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KodakISO 400Film Stock Library

Kodak Portra 400 Fujifilm Recipes.

Kodak Portra 400 was introduced by Kodak in 1998 and reformulated in 2010, making it the single most-emulated film stock in the Fujifilm community. Several distinct 'Portra 400' recipes are in active use, including Reggie Ballesteros's 'Reggie's Portra', three sensor-tuned versions for X-Trans III, IV and V, and an adapted X-Trans I version by Piotr Skrzypek. This page lists all of them with verified settings, names which sensor each works on, shows sample renderings, and tells you which one to pick for your specific camera and lighting.

TL;DR, best recipe by camera

Best Portra 400 recipe by camera: X100VI / X-T5 / X-T50 → Reggie's Portra (works on V with Color Chrome FX Blue at Off, optional); X100V / X-T4 / X-E4 → Reggie's Portra; X-T3 / X-T30 → Kodak Portra 400 (X-T3/X-T30 version); X-Trans III bodies → original Kodak Portra 400 with custom WB; X-Trans II → adapted X-T1 version.

5 recipes

Every Kodak Portra 400 recipe.

Verified settings, named creator, sensor compatibility. Send-to-camera coming soon.

Reggie's Portra

2022

by Reggie Ballesteros

X-Trans IVX-Trans IV (Proc 5)X-Trans VGFX (modern)
Film Simulation
Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range
DR-Auto
Highlight
-1
Shadow
-1
Color
+2
Noise Reduction
-4
Sharpening
-2
Clarity
0
Grain Effect
Weak, Small
Color Chrome Effect
Strong
Color Chrome FX Blue
Weak (X-Trans IV) / Off (X-Trans V, optional)
White Balance
Auto, +2 Red & -4 Blue
ISO
Auto, up to ISO 6400
Exposure Compensation
+1/3 to +1 (typically)

One of the most-loaded recipes across X-Trans IV and V. Reggie shoots his own recipe with a Moment CineBloom 5% diffusion filter in lieu of Clarity.

Kodak Portra 400 v2 (X-Trans V)

2022

by Ritchie Roesch

X-Trans VX-Trans IV (Proc 5)GFX (modern)
Film Simulation
Classic Chrome
Color Chrome FX Blue
Off (vs Weak on IV)
Dynamic Range
DR-Auto
Highlight
-1
Shadow
-2
Color
+2
Noise Reduction
-4
Sharpening
-2
Clarity
-2
Grain Effect
Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect
Strong
White Balance
Daylight, +3R / -5B
ISO
Auto up to 6400
Exposure Compensation
+1/3 to +1

Kodak Portra 400 (original X-Trans IV)

2020

by Ritchie Roesch

X-Trans IV
Film Simulation
Classic Chrome
Color Chrome FX Blue
Weak
Dynamic Range
DR-Auto
Highlight
-1
Shadow
-2
Color
+2
Noise Reduction
-4
Sharpening
-2
Clarity
-2
Grain Effect
Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect
Strong
White Balance
Daylight, +3R / -5B

Kodak Portra 400 Warm (X-Trans IV)

2021

by Ritchie Roesch

X-Trans IVX-Trans IV (Proc 5)X-Trans V
Film Simulation
Classic Chrome
Dynamic Range
DR400
Highlight
-1
Shadow
-2
Color
+2
Noise Reduction
-4
Sharpening
-2
Clarity
-2
Grain Effect
Strong, Small
Color Chrome Effect
Strong
Color Chrome FX Blue
Off
White Balance
5500K, +0R / -7B
ISO
Auto up to 6400
Exposure Compensation
+2/3 to +1⅓

Kodak Portra 400 (X-Trans I)

2021

by Piotr Skrzypek

X-Trans I
Film Simulation
Provia (Classic Chrome unavailable on X-Trans I)
White Balance
Kelvin 6700K (drop to 6300K at golden hour)
Highlight Tone
-1
Shadow Tone
-2
Color
+1
Sharpening
-2

Piotr Skrzypek's adapted version for X-Pro1, X-E1 and X-M1. Classic Chrome was not available on X-Trans I bodies, the recipe approximates the look via WB and tone curves on Provia.

The real film

What Kodak Portra 400 actually is.

