How to use filters to enhance your website’s impact

Default avatar.
May 22, 2014
How to use filters to enhance your website’s impact.
thumbnailWe can blame apps like Hipstamatic and Instagram for the prevalence of filtered photos. Anyone with a smartphone can take a photo, slap a few filters on it, and publish it to the web in seconds. Which explains why there are a ton of filtered photos out there that aren't particularly attractive, and also why filtering has gotten a bad rap in some cases. And yet, filtered photos remain popular, and for good reason. Proper filtering can hide a multitude of sins and make even a mediocre photo look like a work of art. They can also be incredibly useful for making a bunch of photos from different sources look unified and like they belong together. That can be invaluable when crafting a design, whether it be for print or web. Here we'll take a look at how sites are using filtered photos to elevate their designs, and then share some more professional tools for creating your own filtered pics, sans-smartphone.

Websites using filters

There are tons of sites out there that use vintage-style and other filtered images. Some make them the focus of the design, using them as backgrounds or feature images, while others filter things like product photos.

The Prince Ink Company

The Prince Ink Company

Sleep Op

sleep op

Locals Apparel

locals apparel

Everlovin' Press

everlovin press

Built

built

Knuckles Industries

knuckles industries

Lois Jeans

lois jeans

Soyuz Coffee Roasting

soyuz coffee roasting

Blackhouse

blackhouse

Crop the Block

crop the block

RFRM

rfrm

Rotate

rotate

Grovemade

grovemade

Oyster Books

oyster books

Thisispaper Shop

thisispaper

Matthew Carleton

matthew carleton

We Are Mammoth

mammoth

Brave People

brave people

Seattle Cider Co

seattle cider

Creative Brook

creative brook

delaBanda

delabanda

Grand & Mortar

grain and mortar

Colonia Verde

colonia verde

M Power Yoga

m power yoga

Manual

manual

Salt Surf

salt surf

Lumo

lumo

Joe's Garage

joe's garage

Superiest

superiest

The Garden Edit

the garden edit

Bilder

bilder

The First Time

the first time

Ditto Residential

ditto

Walked & Worn

walked and worn

Uppercase

uppercase

Protest Boardwear

protest boardwear

Ian Coyle

ian coyle

Eva Black Design

eva black design

To filter or not to filter

You've seen plenty of sites now that use filtered photos effectively. You may have a good idea of when you should or shouldn't use these kinds of images. But here are a few guidelines to decide whether you want to filter your photos or not:
  • You want to appeal to hipsters
  • You have a bunch of photos from different sources that need to look cohesive
  • Your site should have a retro or vintage feel
  • You want to add some extra visual interest to a site that's otherwise very minimalist.
  • You want to tone down the images that you have to use because they're competing with other design elements.
Granted, those aren't the only reasons you might opt to filter your images, but they're a good starting point to figure out if it's appropriate or not.

Photoshop Action filters

While smartphone apps are most often used by amateurs looking to filter their photos, many pros who don't want to create new looks entirely from scratch turn to premade Photoshop actions. There are literally tens of thousands of actions available, both free and paid, with more being released all the time. Here are some great actions to get you started.

Set 28

set 28 includes 4 different actions, including a black and white filter. set 28

PS Action 12

PS Action 12 offers up a number of stylized photo actions. ps action 12

Action 01

Action 01 creates a faded effect on photos. action 01

Vintage Effect - Ps Actions

Vintage Effect Ps Actions is a set of actions that emulate a number of vintage styles. vintage effect

Old Photo Action

This Old Photo Action creates a warm vintage look for your photos. old photo action

Wedding Theme Action

While this is called Wedding Theme Action, the nine actions it includes are really appropriate for much more than just wedding photos. wedding theme action

HDR Tools

HDR Tools is a set of three different levels of HDR look, from light to heavy. hdr tools

Photo Coloring II

Photo Coloring II gives a warm vintage look to your photos. photo coloring ii

Colors Actions

Colors Actions is a set of six different colored filter actions. colors actions

Photoshop Action 23

Photoshop Action 23 adds a yellow filter to your images. photoshop action 23

Hard Lomo Action

This Hard Lomo Action quickly gives your images a lomography look. hard lomo action

