Film simulations are, without doubt, the sole reason I moved over to the Fuji ecosystem. The ability to create an endless variety of different looks, in-camera, without touching an editing application or making any colour tweaks is what makes shooting with a Fuji such a fulfilling experience.
My current Fujifilm X-S10 makes provision for four different custom slots, where I can store tailor-made recipes with tweaks to various settings.
In my four slots, I've stored four different recipes, each with their own unique aesthetic qualities. In this series of articles, I'll explain each of these four recipes, show you some samples, and of course include the actual settings for the recipes themselves.
Pastel Vibes
Ah, the renowned Pastel Vibes. Made famous by Willow Rotter and initially spotted in the Fujifilm Simulations group on Facebook, this was one of the first recipes I set up on my X-S10. I recall from his sample images that it worked particularly with deep blues (and does tend to run quite cool), which immediately drew me to it. While this is not my first choice for versatility, I will say that it comes a close second to my custom Springtime Provia recipe.
I've found that this runs a little less saturated than my Springtime Provia recipe, mainly because the base film sim is Classic Neg. I've also made some slight tweaks in terms of colour balance and grain. I prefer my daytime images to have a bit of colour pop, so while I shy away from using this during bright scenes, although I have used it for early morning softly lit scenes where it worked a treat.
Interestingly enough, I've found that this recipe also works really well at night for city shooting (particularly with a mist filter, which I use religiously). Lowering the EV comp to just under a stop exposed creates very atmospheric images. Overall, this recipe is well worth checking out if you're first venturing into the world of Fujifilm recipes.
