Cotton Candy Chrome — Fujifilm X-T4 ES (Full Spectrum Infrared) Film Simulation Recipe

Cotton Candy Tree – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES – Cotton Candy Chrome Recipe

This is a super fun Film Simulation Recipe for Fujifilm full spectrum cameras, like the Fujifilm X-T4 ES, which turns trees a soft pink. It’s not for “normal” cameras; you must have a full spectrum X-Trans IV or X-Trans V model, which requires an expensive and invasive procedure from a third-party vendor like LifePixel, Kolari Vision, or Spenser’s Camera. Otherwise, the Fujifilm X-T4 ES (“Extended Spectrum”) is a full spectrum camera (is sensitive to light outside the visible gamut) briefly offered by Fujifilm to the general public. As of this writing, I believe that you can still buy the Fujifilm X-T4 ES from B&H, but it requires a phone call or stopping by in person—you can’t order it from the internet.

I’m pretty new to infrared photography, and I’m still learning and experimenting. Larry Adams, a Fuji X Weekly regular, kindly mailed to me a few filters to try out, and one of those—a QB2 blue filter—was used for this Cotton Candy Chrome Recipe. I’m not certain which brand the filter is (it doesn’t say), but here are some that I found online: JTSF, PMP, Nantong, Shanghai Longway, Tangsinuo. This is a fairly uncommon filter and that’s why none of the name brands make it, but it is used by some in the IR world. I have no idea which brand might be best. The other filters I used for this Recipe are Hoya G(XO) Yellow-Green filter and Tiffen Yellow 2 #8 filter. I don’t know if the order matters, but I have the Yellow filter closest to the lens, the Yellow-Green filter in the middle, and the QB2 furthest from the lens.

*Union Pacific 1579* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES – Cotton Candy Chrome Recipe

Since this Cotton Candy Chrome Recipe uses the Classic Negative film simulation, it will render blue slightly deeper on X-Trans V than on the Fujifilm X-T4 ES, which is X-Trans IV. This Recipe works best in sunny daylight conditions, but I also enjoyed it for nighttime situations, where it produces results somewhat similar to the Fluorescent Night Recipe.

Filters: Tiffen Yellow 2 #8, Hoya G(XO) Yellow-Green & QB2 Blue
Film Simulation: Classic Negative
Dynamic Range: DR200
Grain Effect: Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect: Strong
Color Chrome FX Blue: Off
White Balance: Fluorescent 1, -9 Red & +6 Blue
Highlight: -1.5
Shadow: -1.5
Color: +4
Sharpness: 0
High ISO NR: -4
Clarity: -2
ISO: Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation: 0 to +1/3 (typically)

Example photographs, all camera-made JPEGs captured using this Cotton Candy Chrome Film Simulation Recipe on my Fujifilm X-T4 ES:

*Hazy Tree* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*Bougainvillea Branch* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*Closed Canopy* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*Mocha House, Candy Trees* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*Yellow Jacket* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*Shopping Cart* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*Curved Wall* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*Jackson* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*CVS/pharmacy* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*Mid Morning* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*Grain Hopper* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*Fruit Basket* – Buckeye, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*Crocodile Trail* – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*Library Night* – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*Holiday Lights 1* – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*Holiday Lights 2* – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*Red Fountain* – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*Civic Center* – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*Swirl Abstract* – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

*Falling Starflake* – Goodyear, AZ – Fujifilm X-T4 ES

See also:
Aerochrome v1 Film Simulation Recipe
Aerochrome v2 Film Simulation Recipe
Photographing in Aerochrome
Philadelphia in Aerochrome — Infrared Photography in the City of Brotherly Love
PurpleChrome Film Simulation Recipe