Colour · 2011

Velvia / VIVID

Deep greens, hot reds and no apologies.

Short answer

Velvia is Fujifilm’s high-saturation, high-contrast look, modelled on Velvia 50 slide film. Greens go deep, reds go hot and shadows go dense. It is superb for landscapes and autumn colour, and usually wrong for portraits.

Based on: Fujichrome Velvia 50
Type: Colour
Introduced: 2011
Cameras with this simulation: 51

Velvia 50 was the film landscape photographers argued about for twenty years. It made forests greener than forests and sunsets more orange than sunsets, and people either loved it or called it a lie. Fujifilm’s digital version keeps that character intact, including the parts that get you in trouble.

What Velvia does to a scene

Two things happen at once. Saturation climbs steeply, with greens and reds moving furthest. And contrast tightens, so shadows drop toward black much faster than in PROVIA.

That combination is why Velvia looks so good on a forest in October and so bad on a face. Skin has red in it. When Velvia pushes red, skin goes ruddy and blotchy, and the extra contrast digs shadows into the eye sockets. The same processing that makes a maple leaf glow makes a portrait look sunburnt.

Where it earns its place

Velvia is at its best when the subject has colour but the light is flat. An overcast day in a green valley, a misty morning over water, wet stone after rain — scenes where the eye sees more colour than the sensor records. Velvia gives it back.

It is also the fastest way to save a scene shot in the middle of a dull winter afternoon. Where PROVIA gives you an accurate grey day, Velvia gives you a photograph.

How to tame it

Straight out of the box Velvia often clips. Set Highlight −1 and Shadow −1 and it becomes usable in bright sun instead of blowing skies and blocking shadows.

If you like the colour but not the crunch, drop Colour to −1 and leave the tone curve alone. That is a very different picture from turning contrast down: you keep Velvia’s shape and lose only its shout.

In harsh midday sun, do not use Velvia at all. It has no headroom left to give.

Suggested starting settings

Highlight	-1
Shadow	-1
Colour	0
Sharpness	-1
Grain	Off
White balance	Daylight

Common questions

Can I use Velvia for portraits?

Only deliberately. It reddens skin and hardens shadows. If you want saturated colour with usable faces, PROVIA with Colour +2 gets you most of the way with none of the damage.

Why does Velvia look worse on sunny days?

Because contrast is already high in the scene, and Velvia adds more. It shines in flat light, where there is contrast missing to add back.