Halation

Getting started · Halation

Make your photo look like film.

A film look starts with softer contrast, a deliberate colour palette and a little texture. Halation lets you try all three on a real photograph before you open one of your own. It is free, with no account and no upload.

Lake Toya with the Komorebi look The same photograph before Halation grading OriginalKomorebi
Lake Toya before and after the Komorebi preset. Photo credits.

Try this photo in the editor

From digital photo to film look

  1. Choose a starting point. Open the sample above, or choose your own photo from the homepage. Komorebi gives a light, muted palette; Cinematic adds cool shadows; Golden brings warmth; Silver turns the image monochrome.
  2. Set the strength. Lower Look intensity if the preset overwhelms the photograph. Use Exposure to correct brightness and Fade to lift the darkest tones. Compare the result by dragging across the photo or holding B.
  3. Add only the texture you need. Open Film to adjust Grain, Grain size, Halation and Diffusion. Halation adds a warm glow near bright highlights; Diffusion softens their contrast. These effects cannot restore missing detail.
  4. Save your version. Choose Export full resolution to download a JPEG. Your source file is not changed. Replace opens another photo while keeping the chosen preset.

Which look fits the shot?

For a quiet daylight landscape, begin with Komorebi. For a sunset, try Golden and reduce Temperature if the scene becomes too yellow. For city lights, Nocturne is a useful starting point. A preset is a starting point, not a promise that every photograph will need the same settings.

Formats and limits

Open JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF or the first frame of a GIF. Photos must be no larger than 64 MB or 200 million pixels. Export is JPEG, so transparency and animation are not preserved. HEIC and camera RAW files need to be converted before opening.

Images larger than your device's maximum texture size are reduced to fit. Full-resolution export means the loaded image resolution after that limit. The editor needs WebGL2; if the browser cannot run it, Halation displays an explanation. Nothing about choosing a sample uploads your own media.

Take the look further

Read the Komorebi breakdown, see why lifted blacks change the feel, or learn how grain behaves at different sizes. Working with a clip? Follow the video colour grading guide.