Colour · 2020

ETERNA Bleach Bypass

Silver, steel and almost no colour.

Short answer

ETERNA Bleach Bypass mimics the darkroom process of skipping the bleach step, which leaves silver on the negative. The result is very high contrast with almost no saturation — metallic, harsh and unmistakable.

Based on: The bleach bypass darkroom process
Type: Colour
Introduced: 2020
Cameras with this simulation: 18

Bleach bypass was a lab technique used on films like Saving Private Ryan and Se7en to strip colour out while hardening contrast. Fujifilm built it into the X-T4 in 2020, and it is the most extreme simulation the company makes.

What it does

Colour drops close to grey but never disappears, so faces keep a trace of warmth and a red sign keeps a hint of red. Contrast climbs steeply, with the shadows going almost black and the highlights holding a metallic sheen.

The combination reads as industrial. Concrete, rain, machinery, wet roads and winter cities look extraordinary. Anything soft, pretty or warm looks wrong.

Making it usable

Out of the box it clips constantly. Highlight −2, Shadow −1 is close to mandatory. Push Colour to +2 to keep a hint of life in skin, otherwise portraits look embalmed.

Grain suits it. Strong, Small emphasises the silver quality without softening the edges.

When to reach for it

Flat overcast light in a city. Industrial subjects. Rain on tarmac at night. Anything where you would otherwise shoot black and white but want a trace of colour left in the frame.

Do not use it for people in warm light, food, nature in spring, or anything you want to feel welcoming.

Suggested starting settings

Highlight	-2
Shadow	-1
Colour	+2
Sharpness	0
Grain	Strong, Small
White balance	Auto

Common questions

Is Bleach Bypass just black and white with a bit of colour?

Close, but the contrast curve is different from ACROS. It holds highlights harder and drops shadows faster, which is what gives it the metallic quality.

Which cameras have it?

X-T4 and everything after, plus the GFX 100 series. Earlier bodies do not have it and cannot get it via firmware.