Film Look Street Photography in Lightroom with Presets

You love the raw, imperfect feel of film. The grain, the faded colors, the warmth or coolness that adds emotion. But shooting real film is slow and expensive. So why not fake it in Lightroom?

In this guide, you’ll learn how to create film look street photography in Lightroom with presets – fast, easy, and no darkroom required.

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How do you get a Film Look in Lightroom for Street Photography?

To get a film look in Lightroom, apply a preset that mimics film stock characteristics like faded contrast, soft tones, grain, and warm or cool color shifts. Adjust the tone curve, use color grading, and fine-tune grain and calibration for a vintage, analog feel.

Why Film Style Works So Well for Street Photography

Film has a way of making street scenes feel timeless. It softens harsh light, adds grit, and brings out mood in everyday moments. Classic film stocks like Kodak Portra, Fujifilm Pro 400H, or Ilford HP5 have their own visual flavor, now you can get that vibe digitally with presets.

What Defines the Film Look?

Characteristic	What It Looks Like
Faded Blacks	Matte feel, softens contrast
Warm Highlights	Slight yellow/orange glow
Cool Shadows	Blue/green tone in shadow areas
Natural Skin Tones	Creamy, low-saturation skin
Grain	Fine texture across the image
Low Clarity	Slight softness, vintage vibe

Presets That Nail the Film Look

You don’t need to build it from scratch, there are film presets designed to get you there instantly.

Try presets inspired by:

• Kodachrome 64 – Deep shadows and vivid hues 
• Agfa Isopan – Soft contrast and dreamy tones
• Kodak Tri-X or Ilford HP5 – Bold B&W with classic contrast
• Kodak Ektachrome – Cool vintage color with subtle cyan

If you want to save time and get consistent results, try our street photography Lightroom presets. They’re designed to bring out the mood, color, and atmosphere that make urban shots stand out.

Step-by-Step: Film Look in Lightroom (with Presets)

1. Start with a Film Preset

Choose a preset that fits your style, soft and warm for people, punchy and cool for city lights.

• Start with your base edit using the preset.
• Don’t worry about perfection, film isn’t perfect either.

2. Tweak Exposure & Contrast

Film edits usually lean soft.

• Slightly lower contrast
• Pull back highlights
• Lift the shadows
• Bring blacks up for that matte look

3. Dial in the Tone Curve

Use the Tone Curve to finish the film look:

• Lift the black point to fade shadows
• Pull the white point slightly down
• Add a soft S-curve for gentle contrast

4. Color Grading for That Analog Feel

Split tone the image:

• Shadows: Cool tones (blue, teal)
• Highlights: Warm tones (gold, peach)

This gives you that signature analog color balance.

5. Add Grain and Reduce Clarity

• Add medium grain (25–35 for subtle texture)
• Drop clarity a bit to soften edges
• Avoid oversharpening, film is never razor-sharp

6. Play With Calibration

Color calibration shifts the base tones in your photo.

• Push blue primary hue left for green tints
• Shift red primary saturation for skin tone control
• It’s subtle, but it’s what makes film presets feel real

When to Use the Film Look

• Daytime street scenes
• Overcast weather
• Portraits on the street
• B&W city moments
• Busy urban details that need a timeless feel

Film-style edits aren’t for every photo, but when they hit, they hit deep.

Want More Control?

Once you’re comfortable with film presets, try combining them with your own tweaks. If you’re new to editing, follow our editing workflow for street photography.

New to Lightroom entirely? These beginner presets are a good way to ease into editing.

Final Thoughts

Getting the film look in street photography with Lightroom presets is all about feeling, not perfection. Film has flaws, that’s what makes it beautiful. Use presets to capture that look, then tweak it to fit your scene and mood.

Lightroom lets you skip the chemicals, the scanner, and the waiting, but still lets your street photos look like they came from another era.