Custom Fujifilm Recipes: Astia Dream and Soft Vintage Glow
After a few years of testing numerous film recipes, I feel I have a thorough understanding of how each setting influences the overall look. Many recipes have been very good and I have been thoroughly impressed; on the other hand, some have created looks that I would not consider bad, but are far from my style and preferences for what I would create in my travels and exploration.
Film recipes are made up of custom settings that can be adjusted in several ways; when combined, there are essentially endless possibilities. If you have experimented with film recipes and sought inspiration, you will know there are hundreds of recipes to choose from; with that much choice, it can be exhausting to find one that works across many travel destinations and produces results you continue to love.
When I think about my travel photography, the one thing that really attracts me is colour and how certain light influences the arrays of colour. With Fujifilm recipes, colours can be pushed in directions that elevate reds and greens or subdue blues, for example. Dynamic range really helps too. I do like to maintain some definition in the sky, and using dynamic range of DR400 helps reduce highlights and preserve detail.
I’ve been developing these film recipes and tweaking them based on what I currently prefer in my photography, and have settled on two in particular that I keep going back to. Those two I have called Astia Dream and Soft Vintage Glow. These recipes will accentuate the colours in your images and lean towards a warmer look, which is what I’ve been preferring lately. I also like some grain in my image, but on both, the effect is subtle.
Note: for ISO, I always use Auto. For DR400 to function, your camera needs to raise its minimum ISO so it can handle the decreased highlights and increased shadows within the frame. Cameras vary, and the minimum ISO your camera requires may be higher, but it will not be lower than 500.
Astia Dream
No surprise, but this recipe builds off Astia Soft to create Astia Dream. It is a Fujifilm film simulation designed to provide vibrant colours with soft contrast. With Dynamic Range DR400, images are balanced with reduced highlights and increased shadows, while retaining detail across bright and dark areas. The colour boost, combined with a strong Colour Chrome Effect, adds vibrant colour depth, while the weak Colour Chrome FX Blue subtly enhances blue tones while maintaining a pronounced warmth in the images. And the reduced sharpness and clarity complement the softer colours, with a subtle grain effect added. This recipe works best in warm-light situations and when you wish to accentuate those warmer colours in an image.
Astia Soft
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: -2
Shadow: +2
Colour: +2
High ISO NR: -4
Sharpness: -3
Clarity: -4
Grain Effect: Weak, Small
Colour Chrome Effect: Strong
Colour Chrome FX Blue: Weak
White Balance: Auto, +3 Red, -3 Blue
ISO: Auto (minimum of 500)
Soft Vintage Glow
Building upon Fujifilm’s Classic Chrome film simulation, Soft Vintage Glow enhances Classic Chrome’s signature muted palette and nostalgic Kodachrome mood with refined tonal adjustments and colour. Highlights and shadows are softened to reduce harsh transitional contrasts, and the colour profile is enhanced through a warm chromatic shift. Reds are enriched while blues are dialled back.
A layer of fine grain adds tactile character, lending images a film-like texture. The resulting photographs have warmth and vibrancy, rich tonal gradations and reduced clarity that helps preserve the softer finish. This balance between colour intensity and tonal restraint produces a vintage analog film character while adopting the dynamic range capabilities of modern sensors.
Ideal for daylight and natural outdoor settings, this recipe works well in mixed or shifting light, translating atmosphere and colour variation into richly toned images.
Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range: DR400
Highlight: -2
Shadow: -2
Colour: +3
High ISO NR -4
Sharpness: 0
Clarity: -3
Grain Effect: Weak, Small
Colour Chrome Effect: Strong
Colour Chrome Effect Blue: Strong
White Balance: Daylight, +4 Red, -5 Blue
ISO: Auto (minimum of 500)
Conclusion
These recipes capture the elements that I prefer. As photography is deeply personal, these recipes won’t work for everyone or with any subject or scenario. These recipes are tailored for travel with daily exploration in varying light. They will work best in ample sunlight, which helps elevate colours: gentle warmth and balanced tones.
Astia Dream and Soft Vintage Glow are the results of experimentation. They are now at a point where I feel comfortable using them regularly; they represent the atmosphere and feeling I currently want my photographs to convey. These are great recipes to switch on and carry an entire trip destination to maintain a theme throughout your images.