Colour · 2012

PRO Neg. Hi

Kind to skin, firm enough for real light.

Short answer

PRO Neg. Hi uses the same gentle skin treatment as PRO Neg. Std but with a firmer tone curve. It gives portraits shape in available light without reddening faces, which makes it the most reliable people simulation for uncontrolled conditions.

Based on: Fujicolor Pro professional portrait film
Type: Colour
Introduced: 2012
Cameras with this simulation: 50

If PRO Neg. Std is the studio profile, PRO Neg. Hi is the one you take outside. It keeps the careful handling of red that makes skin look right, then adds back the contrast that a room with one window will never provide.

What it does differently

Contrast rises in the midtones, which is exactly where a face lives. Shadows drop enough to give a jawline definition, and highlights hold on so a forehead in window light does not go blank.

Saturation is only slightly above Std, and reds stay under control. That is the whole trick: more shape, no more redness.

PRO Neg. Hi or ASTIA?

ASTIA is warmer and softer with more colour. PRO Neg. Hi is more neutral and slightly more contrasty, which reads as more serious.

For a sunny family afternoon, ASTIA. For a portrait session, a corporate headshot or anything where the person should look like themselves rather than flattered, PRO Neg. Hi.

Settings worth trying

Colour +1, Grain Weak/Small is enough to turn it into a finished JPEG look. Add Shadow −1 if you want something moodier for indoor available light.

Avoid heavy white balance shifts here. The reason to use this profile is its neutrality; tinting it away undoes the point.