the sample shots were taken during golden hour or afternoon light by the Pacific Ocean, so even though this recipe leans on the cooler side, the light just happened to be warm and… you know… golden.
Now get out of here and go shoot some photos, GREG.
Samples photos were shot on a Fujifilm XT-5, Fujinon 56mm f/1.2 WR, Fujifilm 50-140mm f/2.8, TTArtisan 28mm f/2.8, and Fujifilm 50-140mm f/2.8
- Film SimulationClassic Chrome
- Grain Effect and SizeStrong Large
- Color Chrome EffectStrong
- Color Chrome FX BlueStrong
- White BalanceAuto Red +5 Blue −6
- Dynamic RangeDR400
- Highlight Tone−2
- Shadow Tone−2
- Color+4
- Sharpness0
- Noise Reduction−4
- Clarity−4
- Exposure Compensation0 to +1
- ISOAuto 500 to 6400
- Film SimulationClassic Chrome
- Grain Effect and SizeOff
- Color Chrome EffectStrong
- Color Chrome FX BlueStrong
- White BalanceAuto Red +1 Blue −2
- Dynamic RangeAuto
- Highlight Tone−1
- Shadow Tone0
- Color+4
- Sharpness0
- Noise Reduction−4
- Clarity0
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