PictureFX (Fuji)film Simulation Workshop – Defining “The Analog Film Style” + Bonus download

In this first part of my PictureFX (Fuji) film Simulation Workshop I want to define what that “The Analog Film Style” actually is. Probably everyone knows this, but still there appear to be misunderstandings on forums and the like, what such an analog look should look like, and the perfection the image should have after conversion.

For the bonus download, scroll all the way down.

The Real Film Look :

To get a better understanding of the Analog Film Style we will first look at “real” pictures. I have some links below that point to sites that contain pictures taken with “real film”, the language used on the sites is not important, it is about the pictures, and not so much about the subject but more specifically about colors, atmosphere, image quality and how do they differ from your own normal digital pictures?

• https://shop.lomography.com/en/kodak-ektar-100-35mm
• https://www.lomography.nl/films/871912245-kodak-ektar-100/photos?order=recent
• https://www.lomography.nl/magazine/191546-fuji-velvia-100-rvp-120-het-ongetemde-beest
• https://www.flickr.com/groups/provia100f/pool/
• https://www.flickr.com/groups/ishootkodakfilm/pool/
• And this one : Akio Takemoto – Ricoh AF-5 – Agfa Plus 200 @1000 iso

Wonderful, isn’t it? there are real gems between them, but is it noticeable that they are not (all) perfect ? the green sometimes contains too much blue, some picture have a red glow, the black or dark parts have a green tinge … No not perfect, but yes Unique !

The sensors of our modern cameras have improved a lot over the years, higher sensitivities, better low light performance, I can actually summarize briefly and say that taken pictures are perfect or certainly very close to perfection compared to the “real image”. Certainly with all the tools we use around it such as fast computers, modern image editing software, screen calibration etc … Yet we are not satisfied with this, or apparently not always, because you see more and more a demand for “Analog Film Simulation” in the form of Recipes, Presets & Luts. Apparently many of us want the look back of the images from the analogue era.

Buying a Professional Film Simulation kit :

You would think that with all possible technology available it wouldn’t be that difficult to get that real film or analog look, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Take the commercial solutions for Lightroom or any other image editing software, wouldn’t you assume that if you spend a lot of money for that promised analog look, it would be perfect ? well, go and look up reviews or better yet real comparisons on the internet, you will be surprised. However, sometimes you will see very good comparisons, but once at home on your computer and applied to your own pictures you will see the difference.

Just an example of the DXO filmpack on DPReview forum “My attempt to simulate Fuji Velvia 100“:

The biggest problem is probably film itself. And this is also hard to explain. Color rendering of real film is a chemical process that reacts very variably to light and color conditions.

Creating the Analog look and storing the settings yourself :

Suppose you take a picture with an analog camera, and you take the same picture with preferebly the same lens on a digital (full frame) camera.
Let us now assume that you could get this analog picture on your computer screen in the most perfect way. You could, for example, place your digital result next to it in Lightroom or any other image editing program, and adjust the colors of the digital result with sliders so that both pictures are identical – what I can assure you which is not easy. If you would save those color adjustments/settings, you would have made the perfect film simulation so to speak, wouldn’t you ?

Unfortunately not. Suppose when making our picture, we also make one with our camera turned a little more to the left or right, and we take one more but have someone pose for it.
If you then followed the same process as before, you would notice that your settings that gave an identical result are no longer correct. The changed light and color conditions triggered a different chemical reaction in the real film that eventually caused a different color rendering.

If you realy want to find out more about this, search the internet for the many scientific articles that have been written about this subject. One article that provides an insight into this very complex, more specifically Fujifilm process, is the next :

The ultimate guide to Fuji’s Film Simulations; A DEEP dive to de-mystify one of Fuji’s best features – quote “film’s rendering of color is an enormously complex process that’s virtually impossible to mimic with simple slider adjustments in an image editor” end quote.

Also read this guy’s idea about this in “How accurate are Fujifilm’s Film Simulations“, quote: “So this got me thinking about how I would answer this question of how accurate Fujifilm film simulations are. My answer? Who cares! Stop researching this nonsense and get out there and photograph! My god, the world needs some art right now, stop wasting your time with this stuff and go create ” end quote.

Yes, quite fierce eh 🙂 but I can understand the guy, I sometimes have a hard time holding back on forums where I follow comments about film simulations from colleagues, there are always perfectionists who disapprove the color rendering of a Preset, Recipe or Lut. The thing is, all those simulations are pretty good but not perfect, not that they didn’t do their job right, it just isn’t 100% possible. If you really want it more “real” it’s very easy : throw away your digital camera and start working with analog film again.

So what are the options?

• if you have too much money you can buy a commercial package, it is not 100% but they have a well-known brand on the package.
• you download one or more Film Sims from a Guy on the list of “The Largest Collection of Film Simulation …” have lots of fun and you can go out for dinner with your wife, for the same price or maybe even enough for a few extra beers.
• there is a third option which involves my bank account number, and an email afterwards from me that says “thanks, I had a great night out with my wife !” and you can still download for free 🙂
  But I already know that the latter option will be less popular.

Forget perfectionism, accept the limitations and be creative, because that’s all that matters in “The Analog Film Style”

Not everyone likes to read a lot of text, I have provided an extra for those people. Two new PictureFX Fujifilm Velvia 50 & 100 Luts. They are made in a different way than what will be discussed here later, neither better nor worse, only different. The differences between the Velvia 50 and 100 are subtle, but can give a different result under certain circumstances.
Click on the PictureFX Velvia logo to go to the download site:

Coming next : PictureFX (Fuji)film Simulation Workshop – Making the Professional Series + downloads

• how they are made
• download of Profiles (Presets) and Luts