How can I create an old vintage film look using basic editing controls?
Asked 5/26/2013
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2 answers
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I want to give my photos an old vintage/film-like look without using one-click preset software. I mainly use Aperture, but advice that also applies to Lightroom or similar editors is fine. What basic adjustments should I make to get this look manually?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
6
You will need to introduce noise, selectively desaturate come colors, decrease contrast, lighten the black point and possibly selectively shift hues on some colors. Reducing the color depth may also help achieve a vintage look.
In general, the "vintage" look comes from the fact that older films lacked the sensitivity and color accuracy of more modern films and digital sensors. If you want something really accurate to vintage looks, researching the specific color characteristics of a particular film and paper/development process combination would be the best way to apply a similar transformation to a high quality original.
As an example, in the image you presented, blue maintains normal saturation while most other colors are desaturated pretty heavily. Black is also a medium grey with a purple tint. Green is particularly desaturated.
Also, it is worth pointing out that a good way to figure out what needs to be done with a particular photo is to try figuring out how to make it look more current and then reverse the process, though you will never get an old photo to look current without making up some information normally because of the fact that information is lost in the low quality original.
Originally by user11392. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11392
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—this can usually be done with basic tools. A vintage look often comes from characteristics of older film and printing processes: lower color accuracy, softer contrast, faded blacks, and visible texture.
Try a combination of these adjustments:
- lower overall saturation, or selectively desaturate some colors more than others
- reduce contrast
- raise the black point so blacks become dark gray instead of deep black
- use curves to soften shadows/highlights and compress tonal range
- add grain/noise for an aged film texture
- slightly shift some hues, or use a subtle gradient map/overlay for color tinting
- optionally reduce perceived color depth for a less modern, cleaner look
A common vintage treatment is to keep some colors stronger than others—for example, blues may stay more saturated while many other colors fade.
In general, vintage style is a mix of tone, color, and texture. If you want a more authentic result, study the look of a specific film stock or print process and imitate its color response rather than just applying global desaturation.
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