Vintage pictures have a very distinct and unique look that makes them stand out. The soft colors, faded edges, film grain, small scratches and all other imperfections add to their style – and take people back to a very different time.
Nowadays that style is more popular than ever, due to how unique it is and the nostalgic impact it can have. In fact there are several ways that you can make your own photos look vintage – quickly and easily.
Edit the Photo Using PhotoWorks on a Computer
As you can imagine you could edit your photo to mimic the vintage effect using various editors, but in most cases it requires many complicated steps. That isn’t why you should use PhotoWorks instead, and take advantage of its much easier approach.
All that you need to do to learn how to make pictures look vintage using PhotoWorks is apply one of its instant photo filters. The filters can be found under the Effects tab of the editor, and by selecting the ‘Vintage effects’ option in the dropdown list.
Within that section you’ll find numerous vintage filters in different styles. Some may be black and white, sepia, faded, scratched, stained, or have a range of other characteristics. Each is unique, and will mimic various types of vintage pictures.
Before you decide which filter to use, you should preview each effect by clicking on it. That will let you see how your picture will look once it is applied, and will allow you to adjust the strength of the effect using the slider that will appear.
After you’ve settle on the filter that you feel looks best, you just need to hit Apply and save your new vintage picture.
The only difficulty that you may have is that some photos can start to look too dark once vintage filters are applied to them. If you find that is the case, you should use the auto correction tool in PhotoWorks’ Enhancement tab to fix the light and color balance.
As you can see making vintage pictures using PhotoWorks is really a walk in the park however, and you won’t need any more than a few minutes to turn back the clock on any of your photos.
Create Vintage Pictures Using Mobile Apps
Another relatively easy option that you may prefer is to use mobile apps to create vintage pictures. If you tend to snap photos using your mobile phone the right app will let you immediately make it look vintage without having to transfer it over to your computer.
While there are many different mobile apps that you can choose from, some of the best at creating vintage pictures are:
- A Color Story has hundreds of filters that you can apply with a single tap, and many vintage effects. It is known for the quality of its filters – some of which will need to be purchased, or obtained with the yearly membership.
- VSCO Cam is one of the more popular apps due to how user-friendly it is and its range of filters and tools. It has numerous vintage presets, and some will need to be purchased individually or as part of its membership.
- Huji Cam is designed specifically to make photos feel as if they were taken in 1998 – which isn’t quite vintage, but is definitely retro. It is simple, easy, but will require in-app purchases to access some features.
- 1967 is an app with hundreds of retro filters and effects that will give your photos a distinctive 1967-vibe. It requires in-app purchases to access its full collection of effects, but some are available for free.
- Gudak mimics the style and feel of photographing using a disposable Kodak camera to snap shots. It has a wide range of themes that can make your photos look retro or vintage, and is well worth the dollar that it costs.
- Analog Cam Okinawa is a powerful app with numerous professional designed filters – some that mimic the look of photos from various locations. In-app purchases are required for some filters and to remove the watermark.
Conclusion
The options described above should give you lots of ways to make stylish vintage pictures. While mobile apps are convenient they have fewer styles than PhotoWorks, and will give you less control overall too.
It boils down to a question of personal preference – and it doesn’t hurt to try different options to see which fits best.