Colour · 2012

PRO Neg. Std

The flattest colour profile Fujifilm makes.

Short answer

PRO Neg. Std is Fujifilm’s flattest colour simulation, based on Pro 160NS portrait film. Contrast and saturation are both low, and skin tones are treated very gently. It is built for studio light, where you supply the contrast yourself.

Based on: Fujicolor Pro 160NS professional portrait film
Type: Colour
Introduced: 2012
Cameras with this simulation: 50

PRO Neg. Std looks disappointing on the back of the camera and that is by design. It was made for photographers who light their own scenes and want the profile to stay out of the way, and it is the only Fujifilm colour look that genuinely goes flat.

Why it is so flat

In a lit studio, the light already carries the contrast. A profile that adds more takes away the control you paid for when you set up the lights. PRO Neg. Std keeps the tone curve almost straight and lets the lighting do the work.

Skin gets the most attention. Reds are held down so cheeks and lips stay natural, and the transition from lit skin into shadow is long and smooth. On a face with a soft key light, nothing else in the lineup renders as cleanly.

Using it outside a studio

In harsh sun, PRO Neg. Std is genuinely useful — it is the simulation with the most headroom, so a white shirt in direct light keeps its texture.

In flat outdoor light it is the wrong tool. Grey day plus flat profile equals a grey picture. Push Highlight +1 and Shadow +1 if you must shoot it, or switch to ASTIA, which is soft on skin but not flat.

Std or Hi?

PRO Neg. Hi is the same colour treatment with a firmer tone curve. If you light your own scenes, start with Std. If you shoot people in available light and want the same kind skin rendering with usable contrast, Hi is the one you want.