Sepia Photo Effect

How to use the sepia photo effect

1. Open your image.
2. Move the slider until it looks right — hold the compare button to see the original.
3. Download the adjusted image.

About this tool

Sepia imitates the brown tone of nineteenth-century prints. That colour was not an aesthetic choice originally — prints were treated with a sepia compound that converted the silver in the image into a more stable form, which both darkened them to brown and made them last considerably longer. The look we now read as “old photograph” is really the look of a photograph that survived.

Technically the effect maps the image onto a warm brown scale rather than a neutral grey one. Like greyscale it discards the original colours, so it cannot be undone from the result — keep the original if you may want it back.

At full strength it reads as deliberately antique, which suits a period piece and looks like costume on anything else. Around 40 to 60 per cent gives the warmth without the fancy dress, and tends to work better on modern photographs. It is also a practical way to unify a set of images shot under different lighting, since a single tone hides mismatched white balance.

Common uses

• Giving a photo a vintage look.
• Warming a cold-looking image.
• Matching a set of images to one tone.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between sepia and greyscale?

Greyscale maps the image to neutral grey; sepia maps it to warm brown. Both discard the original colours, so neither can be reversed from the result.

Why were old photographs sepia?

Not for looks. Sepia toning converted the silver in a print into a more stable compound, which made it last longer and turned it brown as a side effect.

How much sepia should I use?

Around 40 to 60 per cent gives warmth without looking like a costume. Full strength reads as deliberately antique.