The Toolbox: Vintage Photo Effects
Vintage photo effects are you friend. Anyone who has ever used Instagram or Snapchat will tell you that these filters and effects are lifesavers! In general, how they work is that they soften the colors a bit so reds aren’t as red, and blues aren’t as blue. In addition to softening the colors in a photo, it will sometimes put a darker rim around the photo to really emphasize the beauty of the center frame. These effects highlight features and do a good job of hiding minor blemishes due to softening the harshness and light in a photo.
How To Use Vintage Photo Effects
The vintage photo effects are located in the second tab, in the second section labeled “Vintage”. While the best way to learn these effects is to use them and experiment for yourself, but here is a quick description of them. I’ll also run the effect over the same photo so you can get an idea, but keep in mind there are some customization options with each tool, so there are even more possibilities. First, the original:
The Anthony Effect makes colors a more dull, and matte. This filter is often used to make a photo look like an old memory.
The Jennifer Effect will make softly darken your borders. It will also increase the contrast making light spots lighter and dark spots darker.
The Susan Effect darkens borders, and makes colors more pastel.
The Henry Effect will darken your borders, and increase the saturation (especially the warm colors) on the colors in your photo.
The Robert Effect will adjust your colors and brightness and mix it with a minor sepia effect. This will hide minor flaws, and provide pleasurable lighting.
The Polaroid Film effect is intended to make your photo look like it was taken on a classic Polaroid camera, this generally meant intensifying cool colors.
The Michelle Effect hides minor flaws by adjusting colors and brightness.
The Daguerreotype Effect makes your photo appear as if it was taken by an old historical camera.
The William Effect softens your image and gives it a color tint.
The Lomo Effect recreates the feeling of a classic analog camera doing lomography. This is accomplished by brightening colors and darkening borders.
When To Use Vintage Photo Effects
There really isn’t a bad time to use vintage photo effects. However, you don’t want to use it as a replacement for taking quality photos! Think of them this way: they have the ability to make good photos better, but they can’t magically turn a bad photo great. Vintage photo effects are generally also most popular when being used for cityscapes, landscapes, portraits, selfies, and similar things.