Classic Negative is the King of Fuji Film Simulations
Disclaimer
Before we begin, one thing is worth mentioning: this recipe is built around Classic Negative.
In my opinion, Classic Negative is the king of Fujifilm film simulations. Its unique color response, tonal separation, and film-like rendering make it the strongest foundation for creating a timeless analog look.
Of course, color is subjective, and every photographer will have their own favorite. This recipe simply reflects the aesthetic that I personally enjoy shooting the most.
Fujifilm X-E5. Why I’m Shooting JPEG Again.
Over the past few weeks, more than five of my friends have bought the Fujifilm X-E5 after seeing these photos and asking me about the camera. At this point, Fujifilm should probably start thinking about making me an ambassador. 🙂
Jokes aside, the question I get asked the most isn’t actually about the camera itself.
“How do you get these colors?”
The good news is that every image in this series is completely unedited.
These are the original JPEGs, transferred directly from the camera to my iPhone using the Fujifilm XApp. No Lightroom, no Capture One, no Photoshop. This is exactly how the camera rendered them.
Over the years, we’ve become so accustomed to treating RAW as an essential part of professional photography that we’ve forgotten something important: a camera can be a creative tool, not just a device that records data.
The X-E5 reminded me of that.
At the end of this article, I’ll share the complete recipe I use -including all of my camera settings -so you can recreate this look straight out of camera.
My Fujifilm X-E5 Recipe
The defining characteristic of this recipe is its ability to push the perfectly clean, digital color palette closer to the subtle, imperfect tones of analog film.
To achieve a vintage look, I don’t recommend using strong Color settings. In my experience, these ranges produce the most natural results:
- Color: -3 to 0 for bright, highly saturated scenes.
- Color: 0 to +2 for overcast weather or scenes with naturally muted colors.
Once you’ve selected the film simulation – in this case, Classic Negative the most important step is setting the white balance correctly.
I always set my white balance manually using Kelvin and almost never use Auto White Balance. Since I prefer a warmer color palette, my settings usually fall somewhere between 6200K and 7500K, depending on the available light.
The vintage character of this recipe mainly comes from two settings:
1. Clarity: -3
This creates a subtle glow in the highlights, similar to the effect of bloom filters like the Glimmer or Mist filters, while still maintaining good overall sharpness.
2. Tone Curve
- Shadows: -2
- Highlights: -1 or -2
These settings gently lift the blacks, creating a subtle faded film look while softening tonal transitions. They also help preserve more highlight and shadow detail in the final JPEG, giving the image a smoother, more film like rendering.
You can find the rest of my settings in the table below.
If you try this recipe, I’d love to see your results – feel free to send me your photos on Instagram.
Film Recipe “Timeless”
| Dynamic Range | 100% |
| White Balance | 7400K |
| Film Simulation | Classic Neg |
| Grain | Strong / Large |
| Highlight Tone | −2 |
| Shadow Tone | −2 |
| Color | −3 |
| Sharpness | −2 |
| Clarity | −3 |
| Color Chrome Effect | Off |
| Color Chrome FX Blue | Strong |
| Smooth Skin Effect | Off |
| ISO Noise Reduction | 0 |
