How do you create a vintage look? Here’s how the Vintage filter in Nik Color Efex does it

One of the ways to create a vintage look for color photographs is to use the color grading tools in most photo editors to shift and fade the colors to look ‘old’. You can use guesswork (or experience) but in Nik Color Efex there’s a Film Efex: Vintage filter that can give you a good head start but still lets you make your own adjustments. Here’s how it works.

You can also add a grain effect, vignettes, borders and even textures for an authentic vintage look, but let’s keep it simple for this example and stick to color shifts.

Here’s the before and after comparison. As ever, you do need to match the process to the subject, so I’ve chosen this painting in an antique gold frame lit by a warm toned lamp. The original image already has a rich, warm look but I think we can make it look older and more atmospheric.

How Nik Color Efex Filters work

1. Nik Color Efex offers both Presets and Filters in its left sidebar. Presets are pre-packaged combinations of different filter effects combined, while Filters are the basic building blocks. You can use Filters individually, and that’s what I’m doing here with the Vintage filter.
2. Alongside each Filter in the list, you’ll see a small disclosure arrow. If you click on this you’ll see a selection of pre-configured settings for that filter and how they will look on your image. This is a really quick way to get started. You just click on the thumbnail you like and the filter is added to the filter stack over in the right sidebar so that you can check and adjust the settings.
3. When you move the mouse over the Filter you want in the left sidebar you will see a ‘+’ button appear. When you click on this, the Filter is added to the filter stack in the right sidebar, in addition to any others you’ve already added. If you don’t click the ‘+’ button, the Filter will replace whatever Filter is currently active in the right sidebar. Just remember – click to replace, click ‘+’ to add.

The Film Efex: Vintage Filter settings

These are really straightforward, and you may not need to adjust all of them or even any of them. You don’t have to adjust them in any particular order. In fact, two of the most important – Film Type and Film Strength – are near the bottom!

• Saturation: this increases or reduces the intensity of the colors, just as you would expect
• Warmth: use this slider to give the colors in the photo a warmer or cooler look. I’ve pushed this right up to the maximum here, but it depends on the Film Type you choose (below)
• Vignette: vignette effects are a great way to add the appearance of age to a photo. Moving the slider to the right makes the edges of the picture lighter for a faded effect, while moving it to the left makes the edges darker and more intense
• Brightness: if the image is looking too dark or too bright you can use this slider to adjust it
• Grain per pixel: this slider appears in a lot of Nik film effect filters and it can be very confusing! To increase the appearance of grain, you actually have to move. the slider to the left.
• Film Strength: You use this slider to adjust the strength of the Film Type you choose using the pop-up menu below
• Film Type: This filter offers a whole selection of different ‘film types’ (read color shift/fade effects) via this drop-down menu. It’s always worth checking out alternative film types, even if you’ve already made some adjustments.
• Opacity: This adjusts the overall strength of the filter. It’s useful when you’ve got everything looking just how you want it but the overall effect is maybe just a little too strong. The opacity filter also becomes important once you start ‘stacking’ (combining) Nik Filters.

The Film Efex: Vintage Filter in Nik Color Efex does deliver a rich and evocative look for the right kind of photograph. You can’t make a modern street scene look ‘vintage’ because it will be full of modern vehicles, signs and passers-by, but if you have a timeless subject with nothing to date it, then it can work really well.

If you like this effect and you have the Nik Collection already, why not try it out? Alternatively, if you don’t have the Nik Collection, you can download a free trial which will give you plenty of time to check it out and see what else it can do – see the links below.

• DxO Nik Collection 8 review
• More Nik Collection news and tutorials
• Nik Collection free trial and DxO store