Fujifilm has once again raised the bar in film color science, this time with F-Log paired with the latest film simulation LUT – eternal.
I’ve been blown away by Fuji’s colors for years. When I first picked up the X100, I saw firsthand how well Fujifilm’s simulation modes worked… At the time, these film simulations were more or less only for stills, but over time, the Technology has come to a point where all new cameras from Fuji include analog functionality.
If you’ve never shot with a Fuji camera, their Film Simulation modes are essentially picture profiles that allow you to bake a film-like look into your camera. They are based on actual film stock and are (aesthetically speaking) extremely close to their celluloid counterparts. This is largely due to Fujifilm’s background in motion picture/still film, which effectively laid the groundwork for their ability to achieve these color palettes on digital cameras.
Recently, Fujifilm added a new film simulation mode – Eterna – released with its latest mirrorless camera. XH1, It has since been warmly welcomed by Fuji users.
Eterna delivers one of the most cinematic looks of any Fujifilm simulation, producing gorgeous, subtle color palettes and perfect contrast. It seems to be designed with filmmakers in mind, as it is not overly stylized, allowing users to use it as is, or as a basis for further grading.
As an X-T2 user, I don’t have Eterna film simulation built into the camera, but I still benefit from recording F-Log (internally using Fujifilm’s latest firmware) and applying Fujifilm’s official Eterna LUT in the post.
Last weekend I was finally able to try out the internal F-Log combined with the new Eterna LUT, and the results really blew me away. I’ll make a demo video later to show the footage in full, but for now I want to share some screenshots to show you what the LUT is capable of.
Below is a series of photos I took at home, recorded in 4K mode on the XT2 using internal F-Log. I deliberately overexposed the footage (slightly) as I usually like to expose to the right when shooting digitally to maintain sharper shadows when compressing the footage in post.
Let’s take a look at the raw footage on the card first –
Now, if I’m not using a LUT, I usually adjust the shot manually by lowering the exposure, adding some contrast, and increasing the saturation. But doing so will lead to this result——
Obviously this picture doesn’t look right. It has a green wash on it and is what you would expect from Sony colors. Of course, this is because the F-Log footage is designed to be used with Fujifilm’s LUT, which (among other adjustments) adds some magenta to the image.
Here’s what the shot looks like after applying the Eterna LUT –
The image looks much better, but is still clearly overexposed. When it made a few stops, this is what we got –
To me, this image provides the perfect base level. Colors are completely neutral, color balance and contrast are just right, and even the highlight falloff looks stunning. Sometimes I like to use a Soft clip Makes overexposed highlights look less harsh/digital, but in this case Fuji’s LUT seems to be doing something similar automatically.
Normally if I were lighting an actual scene I wouldn’t have so many blown out areas in the frame (hair, windows, etc.) but in this case I actually wanted to push the camera/dynamic range to see what would happen . Knowing how the LUT works gives me the confidence to use it even in poor lighting conditions, even in running situations where I have less overall control.
Another thing I noticed is how well the base level works as a starting point for applying other creative LUTs. In Resolve, I experimented with several of my Movie LUTand they all worked perfectly into the shot. Here is an example, using my LUT summer box –
As I mentioned, in the future I will create a demo video with some before and after samples to really show off what F-Log and Eterna are capable of…but for now, if you are a Fuji user, I highly recommend checking out Capture some footage on your camera.
Fuji has provided the LUT for download here. Please note that when you download this folder, it actually contains 3 LUTs. One of them is an Eterna LUT and the other two are alternate translation LUTs you can use. Each of these 3 tools has its own merits, but I think most of you will want to go straight to the Eterna LUT as it’s the most plug-and-play option and looks incredible.
For those of you who are not Fuji camera enthusiasts, I encourage you to try the XH1 or XT2 for yourself and give Fuji a fresh look. I have no affiliation with them and have never been sponsored/endorsed by Fuji in any way, but I’m just a big fan of what they do… I would even consider shooting an entire feature with an F-Log/Eterna combo — I just love it so much.
If you do try the F-Log/Eterna combo, let me know what you think in the comments below.
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