Free online photo filters: film looks in one tap

Choose the filter for the light

Warm and golden filters suit sunsets and indoor lamplight; cool and airy filters suit overcast days, snow and white interiors. A filter that fights the original light usually looks fake.

Less is more

Most presets look best at 50–80% strength. If skin starts to look orange, grey or plastic, lower the strength before changing anything else.

Film looks: fade and grain

Faded blacks and a little grain are what make digital photos feel like film. Keep grain low for small screens; it becomes more visible when the photo is printed or viewed full size.

Black and white needs contrast

Colour photos converted to grey often look flat. Raise contrast, add a gentle vignette and pick scenes with strong light and shadow, textures or silhouettes.

Keep a consistent feed

Pick one or two presets for a whole set of photos and only adjust brightness per photo. A consistent look reads as a style, while a different filter on every image looks random.

Edit in the right order

Fix exposure before style: if a photo is too dark or too bright, correct it with the brightness slider first, then choose a filter. Straighten and crop in your phone's editor before uploading, because filters are best judged on the final framing. Finally, add grain and vignette last and keep them subtle; on social apps the image is compressed again, which exaggerates heavy grain and makes dark corners look blotchy.