Most new recipes are written for X-Trans V cameras like the X100VI and X-T5. If you shoot an X-T3, X100F or X-E3, you'll find menu items in those recipes that your camera simply doesn't have. That doesn't make the recipe useless. Usually you can get 80–90% of the look by understanding what the missing setting does and either skipping it or replacing it with something your camera does have.
What each generation is missing
| Setting | X-Trans III (X-T2, X-Pro2, X100F, X-E3, X-H1) | Early X-Trans IV (X-T3, X-T30) | Later X-Trans IV (X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, X-T30 II) | X-Trans V |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic Negative | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Clarity | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Grain size (Small/Large) | No, strength only | No, strength only | Yes | Yes |
| Color Chrome Effect | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Color Chrome FX Blue | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Eterna | X-H1 only | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Nostalgic Neg. | No | No | No | Yes |
Note that the X-T3 and X-T30 have the same X-Trans IV sensor as the X100V but older processing features. Go by the features your camera has, not just the sensor generation.
Setting by setting
Clarity
Clarity adds or removes midtone contrast, like the Clarity slider in Lightroom. Many recipes use 0 or small negative values for a softer, more film-like rendering. If the recipe's Clarity is 0, ignore it. If it's negative, you can roughly imitate it by setting Sharpness one step lower than the recipe says. If it's strongly positive, add a step of Shadow for punch. Neither is an exact match, but both get you closer than skipping it.
Grain size
Older cameras only offer grain strength. Use the recipe's strength (Weak or Strong) and ignore the size. If a recipe calls for "Weak, Large", you lose some of the coarse texture. That's noticeable in big prints but not on a phone screen.
Color Chrome Effect
This setting adds depth and tonal separation to strongly saturated colours, like red flowers or bright signs, that would otherwise turn flat. Without it you can't fully make up the difference. Leave Color as written and accept that very saturated subjects will look a little flatter.
Color Chrome FX Blue
FX Blue deepens blues, mostly skies. On cameras without it, skies will be slightly lighter. Don't increase Color to compensate, because that changes every colour, not just blue.
It also helps to know that the same film simulation can render slightly differently between generations. Fuji X Weekly found that Classic Chrome produces deeper blues on X-Trans V than on X-Trans IV. That's why itsX-T5 version of Kodak Ultramax 400 sets FX Blue to Off, while the X-Trans IV original uses Weak. When moving a Classic Chrome recipe from X-Trans V to X-Trans IV, try one step more FX Blue than written.
Classic Negative
This is the hardest one. Classic Negative's colour shifts are built into the simulation and no combination of other settings reproduces them exactly. You have two options:
- Use a recipe designed for your camera. Fuji X Weekly has published anX-Trans III recipe that imitates Classic Negative using a strong blue white balance shift.
- Pick a similar look on a base you have. For the Superia-style everyday look, a Classic Chrome recipe with Auto white balance and positive Color is the nearest match. Seefilm simulations compared.
Nostalgic Neg.
Nostalgic Neg. adds amber highlights and soft shadows. To approximate it on older cameras, start with Classic Chrome or Pro Neg. Hi, shift white balance towards red and away from blue (around +3 red, −4 blue as a starting point), and set Highlight to −1 and Shadow to −1 or −2. It won't be the same, but it captures the warm, faded feel.
Half-step values
Some recipes use values like Highlight −1.5. If your camera only accepts whole numbers, round towards zero (−1.5 becomes −1). Going the other way usually adds more contrast than the creator intended.
Dynamic range and ISO
X-Trans III cameras have a base ISO of 200, so DR200 needs ISO 400 and DR400 needs ISO 800. That's higher than on newer bodies. If you set Auto ISO's minimum below that, the camera will drop DR400 at low ISOs or limit your ISO range. The lighting guide has the full table.
Test it properly
- Save the adapted recipe to a spare slot (how to save recipes).
- Shoot RAW + JPEG on a day with mixed light: sun, shade and something red and something blue.
- Compare with the recipe's sample photos. If you're off, adjust white balance shift first, then Color, then Highlight and Shadow.
- Use in-camera RAW conversion to try variations on the same frames without reshooting.
Every recipe page on this site lists the compatible sensor generation and flags settings like Clarity that older cameras don't have. Camera pages on the browse page only show recipes that work on that body.