Welcome to Episode 01 of my “Colour Your Story” series. I am excited to get started. Before I dive into it, just a quick check-in that you have read the introduction article in the series. If you haven’t yet, you can do so here: “Discover Fujifilm Film Simulations | Colour Your Story – Ep 00” to understand what the series is all about, what it aims to achieve and what it will include.
I decided to take a look at PROVIA first, because it does well for understanding and serves as a good baseline – ground zero or unity – for a journey through all of the film simulations. As you will discover later, all of the other film simulations and looks can be compared to it. And with that said, it’s a good idea to begin with an understanding of what PROVIA does and doesn’t do in the way that it renders your images, and build on that. So, let’s do exactly this!
Start Your Journey
The PROVIA film simulation became available in 2008 along with the release of the Fujifilm FinePix S100FS. It was created by Fujifilm, alongside other film simulations, in order to make digital images look more like analog film as close as possible to the standard and quality that photographers were used to achieving when shooting with Fujifilm film stock. The PROVIA film simulation was very well received and has since become a staple in every digital Fujifilm camera therafter. And notwithstanding its age, it still enjoys a good deal of popularity because of its general purpose qualities.
PROVIA’s origins
Fujifilm themselves record that it is “based on FUJICHROME PROVIA, a reversal film designed for professional use … and caters for all subject types, offering a relatively neutral colour reproduction.”
In its heyday, FUJICHROME PROVIA 100F was a high quality film and very popular amongst professionals thanks to its great saturation with neutral, yet rich colours. It delivered fabulously clean, crisp images with great depth. It also rendered skin tones really well which made it an incredibly versatile slide film that performed well in most situations.
The PROVIA Film Simulation
In spite of Fujifilm’s statement, the PROVIA film simulation is not meant to closely emulate the FUJICHROME PROVIA film look, but rather serve as a general, all-purpose mode. It is intended to make digital images look good and just right.
I assume that Fujifilm decided to call it PROVIA because of the popularity the film enjoyed as a general purpose formula, rather than trying to say that if you shoot in this film simulation, your digital images will look like they were shot on analog FUJICHROME PROVIA. The scientists that developed the simulation suggest usnig PROVIA with shadows, highlights and color set to -1 to make it look less harsh.
With that in mind, it is a great place to start if you are at the beginning of your Fujifilm film simulation journey.
What you can expect from jpegs shot in PROVIA
true-to-life colours with good saturation yet neutral and moderate contrast
TRUE-TO-LIFE COLOURS
PROVIA delivers well-saturated yet natural-looking colours, making it a great all-around option for various photography styles. Unlike more extreme simulations, PROVIA maintains colour vibrancy without overdoing it. It offers a clean and true-to-life representation of scenes and subjects.
SMOOTH TONES
It also does a decent job in rendering smooth tonal transitions, particularly in skin tones, which makes it suitable for portrait photography.
JUST ENOUGH CONTRAST
Thanks to its moderate contrast, it produces balanced images with neither harsh shadows nor overly bright highlights – ideal for outdoor and landscape photography.
PROVIA is an excellent choice when capturing scenes with lots of colour and contrast
Choose PROVIA to create timeless memories in these situations
LANDSCAPES
PROVIA’S natural colour tones and moderate contrast make it great for landscapes. Its qualities ensure that skies, greenery, and natural environments appear vibrant but realistic, without being oversaturated.
STREET
In dynamic, variable lighting in street scenes, PROVIA handles the change in dynamic range and light quality very well. This helps to keep a natural look, without sacrificing colour tones in urban settings.
EVERYDAY AND TRAVEL
It makes sense to use PROVIA for everyday scenes and travel photography. Why? To achieve consistency across different genres and when it is important to capture scenes and moments accurately, just as they were experienced. When weather and lighting conditions vary greatly, PROVIA makes for a balanced middle ground.
PORTRAITURE
Skin tones look natural without harsh contrast or colour shifts. It is a good choice when you want to produce true-to-life portraits.
Use the I.Q. Menu to Fine-Tune the Look
In addition to film simulations, Fujifilm cameras feature tools to fine-tune your image looks in-camera even further. They are located in the I.Q. menu of every camera model. Tweaking these settings affects noise, colour tones, contrast and sharpness. With a little fine-tuning, you can enhance the look of your images to bring them as close as you need or want them to be, to match the mood of what you have captured.
If you feel that your images still look digital and you’d like more of a film look, Fujifilm experts suggest that you adjust COLOR, HIGHLIGHTS and SHADOWS to -1. If you do this, please compare your images and comment to let me know if you can see the difference that this makes and which look you prefer more.
Don’t be surprised if you feel tempted to tinker with these and other custom settings a lot more. As you do so, take time to familiarise yourself with them and what effect they have on your images, but be mindful not to get carried away. Too much of a “good” thing can make your images look over-cooked, unnatural and even gimmicky.
Final Take Away
These days, PROVIA is often overshadowed by other, newer film simulations like CLASSIC CHROME and REALA ACE. This is because some photographers find it too generic and flat, or digital-looking for straight-out-of-camera jpegs. Nonetheless, it is a great starting point for creating images without much of a colour tone and a true-to-life look and feel.
If you are new to Fujifilm, or looking for a film simulation baseline to use in a workflow that includes post-production editing (even with jpegs and HEIFs!), PROVIA is a great option.
Whether you’re out hiking, at the coast or capturing interesting details, PROVIA renders your images in true-to-life colours and tones
Over To You
What are your thoughts? Have you given PROVIA a try? Why don’t you do that and see if you like it. And then, once you have done so, please share your favourite images on Instagram using #ColourYourStory and remember to tag me @nathalieboucry
I can’t wait to see what you create!
This article is the second in the “Colour Your Story” series. If you enjoyed it, don’t forget to subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss out on the next episode in this series!
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