How I Edit My Smartphone Photos to Achieve a Film Camera Look

Film is my favorite photo editing style, and while I typically use files from my mirrorless camera, it’s also possible to create these kinds of edits with your smartphone photos. Here’s how I do it; I’ll walk you through the process in two different apps.

1 Making Film-Style Smartphone Photo Edits in VSCO

VSCO is, in my opinion, the best free editing app for film-style smartphone photos. You can do this in two ways: By adding a preset or performing manual adjustments on your own.

If you have a free plan, I recommend the first because you can only add grain with a paid subscription. Nonetheless, I’ll also show you how you can create more of a film-style look even without grain.

How to Use VSCO’s Presets for Film-Style Editing

Let’s start by looking at how to use presets:

1. Import your photo in VSCO by tapping the + icon in the Studio tab.
2. Choose the image(s) you want to import.
3. Double-tap on the picture in your Studio when it’s added there.
4. Pick a preset that matches your requirements. For a film-style look, you should find one with warmer tones and where the shadows have been lifted.

How to Edit Film-Style Photos From Scratch in VSCO

Alternatively, follow these steps to start from scratch.

1. Import your photo into VSCO using steps 1-2 in the previous list of instructions.
2. Start by adding some warmth and making the tint more green in White Balance.
3. Select Fade and considerably move the slider to the right.
4. Edit the saturation and exposure to taste, and add a bit of sharpness.
5. Add some vignette to your image to finish things off. You should also consider altering the contrast, depending on the base level in your picture.

Besides VSCO, you may also want to check out these ways you can get Polaroid-style photos.

Download: VSCO for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

2 Making Film-Style Smartphone Photo Edits in Lightroom

Lightroom gives you more options for editing film-style smartphone photos, and while it costs money, you will get grain and other features. Like VSCO, you can add a preset or start from scratch.

How to Add Film-Style Presets in Lightroom

First, here’s how to add a film-style preset in Lightroom:

1. Open the Lightroom app and choose the picture you want to import.
2. Select the Presets tab; it’s the icon with overlapping circles on the left-hand side.
3. Look through the presets available. You can use your own, but you’ll also find several in the Cinematic section.
4. Pick the film-style preset that best fits how you want your picture to look.

How to Edit Film-Style Smartphone Photos in Lightroom From Scratch

If you want to create your film-style pictures from scratch, here’s what I would recommend following instead:

1. Add some warmth and turn the tint green by tapping on the slider icon.
2. Select Grading and adjust the warmth in the shadows, midtones, and highlights.
3. Go to Effects > Grain and move the slider along until you’re happy with what you see. Then, change the Size and Roughness sliders.
4. Change the exposure, vibrance, saturation, etc., however you feel is necessary.
5. Go to the Curve tool.
6. Add some fade to your picture and adjust the lighting in other parts of the image to your taste. If you’re particularly skilled, you can also change the RGB curves.
7. Add some sharpness to your image. I also recommend removing a bit of clarity and adding some texture/dehaze.

Download: Lightroom for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

Whether you choose Lightroom or VSCO, you have plenty of options for editing film-style photos. I recommend Lightroom for its broader suite of features, including grain, but the free version of VSCO is also a good option.