How to Program Film Simulation Recipes Into Your Fujifilm Camera

Fujifilm cameras store complete camera configurations in Custom Settings slots, labelled C1 onwards. Most current X-series bodies give you seven; check your manual, because the count varies by model. When you save a film simulation recipe to a Custom Settings slot, the camera stores every setting: film simulation, white balance, tone curve, grain effect, dynamic range, sharpness, colour, and more, as a single recallable preset. You can then switch between completely different looks without changing any settings manually.

Think of each Custom Settings slot as a saved "look" that you can apply instantly. Most photographers save 3-4 recipes they use regularly and switch between them depending on the subject and lighting conditions.

Reaching Your Custom Settings

How you get to them depends on whether your camera has a Mode dial. If it does, rotate it to one of the C positions and you are there. If it does not, you cannot select a custom setting until you have created one: go to Image Quality Setting > Edit/Save Custom Setting, choose Create New, and press OK. After that you can pick a profile from Image Quality Setting > Select Custom Setting, or cycle through them from the first slot of the default Q menu.

A shortcut worth knowing on any body: open the Q menu, then hold the Q button down. That takes you straight into the custom settings menu without walking through the main menu system.

Follow these steps to save any recipe from X-Alchemy into your Fujifilm camera. The exact menu path may vary slightly by model, but the process is the same across all X-series cameras.

Step 1: Set the Film Simulation

Go to Image Quality Settings > Film Simulation and select the simulation specified by the recipe. This is the foundation. Every other setting is tuned to work with this specific simulation.

Step 2: Set the Grain Effect

Navigate to Image Quality Settings > Grain Effect. Set the strength (Off, Weak, Strong) and size (Small, Large) as specified. If the recipe says "Weak/Small", set strength to Weak and size to Small.

Step 3: Set Color Chrome Effect

Go to Image Quality Settings > Color Chrome Effect and set it to Off, Weak, or Strong. Then check Color Chrome FX Blue and set that independently. These two settings work together but are controlled separately.

Step 4: Set White Balance

Navigate to Image Quality Settings > White Balance. If the recipe specifies a Kelvin value (e.g., 6500K), select K (Kelvin) and dial in the value. Then press the right arrow to access the WB Shift screen and set the Red/Blue shift values (e.g., R+2, B-3). This is where much of a recipe's colour character comes from.

Step 5: Set Tone Curve (Highlights & Shadows)

Go to Image Quality Settings > Highlight Tone and Shadow Tone(or Tone Curve on newer bodies). Set each to the value specified. These control contrast independently for bright and dark areas. Positive values increase contrast; negative values reduce it.

Step 6: Set Remaining Parameters

Work through the remaining recipe settings in the Image Quality menu:

• Dynamic Range: DR100, DR200, or DR400
• Color: Saturation adjustment (-4 to +4)
• Sharpness: Edge sharpening (-4 to +4)
• High ISO NR: Noise reduction strength (-4 to +4)
• Clarity: Mid-tone contrast (-5 to +5, X-Pro3 and later)

Step 7: Add the Exposure Settings

Recipes often specify an ISO range and an exposure compensation figure, and both can live inside the custom profile rather than being set by hand each time. From the Edit/Check screen, open the Shooting Setting submenu (the camera icon on the left) and select ISO. Auto ISO is programmable here too, including Default Sensitivity, Max. Sensitivity, and Min. Shutter Speed.

Exposure compensation is simpler if your camera has a dedicated dial on the top plate: set the dial to the value the recipe asks for. If your body has no exposure compensation dial, store it in the profile instead. From the Edit/Check menu, go to the bottom-most submenu on the left-hand side, select Exp. Compensation, and choose how many stops to add or subtract.

Step 8: Save and Name the Slot

Once all settings are dialled in, go to Image Quality Settings > Edit/Save Custom Setting (or Custom Settings on older bodies), select a slot, and confirm the save. While you are there, give it a name: choose Edit Custom Name, type something you will recognise in the field, and press Set. "Street Chrome" is a great deal easier to find in a hurry than "C3".

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Forgetting WB Shift. The Kelvin value alone is only half the white balance setting. The R/B shift values are critical for the recipe's intended look. Always check both.
• Mixing up Highlight and Shadow Tone. Highlight Tone and Shadow Tone are separate settings. Positive Highlight Tone makes bright areas brighter; positive Shadow Tone makes dark areas darker. Don't confuse the two.
• Ignoring Dynamic Range requirements. DR200 requires a minimum ISO of 2x the base ISO and DR400 requires 4x. On a base ISO 125 body (X-Trans V) that is ISO 250 and ISO 500; on base ISO 160 (X-Trans IV) it is ISO 320 and ISO 640. If your recipe specifies DR200 or DR400, make sure your ISO meets the minimum or the camera will not let you select the setting.
• Not saving before shooting. If you change settings without saving to a Custom Settings slot, they'll revert when you switch modes. Always save after programming.

Pro Tips

• Label your slots. Recent bodies let you rename Custom Settings slots via Edit Custom Name (e.g., "Street Chrome" for C1, "Portrait Soft" for C2). Use this feature.
• Test in similar conditions. A recipe designed for golden hour will look different under fluorescent light. Test each recipe in the lighting it was intended for before judging it.
• Start with C1-C3. However many slots you have, start with 3 recipes you actually use. Three well-chosen recipes you know intimately are more useful than seven you can't remember.
• Shoot a grey card. When testing a new recipe, photograph a neutral grey card first. This gives you a reference point for the recipe's colour bias.

A recipe created on one Fujifilm camera can be programmed into another, but the results may differ slightly depending on the sensor generation. Here's what to know:

Same Generation = Same Results

Cameras with the same sensor and processor produce identical output from the same settings. An X-T4 recipe will look the same on an X-S10 (both X-Trans IV). An X-T5 recipe will match on an X100VI (both X-Trans V HR).

Cross-Generation Differences

When porting a recipe from X-Trans V to X-Trans IV (or vice versa), expect subtle differences in colour rendering and noise handling. The film simulation algorithms are refined with each generation. Classic Chrome on X-Trans V has slightly different tonal character than Classic Chrome on X-Trans IV. Both are "Classic Chrome" but with different underlying processing.

Missing Simulations

Some simulations are only available on newer sensors:

• Nostalgic Neg., REALA ACE: X-Trans V only
• Classic Neg., Eterna Bleach Bypass: X-Trans IV and V only
• ACROS: X-Trans III and newer

If a recipe uses a simulation your camera doesn't have, you cannot replicate it. Look for alternative recipes that use simulations available on your camera generation.