Amber Dusk: A Fujifilm X100V Film Recipe (In-Camera JPEG + Lightroom/RAW Guide)

Edward Leung
Jul 27
3 min read

A mesmerizing transformation using the "Amber Dusk" filter on a Fujifilm X100V, enhancing the vibrant purple hues of misty nightscapes.

Before and After: The "Amber Dusk" preset on the Fujifilm X100V transforms an evening street scene into a moodier, contrasting image with deeper shadows and a more dramatic ambiance.

Side-by-side comparison of a cityscape before and after applying the "Amber Dusk" filter with a Fujifilm X100V, highlighting the enhanced contrast and moodiness in the edited version.

The Recipe

Three frames from a March 2024 Japan trip, a steaming hot-spring field glowing purple-blue at night, a lamplit backstreet crossing at dusk, and an overcast river town under late-winter snow. This recipe chases a cinematic teal-and-amber look built for city lights and blue hour: cool, gently deepened shadows against warm, glowing highlights, with a filmic grain structure layered on top.

Fujifilm X100V Film Recipe

Setting	Value	Notes
Film Simulation	Eterna Bleach Bypass	High-contrast, desaturated cinematic base, the closest built-in match to a teal/orange bleach-bypass grade.
Dynamic Range	DR200	Enough highlight headroom for glowing windows/signage without flattening the shadows.
Highlight Tone	+1	Keeps lit windows and signage crisp rather than glowing soft.
Shadow Tone	+2	Deepens the shadows for a moodier, more cinematic look.
Color	+1	A small push back against Eterna Bleach Bypass's baseline desaturation.
Sharpness	0	Neutral — cinematic but not soft.
Noise Reduction	-2	Light touch, lets natural grain/texture show at higher ISOs.
Grain Effect	Strong, Large	Heavier, more visible grain — sells the cinematic night-street mood.
Color Chrome Effect	Strong	Deepens saturated ambers (streetlights, signage) without blowing them out.
Color Chrome FX Blue	Strong	Enriches the blue/teal dusk sky and cool shadow tones.
White Balance	Auto, R -3 / B +4	Pushes the overall cast cooler/bluer, so the warm practical lights read as genuine contrast.
ISO	Auto (160-6400)	Low light scene — expect the upper end of the range to get used.
Exposure Comp.	-2/3 to -1	Underexpose to protect the bright highlights and deepen the shadows.

Lightroom / RAW Equivalent

Setting	Value	Notes
Profile	Adobe Color	Neutral starting point for further adjustment.
Exposure	-0.25	Mild underexposure — kept light so genuinely dark night frames don't collapse to near-black.
Contrast	+20	Cinematic punch without flattening shadow detail.
Highlights	-30	Protects glowing windows/signage from clipping.
Shadows	-10	A gentle crush — deepens the mood while keeping silhouettes readable.
Whites	+5	Keeps the brightest highlight points crisp.
Blacks	-10	Reinforces the crushed-shadow look without eating fine detail.
Temperature	-5	Cooler overall cast.
Tint	+3	Slight magenta to keep the cool cast from reading green.
Vibrance	+10	Pushes the teal/amber color separation.
Saturation	-8	Slight overall desaturation for the bleach-bypass cinematic feel.
Clarity	+15	Extra edge contrast/punch.
Dehaze	+8	Cuts through ambient city haze and deepens the sky.
Vignette	-20	Stronger, more cinematic frame darkening than a daylight recipe.

Tone Curve

A cinematic S-curve: darks pulled down for contrast, mid-lights nudged up for punch, and highlights held just below linear near the top to protect bright practical lights from clipping.

HSL / Color Mixer

Red Hue 0, Saturation -5. Orange Hue +5, Saturation +15, Luminance +5 (warm streetlight glow). Yellow Hue +5, Saturation +10. Green Hue -10, Saturation -20 (suppresses a sickly city-light green cast). Aqua Hue -10, Saturation +15. Blue Hue -5, Saturation +20, Luminance -10 (deepens the teal dusk sky/shadows). Purple Hue 0, Saturation -10. Magenta Hue 0, Saturation -5.

Split Toning

Shadows: Hue 200, Saturation 15 (cool teal-blue). Highlights: Hue 40, Saturation 10 (warm amber). Balance -10, favoring the shadow tint slightly.

Detail

Sharpening: Amount 45, Radius 1.0, Detail 30, Masking 10. Noise Reduction — Luminance 15, Detail 50, Contrast 10, Color 30, Color Detail 50, Smoothness 50.

Calibration

Red Primary: Hue 0, Saturation +5. Green Primary — Hue -10, Saturation -5. Blue Primary — Hue +5, Saturation +10.

These settings aim to reproduce a cinematic teal-and-amber city-at-dusk aesthetic — deepened, silhouette-friendly shadows, glowing warm practical lights, and a cool blue-hour sky — as a starting point for further creative adjustment. A downloadable Lightroom .xmp preset for this recipe is on its way — check back soon, or see the Amber Dusk write-up in the after55ed archive.