Recently, the effect of the old photo in the pictures is gaining popularity among users of social networks. The cards processed in this way attract attention and receive the most “likes”, which account owners cannot but like.
You can create the effect of an old photo in several ways, which will be discussed in this article. In addition, the most popular programs for converting images in one click will be considered.
What is the effect of an old photo
In the early 60's, people had the opportunity to take only black and white photos. Such a service was usually carried out in photo shops, since in our country at that time there were not enough cameras on sale. After a decade and a half, color photos appeared, which were also taken only by professionals. True, at this time it was already possible to buy your own camera without any problems. The pictures that were obtained using this technique pleased all shades of black and gray on a white background. Then came the improved apparatuses, which the people nicknamed "soap dishes." With their help, color photos were obtained.
Over time, color photography began to gain new momentum. Cameras capable of making high-quality and resolution cards began to appear. Now they have been replaced by professional SLR cameras, capable of accurately transmitting the picture that the human eye sees.
However, fashion dictates its own rules. People gradually began to “move away” from professional shots, preferring retro-style photos. Since it is now almost impossible to purchase a camera from the 60s, the effect of the old photograph in the pictures is achieved by other methods.
Vintage Photo Apps
Currently, you can find many special programs that have in their arsenal the filter "the effect of the old photo." Most of them are no different in functionality, so the average user is quite enough for several of these programs on the phone to create a photo in retro style. The list of the best software with the film effect includes:
- Afterlight - here you can find various "scuffs" that will give the effect of an old photo with scratches (Dusty section).
- Nebi - a simplified analogue of the Afterligth program with a large number of filters, grain, glare and "highlights".
- HUJI is perhaps the best photo editor with the effect of an old photo. In the free version, you need to take pictures immediately in the application, then the filters will be applied to them randomly. However, this is not a problem at all, since each time the program creates an excellent effect of an old photo with a date.
- Kudak PRO - Suitable for owners of iOS devices. Takes pictures that are externally as close as possible to film ones. In addition, this program has one fun feature - the Kudak PRO gallery. It imitates a “film” with a limited number of frames, which, at the end of shooting, needs to be “twisted”.
The applications listed above will be enough to make a stylish vintage photo on your smartphone. However, it often happens that "age" requires pictures from a professional apparatus. In this case, the user will help a faithful and trusted "friend" - Photoshop.
How to make a retro photo on Photoshop
To give photos a vintage look using Adobe Photoshop, you need to use high-quality textures with scratches and damage. As the main subject in the picture, it is best to choose some old object to make the photo look even more realistic. For example, it can be a road bridge built in the 60s. In this case, it will be necessary to "crop" all modern objects from the photo - cars, signs, people in clothing of the 21st century.
After that, you need to select the desired texture and paste it into the photo. To do this, use the Multiply mode. Using the Free Transform tool, you need to reduce the size of the texture and place it above the photo, and then save the changes.
In the same way, you can apply another layer of texture to the photo, if necessary, reduce its "opacity". If the original photo looks too sharp, you need to blur all the images a little.
Create vintage photos with Lightroom
Lightroom is another popular photo-processing application among photographers, which allows you to achieve the effect of a film on a photo. You can turn any photo into a frame from a movie in three simple steps.
First you need to make a dark gray background from black, which is characteristic of all the pictures of that time. To do this, you need to work with the Curves tool. Having chosen the point display of the curves, you need to drag the black point (located at the very bottom) a little higher. After that, all the black colors in the photo instantly acquire a dark gray hue.
Then the same manipulation must be repeated with the point responsible for the white color (located at the very top). It needs to be dragged a little lower. So all the white objects in the photo will become light gray.
After that, you need to work with color in the Hue, Saturation and Luminance section. It is recommended to lower the value of blue, preferring green. Also, a vintage effect is achieved by using yellow and purple colors. The graininess in the photo is another important element that gives the old look. The grain size can be changed in the Develop module by selecting the Effects panel section and the Adding grain subsection.
Polaroid cameras
Very popular among fans of vintage photos are special applications on the phone that mimic the legendary retro cameras - Polaroid. These include:
- InstaMini.
- InstaSweet.
- 8 mm.
- Huji Cam.
- POLY.
- VHS.
All these programs boast a fairly realistic design and a wide selection of vintage filters. However, it’s almost impossible to single out the best of many applications, since they are all good in their own way. Therefore, the choice of which software to use to create high-quality photos falls entirely on the shoulders of the Internet user.
Tips from experienced photographers
Professionals know how to make the effect of an old photograph so that the pictures look natural and unobtrusive. Beginners often overdo it with filters, glare and grain in the photo, thereby moving it away from the desired "ideal."
Experienced photographers advise you not to be afraid to follow your own intuition when processing images. Indeed, almost every instruction on the network, as a rule, is attached to a specific photo, so substituting it with absolutely any picture will not work.
Where to begin
It is important to learn how to “feel” the frame, how to work with light, shades, and how to properly apply filters. Then all the photos will look really high-quality and natural. To achieve this result, it will take a lot of practice, experimentation, the study of similar works and attempts to reproduce them.
You can start learning from ordinary photos stored on your phone, try to process them using different programs, apply and adjust filters, change additional settings. When it starts to work out, it's worth starting a more professional photo processing, for example, using Photoshop and Lightroom.