Fujifilm Velvia Film Simulation on Sony Cameras | Freshly Baked Series

Feb 20, 2023
4 min read

velvia on sony cameras — *Velvia Sony Film Simulation*

Fuji's color science has a certain magic to it. And if you’ve ever shot with the Fuji Velvia film simulation, you know exactly what I mean. It’s rich, punchy, saturated in all the right places, and somehow manages to turn an ordinary scene into something that looks straight out of a postcard or magazine. So when many of you asked me to create a Velvia film simulation for Sony cameras a couple of years ago, I knew I had to do it.

I ran side-by-side tests against Fuji’s own Velvia mode, tweaking until I got as close as possible. And the result? Around 90–95% accuracy, straight out of camera.

If you’re shooting on a Sony A7III, A7C, FX30, or pretty much any recent mirrorless body, you don’t need to jump ship to a Fujifilm camera to get it. You just need to know how to set up your camera.

Table of Contents

What Makes Velvia Special?
Film vs Digital Velvia
Velvia Sony Creative Look Settings
A Caveat
Velvia Film Recipe – Sony vs Fuji Colors Comparison
Sony Velvia JPEG Samples
Try the 8 free film simulations

What makes Velvia special?

Fujifilm Velvia, first introduced in 1990, is one of those films that built a reputation fast. It’s a slide film loved for its vivid colors, deep contrast, and insane sharpness, especially in landscapes and nature photography.

Velvia's blues are rich, reds are bold, and greens are lush. It’s not a subtle, neutral look, but one that makes any scene pop. This film stock was super loved for its fine grain and color palette, and it remains an iconic film to this day. You can see that in the way people try to get that Velvia look with film recipes, LUTs, or presets.

Film vs Digital Velvia Film Simulation Recipe

Here’s the thing: no digital simulation is going to perfectly copy Velvia film, and that’s okay.

When Fujifilm designed their most popular film simulations, they didn’t copy every imperfection, color shift, or quirk of the original stocks. They created an idealized version instead. My recipes work the same way.

Take Velvia, for example. A digital Velvia simulation won’t match the real slide film exactly. Instead, it delivers a cleaner, more polished, and often more vibrant take—capturing Velvia’s bold blues, reds, and greens without the grain or unpredictability of the original.

Velvia Sony Creative Look Settings

Here is a simple Creative Look recipe if you don''t want to get into the Picture Profile menu. But it won't be as accurate in color and look.

I do prefer the PP menu, as it gives me more control over the final recipe. But if you want some quick settings to get you there, Creative Look is your go-to.

1. Set Creative Style to ‘Vivid’

It’s the closest built-in profile to Velvia.

2. Adjust In-Camera Settings

Contrast +3

Highlights +2

Shadows -8

Fade 0

Saturation +2

Sharpness 0

Sharpness range 1

Clarity 0

Temperature AWB:White Priority

Color Filter A1-M0.5

To get the original recipe, explore the full PDF pack!

A Caveat

If you're looking for some quick settings that will get you close to Velvia, Creative looks are a great place to start.

But if you want to go further, whether to refine color accuracy, control tonal roll-off, or push a creative aesthetic, the Picture Profile menu is where Sony really shines. These settings unlock advanced color controls.

With the right Picture Profile setup, you can get JPEGs that look exactly how you want straight out of camera, or create a rich color foundation for post-production.

Velvia film recipe - Sony vs Fuji Colors Comparison

Now, let's see how the Sony Picture Profile recipe compares to Fuji's base simulation.

Here are the results.

P.S - learning how to use a color checker in real-life situations is super crucial if you want to compare film simulations recipes or if you want to compare how different cameras perform in the same situation.

There are slight differences, of course, but they’re minimal. Especially considering these shots are straight out of camera with no post-processing. I created this using Sony’s Picture Profile menu, which makes it pretty impressive that we can get such a film-like look using only the tools built into the camera.

It’s also worth remembering that even different Fujifilm cameras produce slightly different results due to variations in sensors and color science. That’s why chasing a perfect match isn’t the goal. Film simulations are about enjoying the process and getting beautiful colors straight out of camera.

If you want it easy, You can use the free recipe, or if you want precision, you can get the full pack of film simulations down below.

Sony Film Simulation Recipes -PDF

Buy Now