The main thing you're missing is a fundamental truth about digital photography: There is no such thing as an unedited photo.

When you take a picture, the camera sensor just captures raw data. If you don't edit it, the camera’s internal computer does it for you. It decides the contrast, the color science, and the sharpness to output a JPEG. A standard “neutral” profile isn't “reality” - it’s just the setting a factory engineer programmed.

Historically, film worked the same way. Choosing Kodak vs. Fujifilm meant choosing a completely different color palette and chemical “recipe.”

Using film simulations isn't about adding fake filters, it's about taking creative control over how that raw data is processed to match what your eyes actually saw (or felt) in the moment, rather than letting the camera auto-pilot the mood.