Three Quick Ways to Add Faded Film to Your Photos
I love it when my photos look like they were shot on old film, distorting colors, suppressing blacks and even adding grain. Professional photographers are likely to roll their eyes, but the aesthetics of film are nostalgic. Here are some ways to easily give your photos the look of faded film.
In this video from photographer Mathieu Stern, we’ll learn three easy ways to boost black levels in Photoshop to make your photo look as if it were shot on film. The easiest way is to adjust the curves – just move the bottom left point slightly up and to the right and move the top right point a little down. This will raise the shades of black in your photo to create a faded look. (Use a curve adjustment layer if you want to adjust the degree of the effect.)
Another option is to create a solid color layer on top of the photo. Mathieu paints the layer gray (hex # 4B4B4B), sets the blending mode to lighter, and then lowers the opacity to about 20 percent.
For even more control over colors, you can use the Selective Color Layer. Choose black from the color drop-down list, decrease the black level a little, and then try adding some blue by increasing the cyan level and decreasing the yellow. I always add a shade of blue in the shadows; Not sure which movie is causing this, but it seems familiar.
That’s all there is to it. It only takes five seconds to reduce the black level, but you can spend hours fiddling with fine-tuning the color that will make you look like you shot on Kodachrome.