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How to add film filters to photos on iPhone

Seamly’s Filters give a photo the look of a film stock, a disposable camera or an early digital camera in one tap. There are more than 100 looks, plus light leaks, flares and textures, and every look can be turned down until it’s just right.

Last updated · On iPhone and iPad · 24 free looks · 18 free light effects

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The looks

  • Cameras: 23 looks in the style of camera types, such as Instant, Compact, Disposable, Sunleak, Tape and Rewind.
  • Film: film-stock looks: Standard, Chrome, Neg, Vivid, Soft, Cine, Nostalgic and Fine B&W.
  • Digicam: the flash-and-all look of early digital cameras.
  • Classic: ten simple looks, all free: Punch, Film A, Film B, Vintage, Fade, Warm, Cool and three black-and-whites.
  • Golden, Pastel, Crisp, Retro and B&W: colour moods, from warm and golden to soft pastel and clean black and white.
  • Leak, Flare and Texture: 18 light leaks, lens flares and film textures, all free, to lay over any look.

24 looks and every light effect are free. Looks with a Pro mark need Seamly Pro, which starts with a free trial.

What you need

  • An iPhone or iPad with iOS 17 or later.
  • The Seamly app, free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad and on Google Play for Android.
  • A photo or a video clip in your design: filters work on both.

Make it in Seamly, step by step

Step 1: Get Seamly

Download Seamly from the App Store and open it. The app and most templates are free; templates marked Pro need Seamly Pro, which starts with a free trial.

Step 2: Open a design with your photo

Open a template from Templates, or tap + to start a new project, and add your photo from the camera roll.

Step 3: Tap the photo, then Filters

Tap the photo to select it, then tap Filters in the toolbar. If it’s off screen, swipe the toolbar.

Step 4: Pick a look

Tap a group, such as Cameras, Film, Digicam or Classic, then tap a look. The photo changes as you tap, so try a few.

Step 5: Set the strength and keep it

Drag Intensity to tone the look down, and tap the star to save it in Favorites, which opens first next time. Tap above the panel to close it.

What the video shows

A screen recording of the Seamly iPhone app: a beach photo of two friends jumping, under a “Good Days” title, goes through the Chrome film look, the Instant camera look and the Sunleak camera look, then Sunleak is turned down to 73% and starred.

  • The design: a beach photo of two friends jumping, with a “Good Days” title and a “Summer, kept” label.
  • Tap the photo. The toolbar slides along to Filters, near its end; tap it.
  • The Filters panel opens on Film. Tap Chrome: deeper colour and contrast.
  • Tap Cameras, then Instant for a softer, warmer print.
  • Tap Sunleak for a pink, sunlit haze.
  • Drag Intensity from 100% down to 73% so the look is gentler.
  • Tap the star beside it to keep Sunleak in Favorites.
  • Tap above the panel to close it: the photo keeps its new look.

Tips for film looks

  • Turn it down. Most looks feel more natural between 60% and 80% intensity.
  • One look per carousel. The same look on every slide makes a post feel like one roll of film.
  • Add light, not just colour. A leak or a flare from the Leak and Flare groups on top of a film look sells the analogue feel.
  • Fix the light first. A dark photo stays dark in any look: brighten it with Adjust or Develop before you pick one.

Questions

Are Seamly’s filters free?

24 looks are free, among them Instant, Compact, Standard and all ten Classic looks, and so are all 18 light leaks, flares and textures. The rest need Seamly Pro, which starts with a free trial.

Can I use filters on videos?

Yes. Select a video clip and tap Filters: the look plays on every frame and stays in the export.

How do I make a filter weaker?

Drag Intensity below 100%. At 0% the photo looks as it did.

Can I save the looks I like?

Tap the star beside Intensity. Starred looks gather in Favorites, the first group in the panel.

Does it work on Android or a computer?

Yes. The same looks are in Seamly for Android and in the browser at canvas.seamly.art.

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