Kodak Portra 400 launched in 1998 alongside Portra 160 and 800 in the original NC (Natural Colour) and VC (Vivid Colour) variants. Kodak merged the NC/VC split in 2010 and re-engineered the emulsion around T-Grain technology and Kodak's Vision3 motion-picture colour science. The film is calibrated explicitly for skin-tone fidelity, with a famously wide exposure latitude (+3/-2 stops). Portra 400 is the single most-emulated colour-negative stock in digital photography, partly because of its ubiquity in wedding and editorial work, and partly because its low-contrast, warm-shadow colour science maps cleanly onto Classic Chrome, the closest in-camera Fujifilm simulation.

Per-sensor pick

Kodak Portra 400 recipe by camera.

Sensor generation first, then the recipe variant best calibrated for it.

SensorRecommendation
X-Trans VReggie's Portra (CCFX Blue at Off, optional)
X-Trans IV (Proc 5)Treat as V, Reggie's Portra with CCFX Blue Off (X-S20, X-M5, X-T30 III)
X-Trans IVReggie's Portra (CCFX Blue Weak)
X-Trans IIIOriginal Kodak Portra 400 with custom WB (no Classic Negative, no CCFX Blue)
X-Trans IIAdapted X-T1 version, Classic Chrome on bodies that have it (X100T, X70), Provia elsewhere
X-Trans IPiotr Skrzypek's X-Pro1 version on Provia
GFX (modern)Reggie's Portra (treat as V); GFX100 II / 100S II / 100RF render closest
GFX (legacy)Reggie's Portra + Shadow +0.5 on GFX50S II
Adjacent stocks

Kodak Portra 400 vs the family.

  • Portra 160

    Finer grain, lower saturation. Drop grain to Weak/Small and pull Color by one stop from any Portra 400 recipe.

  • Portra 800

    Narrower latitude, stronger contrast. The most popular Portra 800 emulations lean Classic Negative rather than Classic Chrome.

  • Kodak Pro 400

    The most popular Kodak Pro 400 emulation uses Reala Ace, not Classic Chrome, and is treated as a separate look rather than a Portra 400 update.

  • Fujicolor PRO 400H

    Fujifilm's discontinued competitor, greener cast, more pastel highlights. No clean in-camera match.

Shooting tips

How to shoot like Kodak Portra 400.

  1. 01

    Overexpose by +⅓ to +1 stop, Portra is famously forgiving of overexposure and disasters in underexposure.

  2. 02

    Meter for shadows, let highlights run. Modern Fuji DR-Auto will protect against most clipping.

  3. 03

    Pair with a diffusion filter (Tiffen Black Pro-Mist 1/8 or Moment CineBloom 5%), Reggie shoots his Portra recipe with a CineBloom and drops Clarity to 0.

  4. 04

    Avoid harsh midday sun. Portra was calibrated for soft natural light and tungsten; direct overhead sun crushes the warm-shadow signature.

  5. 05

    Pair with the Fujinon 23mm or 35mm f/1.4, both produce the slight rendering softness Portra emulations rely on.

FAQ

Kodak Portra 400 FAQ.

Three reasons. First, Portra 400 is the most popular colour-negative film ever sold, so demand is high. Second, the film was reformulated in 2010, so emulating 'Portra 400' depends on which version you mean. Third, every new Fujifilm sensor generation renders Classic Chrome slightly differently, so each generation tends to get its own dedicated version.

Reggie's Portra is the community consensus. Created by Reggie Ballesteros in 2022, it remains one of the most-loaded recipes year after year. It's calibrated for the post-2010 Portra 400 emulsion under daylight.

Not as-written, the X-T3 and X-T30 are X-Trans IV bodies released before Color Chrome FX Blue, Clarity and Grain Size were added. Use the dedicated 'Kodak Portra 400 (X-T3/X-T30 version)' instead, which skips those parameters.

It is not designed for it, Portra 400 was calibrated for portraits, so greens render slightly muted and skies stay neutral rather than dramatic. For landscape on the same Classic Chrome base, switch to a Kodachrome 64 recipe instead.

Yes, up to ISO 6400 most of these recipes hold up. Above that the warm-shadow signature collapses into noise. Switch to a Cinestill 800T recipe for genuine low-light work.

Look for side-by-side photographer comparisons on social media (Reddit's r/fujifilm and Instagram are the most active places). Real Portra is denser in the shadows; the Fuji emulations lift them slightly.

Related

Related Fujifilm tools.