X-Trans V · X-Trans IV
Soft Window Light
One window, one person, nothing else needed.
Short answer
This ASTIA recipe warms skin with an R +2 / B −2 shift, softens edges with Clarity −1 and Sharpness −1, and protects highlights with DR100 plus Highlight −1. It is built for one person lit by a window.
Camera settings
| Film simulation | ASTIA / Soft |
|---|---|
| Dynamic Range | DR100 |
| Highlight | -1 |
| Shadow | 0 |
| Colour | 0 |
| Colour Chrome Effect | Weak |
| White Balance | Auto |
| WB Shift | R +2 / B -2 |
| Sharpness | -1 |
| High ISO NR | -2 |
| Clarity | -1 |
| Grain Effect | Weak, Small |
| ISO | Auto up to 3200 |
| Exposure Compensation | +1/3 |
A window is the best light most people have and the hardest to expose for. One side of the face is bright, the other falls away fast, and most camera profiles make that gap worse. This recipe closes it.
Getting skin right
ASTIA already treats reds gently. The R +2 / B −2 shift adds warmth on top, which counters the cool cast that daylight through glass usually carries.
Colour Chrome Effect on Weak, not Strong, is deliberate. Strong deepens saturated colours, and on skin that pushes cheeks and lips further than you want.
Handling the falloff
Highlight −1 protects the lit side of the face, which is the part that clips first. Leaving Shadow at 0 keeps the unlit side soft rather than dropping it into black.
Expose +1/3 and place the subject so the window is at roughly 45 degrees. Straight on is flat, side on is dramatic, and 45 degrees is where a face looks like a face.
Works on
Common questions
Why cap ISO at 3200?
Portraits show noise in skin before anything else. Below 3200 the grain setting stays in charge of the texture.
Can I use PRO Neg. Hi instead?
Yes, and it is more neutral. Use ASTIA when you want warmth, PRO Neg. Hi when you want the person to look exactly as they are.
Owner reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to write one.
Last updated August 13, 2026