All Ways to Apply Retro Filters on Your Photos

Filters are an easy way of changing the look of your image. With just one single click (for the most part) you’re able to change the entire image. It gives it a different feel, mood, quality, etc. For retro filters, it has the feeling of Classique rather than the sharp qualities of today’s digital photographs, you get something that’s a little bit more reminiscent of old style photographs and images. Want to see how you can apply such filters on your photos? Continue reading down below!

• Part 1. Most Helpful Way to Add Retro Filters on Your Photos
• Part 2. How to Apply Retro Effects on Photos with Photoshop
• Part 3. How to Add Retro Effects on Your Photos Using Mac Computer
• Part 4. How to Make Retro Effects on Photos with Mobile App

Part 1. Most Helpful Way to Add Retro Filters on Your Photos

The Fotophire Editing Toolkit will be the first program that we’re going to be introducing. It comes with a couple of different tools that you can use to apply some special effects. This includes a fairly sizable filter archive! Want to learn how to use this program? Don’t worry, it’s very easy to use! Our step-by-step guide down below should prove that!

5 Key Features of Fotophire Editing Toolkit

• A large filter archive that you can use to apply quick changes to your images!
• Effects that you can use to add something a little extra!
• Add some text, frames, textures, etc.!
• Drag and Drop interface that’s easy to use!
• Crop and Erase tools that will allow you to delete parts of an image!

How to Add Retro Filters on Your Photos with Fotophire Editing Toolkit

Step 1: Launch Fotophire

It doesn’t take long to launch the Fotophire program. It’s a fairly light software — despite its plentiful features! Now, the editor that we’re going to have to focus on, is the Photo Editor. This is where you can find all of the preset filters!

Step 2: Click Open...

Ready to get started? You’ll be moved to this screen (refer to the image down below.) Click on theOpen… text to pick the image that you want to edit!

Step 3: Effects tab

This is what the main Fotophire editor looks like (refer to the image down below.) To start, click on the Effects tab (highlighted blue in the image below.) As you can see, there are different effects categories that you can choose from. Those categories are what separates filters from one another.

Step 4: Vintage

To access the “Retro” filters, you’re going to have to check out the Vintage category. As you can see on our sample, we used a filter called “Mesa.” It’s a gorgeous filter, make it look an old coke commercial (with the green glass bottle effect.)

Step 5: Save the Photo

Feel free to make adjustments (or try out other filters) on your image. However, don’t forget to Save before exiting the window! This is easy enough to do, just click on the save icon on the top of the screen.

Part 2. How to Apply Retro Effects on Photos with Photoshop

The next method that we’re going to introduce is more complicated than the previous one. This demonstration will be using Adobe Photoshop! Photoshop is the most popular graphics editing tool in the market. Unfortunately, it’s content-rich interface makes it pretty difficult to use (unless you’re trained for it.) Still, we tried our best to condense as much of the steps as we could! Learn more down below!

Step 1: Click Open...

First up, let’s import the image that we’re going to be using. This is easy enough to do. Just click on the Open… text box on the left-hand side of the screen! You’ll be prompted to choose your file, do so, and move on to the next step!

Step 2: Choose the original image!

As you can see, we decided to stick to the same picture that we had used in our Fotophire demo. This is what we’re going to be applying the retro filter to!

Step 3:Access to Filter

Well, the process is a bit tricky, but it can be done! You’re going to first have to purchase and/or download some preset filters (or Actions, as they are called in Photoshop), before you can move on to the next step. You view these filters by browsing their online directly, which you can access by clicking the File tab > Browse Filters Online...

Step 4: Import Presets 1

Once you’ve picked out the filter that you want to use, you’re going to have to import it! Bear with me on this one, just try your best to follow along. Click on the Edit tab > Presets > Export / Import Presets…

Step 5: Import Presets 2

Once you’ve finished with the first step, you’ll be moved to this screen (refer to the image down below.) Follow the steps listed to successfully import your filter!

• Click the Source Import Folder button and choose the source folder (the folder where you download the filter in) when prompted.
• Then, use the arrow keys (or the Add All button), to move the filter into the “Presets to Import” box.
• Finally, click on the Import Presets button to successfully move your filter into the Photoshop directory.

Step 6: Import Presets 3

Almost there! Just make sure that you have the Actions module active before moving on to the next step (refer to the image below.)

Step 7: Import Presets 4

Now, it’s time to load the filter! To do this, click on the “=” button on the top right-hand corner of the Actions module. Then, choose the Load Actions… option from the drop-down menu!

Step 8: Apply Filter

Now, to use your filter, you’re going to have to highlight it with a click. Then, press the play button on the bottom of the Actions module. That’s it! Just wait a little bit for the filter to be applied automatically (could take seconds or minutes — depending on the quality of the actions.)

Step 9: Final Image

As you can see, we were able to apply a super retro filter to our image! That’s all there is to it really! This filter will now always be available on your Actions menu, and if you can always import more if needed!

Step 10: Save As...

Done? Remember to save before exiting the window! This can be done by clicking on the Save As… option under the File tab.

Part 3. How to Add Retro Effects on Your Photos Using Mac Computer

The third program that we’re going to introduce is a Mac alternative! This program is called the Movavi Photo Editor! If I were to compare it to the two that we covered previously, then I would say that it’s closer to Fotophire (because it does have preset filters — unlike Photoshop.) The application of the filter is pretty easy too! Continue reading to learn more!

Step 1: Download

First up, make sure that you have the Mac version of the program downloaded! Their Mac editor is compatible with Mac OS X 10.7 or higher!

Step 2: Import Image

Now, it’s time to import our image! You can do this by the following:

• Dropping the image file onto the screen (as directed.)
• Or by clicking on the green Browse for Images button and choosing the image when prompted.


Step 3: Choose the Effects tab

Much like with the Fotophire, we’re going to be focusing on a singular tab — the Effects tab. This is where all their filters are, filters that will be previewed on the right-hand side of the screen.



Step 4: Choose the Lomo Filter

The filter that we decided to use (to get that retro look) is the “Lomo” filter. You can find this filter under the Popular category. However, they do have other filters that you can try.



Step 5: Save

Feel free to adjust the image (or try out a couple other ones.) Just make sure that you save before exiting the window! This can be done by clicking on the Save button on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.



Part 4. How to Make Retro Effects on Photos with Mobile App

The last software that we’re going to be demonstrating is the Adobe Photoshop Express. This app is unlike the original Photoshop which has preset filters! It is one of the easiest to use (especially if you’re thinking of adding filters to a photograph on your phone!)

h3>Step 1: Install

The first thing is download the Adobe Photoshop Express and install it on your mobile device! This app can be used in both iOS and Android devices, so you won’t have any trouble with either!



Step 2: Apply Filter

There are a couple of different presets that you can use. For this one, we decided to choose a duo-tone purple look, but there are tons of others to choose from!



Step 3: Save It

When you’re done, click on the Share icon and wait to be brought onto this screen. Make sure to press the Save to Gallery button to finalize your edit.



Conclusion:

That’s all for now! We’ve demonstrated quite a couple of different ways to apply retro filters to your images. All of the programs here had their own benefits. However, our overall favorite has to be the Fotophire Editing Toolkit! It’s intuitive, content-rich, and cheap too! All in all, that makes it the most helpful method!