How To Make Your Photos and Film Look More Vintage

Retro photography and film are specific looks that many young artists strive to capture and replicate. Even with a plethora of modern technology at our disposal, you can still easily tweak your photos or film to look older while maintaining quality and clarity. If you’re an aspiring creator looking to bring a different era to your work, check out these tips for how to make your photos and film look more vintage.

Use Less Saturation and Contrast

The key to vintage-looking photos or film is the lack of color saturation and contrast. As a result, older pictures and movies were more “washed,” only showing faint colors and hues. Additionally, a lower contrast meant fewer defined edges that became blurred or faded.

Over time, film of this nature would chemically change, leaving a distinctly yellow tint. You can accomplish all of these effects with editing software, apps, or even with how you capture your subjects. Use real vintage images and films as inspiration before creating your own masterpieces.

Add More Noise

“Noise” describes the graininess of old photos and film, which directly resulted from less-advanced technology. There are a few simple ways to add noise to your pictures or movies, even with better gear. Most simply, Photoshop and programs similar to it provide grainy filter options that capture the vintage look exceptionally well—film editing software does the same for movie projects.

For low light photography, raise your camera’s ISO, making your film more sensitive to light and better at capturing noise and grain.

Use Vintage Gear

Ultimately, vintage gear is the most “natural” way to capture vintage pictures and movies. Many companies offer smart, affordable Polaroid cameras that are perfect for forever capturing a fun moment—you can even post these to social media with a creative assortment of many prints, making for a unique and exciting image.

Old film cameras are great for capturing short, art-heavy vintage movies without needing editing effects and programs. Thanks to technology that converts slides to digital files, you can easily upload these clips or keep them on your computer.

Conclusion

Knowing how to make your photos and film look more vintage is a great way to broaden your artistic abilities and portfolio. Additionally, the retro style is perfect for a small film project, engagement photo announcement, or an interesting post on social media. Ultimately, find the method that works best for you, and in no time, you’ll be creating genuine masterpieces.

Related: