# Give your footage an old film look with grain, tone and vignette

> In Tella, add a Tella Motion clip, attach your footage in the Tella Agent chat and ask for an old film look. Tella Motion adds film grain that changes every frame, tones the colors through sepia or faded shades, darkens the edges with a vignette, and can split red and blue toward the edges. To warm or fade a recorded clip without Tella Motion, use a preset or LUT under Style → Filters.

Page: https://www.tella.com/motion/vintage-film-effect · Part of Tella Motion (https://www.tella.com/help/editing/tella-motion)

## How do I make a video look like old film, with grain and a vintage color?

In Tella, add a [Tella Motion](https://www.tella.com/help/editing/tella-motion) clip, attach your footage in the [Tella Agent](https://www.tella.com/agent) chat and ask for an old film look. Tella Motion adds film grain that changes every frame, tones the colors through sepia or faded shades, darkens the edges with a vignette, and can split red and blue toward the edges. To warm or fade a recorded clip without Tella Motion, use a preset or LUT under [Style → Filters](https://www.tella.com/help/editing/color-filters).

## Prompt to start from

```text
Place the clip I attached in this Tella Motion clip and make it look like 1970s film: fine grain, warm faded colors and a soft dark vignette. Keep faces easy to see.
```

## More prompts

### Wedding highlight

```text
Use the attached Brindle Row wedding clip. Give the first 8 seconds a sepia old-film look with heavy grain and a strong vignette, then fade to full color over 2 seconds.
```

### Music video

```text
Make the attached Lowmere band clip look like a worn VHS tape: color fringing toward the edges, colored grain, washed-out blacks and a slight vignette.
```

## How to do it in Tella

1. Open your video in the Tella editor and choose [Add clip → New Tella Motion clip](https://www.tella.com/help/editing/tella-motion#add-a-tella-motion-clip).
2. In the Tella Agent chat, click + → Attach… and add your footage.
3. Describe the look: how heavy the grain is, the color tone and how dark the edges get.
4. Play the preview and ask for changes, like "less grain" or "warmer highlights."

## Good to know

- Available to everyone: through the Tella Agent on a paid plan or the 7-day trial, or through Claude or ChatGPT on any plan.
- A Tella Motion clip has no transcript, layouts or cuts, so use the film look for an intro or cutaway and keep talking parts as a recorded clip.
- For real old footage, add a public-domain shot from the Vintage videos section of Overlay.

## Questions people ask

### Can I give my webcam recording a vintage color without Tella Motion?

Yes. Select the clip, click Style and pick a preset under Filters, or click Customize and, under Advanced, lower Saturation and change Temperature. You can also upload a .cube LUT and set its LUT intensity.

### Can I make a VHS or camcorder look?

Yes, roughly. Tella Motion's chromatic aberration splits red and blue toward the edges like worn tape, and colored grain and faded blacks finish the look. Describe the tape look you want and the agent combines them.

### Can Claude or ChatGPT add the film look in Tella?

Yes. Connected to Tella's [MCP server](https://www.tella.com/mcp), [Claude](https://claude.ai/directory/tella) or [ChatGPT](https://chatgpt.com/plugins/plugin_asdk_app_6a7026f78434819186579d93d20ab38b?open_in_app) can use the same Tella Motion effects as the Tella Agent, including grain, tritone, vignette and chromatic aberration.

## Related

- [The Ken Burns effect on any photo, by asking](https://www.tella.com/motion/ken-burns-effect.md): Slow pans and zooms that bring still photos to life.
- [Freeze frames, slow motion and speed ramps by asking](https://www.tella.com/motion/freeze-frame-effect.md): Hold a moment, slow it down or ramp the speed.
- [Glitch text reveals for your next product launch](https://www.tella.com/motion/glitch-text-effect.md): Digital glitch titles for launch reveals, as live text.
- [Create motion graphics with Tella Motion](https://www.tella.com/help/editing/tella-motion)
- [Apply a filter preset](https://www.tella.com/help/editing/color-filters#apply-a-filter-preset)
- [Find vintage videos](https://www.tella.com/help/editing/vintage-videos#where-to-find-vintage-videos)
- [All of Tella's AI features](https://www.tella.com/ai.md)