Lightroom Tutorial: Create a Film Look

Film photography has a unique look that is often described as being more organic, natural, and nostalgic than digital photography. This is due to a number of factors, including the way that film captures light, the grain structure of film, and the color profiles of different film stocks.

While it is impossible to perfectly replicate the look of film in digital photography, Lightroom offers a number of tools that can help you to create a film-like look in your photos.

Here is a simple workflow for creating a film look in Lightroom:

1. Import your photos into Lightroom.
2. Select the photo you want to edit.
3. Open the Develop module.
4. Adjust the white balance. Film often has a warmer color cast than digital photography, so you may want to adjust the white balance of your photo to give it a warmer look.
5. Reduce the contrast. Film typically has lower contrast than digital photography, so you may want to reduce the contrast of your photo.
6. Add grain. Film has a characteristic grain structure that can be added to digital photos using Lightroom’s grain sliders.
7. Adjust the colors. Film stocks have different color profiles, so you may want to adjust the colors of your photo to give it a specific film look. For example, you can increase the saturation of certain colors or add a vignette.

Here are some additional tips for creating a film look in Lightroom:

• Use a film preset. There are many free and paid film presets available online. These presets can provide a good starting point for creating a film look in your photos.
• Experiment with the different tools. Lightroom offers a variety of tools that can be used to create a film look, such as the white balance tool, the contrast tool, the grain sliders, and the HSL sliders. Experiment with these different tools to see what works best for your photos.
• Don’t be afraid to overdo it. Film photography is often associated with a certain amount of overexposure and grain. Don’t be afraid to overdo these effects in your Lightroom edits to create a more dramatic film look.

Here are some specific film looks that you can create in Lightroom:

• Kodak Portra: Kodak Portra is a popular film stock known for its soft colors and smooth skin tones. To create a Kodak Portra look in Lightroom, reduce the contrast, increase the saturation of the red and orange tones, and reduce the saturation of the blue tones.
• Fuji Velvia: Fuji Velvia is a popular film stock known for its vibrant colors and sharp contrast. To create a Fuji Velvia look in Lightroom, increase the contrast and saturation of all of the colors.
• Ilford HP5: Ilford HP5 is a black and white film stock known for its high contrast and sharp grain. To create an Ilford HP5 look in Lightroom, convert your photo to black and white, increase the contrast, and add grain.

With a little practice, you will be able to use Adobe Lightroom to create a variety of film looks in your photos. Experiment with different settings and presets to find the looks that you like best.