How to make your digital images appear they were taken on film – Lightroom

Film images have become rustic and vintage, however, they’re extremely expensive and unpredictable. So, we have an option that might solve both of these issues. All it involves is Lightroom presets.

Retro has become the new normal. Everyone is finding different ways to play by old school rules and tweak their modern day get up into something vintage and different. This is where Polaroid and film photos made a comeback. With younger generations being taken in by the cool light effects these cameras so effortlessly capture.

Well, that’s what they believe anyway. However, the actual photographing isn’t so easy. In fact, capturing a good image on a Polaroid or film camera is extremely challenging because there is so much you simply can’t control. While you can play around with the minimal settings these cameras offer, you don’t have a preview option like you do on digital cameras.

You can look through the viewfinder and snap away, but that’s it. There is no viewing your images back and deleting the ones that are simply wasting space on your device. In fact, you can’t view these images until they have been developed, which can take some time. Film is so expensive, and you only get a certain amount of shots.

Shoot on digital, turn into film

So, what’s the next best option? Well, shooting on digital but editing the photos to make them appear they were captured on film is a good option. But, the problem with this is, unless you know the tones, balances and other settings, you might struggle to make your modern day images appear vintage. Unless, of course, someone does the work for you.

We’re not suggesting hiring a photo editor. Even easier than that, you can upload the photo yourself to Lightroom and overlay a preset. The clue is in the name on this one. A preset is a set of instructions that have already been sequenced. All you need to do is add it to your image and watch the step-by-step editing process unfold before you.

Before you know it, you’ll have a film style image. We’ve added 4 different film style presets. If you’re looking for the Polaroid effect, we have that ready to go. Likewise, we can offer you a moody, more tonal photo. Once you’ve purchased the pack, you will have these 4 preset packs downloaded. From there, you can use them on any image you like.

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