Retro Filters

Retro Filters is a set of ten free vintage filters. retro filters

Purple Contrast

Purple Contrast does exactly as the name implies: adds a purple contrast to your photos. purple contrast

Bella Action

Bella Action adds a warm feeling to photos. bella action

Amatorka Action 2

Amatorka Action 2 adds a dynamic look to images. amatorka action 2

Dramatic Sepia

Dramatic Sepia adds a very strong sepia filter. dramatic sepia

Holgarizer

Holgarizer is an Action that emulates the style of Holga camera photos. holgarizer

HipstaRev Actions Pack 1

HipstaRev Actions Pack 1 is a set of three actions reminiscent of Hipstamatic filters. hipstarev

StarDeviant Action 1.08

StarDeviant Action 1.08 is stardeviant action 1.08

LT's Retro Lightleak Action

LT's Retro Lightleak Action creates a great vintage lightleak effect. lts retro lightleak action

Cherry Haze

Cherry Haze is a warm pinkish filter. cherry haze

Buttercream Vintage

The Buttercream Vintage action creates a warm, very slightly faded effect on photos. buttercream vintage

Lomo Photoshop Actions

These Lomo Photoshop Actions create lomography-like effects on your photos. It includes both "Soft Lomo" and "Pure Lomo" actions. lomo photoshop actions

Retro Pink Action

This Retro Pink Action adds a distinct pink hue to your photos. retro pink action

Apps for filtering your photos

While Photoshop Actions can be a powerful way to filter your photos, there are also standalone apps that can do similar things.

Pixlr-o-matic

The Pixlr-o-matic app lets you use photos from your computer or take them with a webcam. It offers a ton of different filters, most of which are pretty extreme. pixlr-o-matic

Rollip

Rollip offers a bunch of filters, effects, borders, and text. And it gives you a live preview of each filter before you select it. rollip

Fotor

Fotor offers free online photo filters for your photos, including lomo, vintage, and more. Fotor

MakeRetro.com

MakeRetro.com offers up a handful of filters, including Lomo, Diana, and Chrome. MakeRetro.com

VintageJS

VintageJS lets you make stunning photos with vintage effects. Just choose your image, apply the effect, and save it. There are four effects offered: vintage, sepia, greenish, and reddish, or you can create a custom effect (something most of the other online apps don't offer). VintageJS

Cameron Chapman

Cameron Chapman is a freelance writer and designer from New England. You can visit her site or follow her on Twitter.

Read Next

10+ Best Resources & Tools for Web Designers (2024 update)

Is searching for the best web design tools to suit your needs akin to having a recurring bad dream? Does each…

3 Essential Design Trends, April 2024

Ready to jump into some amazing new design ideas for Spring? Our roundup has everything from UX to color trends…

How to Plan Your First Successful Website

Planning a new website can be exciting and — if you’re anything like me — a little daunting. Whether you’re an…

15 Best New Fonts, March 2024

Welcome to March’s edition of our roundup of the best new fonts for designers. This month’s compilation includes…

LimeWire Developer APIs Herald a New Era of AI Integration

Generative AI is a fascinating technology. Far from the design killer some people feared, it is an empowering and…

20 Best New Websites, March 2024

Welcome to our pick of sites for March. This month’s collection tends towards the simple and clean, which goes to show…

Exciting New Tools for Designers, March 2024

The fast-paced world of design never stops turning, and staying ahead of the curve is essential for creatives. As…

Web Tech Trends to Watch in 2024 and Beyond

It hardly seems possible given the radical transformations we’ve seen over the last few decades, but the web design…

6 Best AI Productivity Apps in 2024

There’s no escaping it: if you want to be successful, you need to be productive. The more you work, the more you…

3 Essential Design Trends, February 2024

From atypical typefaces to neutral colors to unusual user patterns, there are plenty of new website design trends to…

Surviving the Leap from College to Real-World Design

So, you’ve finished college and are ready to showcase your design skills to the world. This is a pivotal moment that…

20 Mind-Bending Illusions That Will Make You Question Reality

Mind-bending videos. Divisive Images. Eye-straining visuals. This list of optical illusions has it all. Join us as we…