Cinematic Photography: Transform Your Photos in Five Steps

Cinematic photography transforms ordinary photos into stunning visual stories through light, composition, and unique techniques.

### Transform Your Photos into Cinematic Masterpieces: A Step-by-Step Guide
* 📸 If you want to elevate your photography skills and make your images resemble movie stills, this guide will teach you **five essential steps to achieve a cinematic look**.
* 🎥 A special guest, David Pérez, a director of photography with experience at Netflix and Disney, will share insights on how **light and composition play crucial roles** in cinematic photography.
* 🌟 The first step involves adjusting the **aspect ratio of your images**, with a recommended format of **2.40**, which enhances the **cinematic feel**.
* 💡 Light is the second step, where David emphasizes the importance of **direction, color, texture, contrast, and exposure** in creating dramatic and engaging photos.
* 🎨 The third step focuses on the color of light, where **modifying hues can significantly impact the mood and narrative** of your photographs, akin to the aesthetics of films like **Batman**.
* 🎞 Adding film grain is the fourth step, which **softens the image and adds a mysterious quality**, making your photos feel **more cinematic and cohesive**.
* 🌫 The final step is applying a **Fog filter** to soften lights and reduce sharpness, creating a **dreamy effect** often seen in movies.
* 📷 Lastly, storytelling through photography is encouraged by capturing images in **groups of three**, allowing viewers to connect the narrative, while David highlights the importance of **composition and lens choice** for achieving cinematic results.

Do you like taking photos around your city but never manage to make them look really good? In this video, I am going to teach you how to take photographs that look like movie stills in five simple steps. Additionally, we will have a special guest who has worked for Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney. 

And we begin! By the end of this video, you will know how to transform your photos to make them look cinematic. If you love cinema, this is the video you have been looking for. You can take the photos with a camera or a mobile phone; you don't need high-end equipment. 

Before we start, I would like to define what a cinematic photo means to me. A cinematic photo is one that looks like a still from a movie or series. Let's look at an example. Look at this still from the 2022 Batman movie, and now look at this photo. Does it seem like a cinematic photograph? I don't think so. Now, focus on this other photo. Doesn't the feeling when you see it differ from the previous one? There is a common detail between the two photos that we directly associate with cinema, and this leads me to the first step: the format or aspect ratio is key to giving a cinematic touch to your photos. 

The aspect ratio is the proportion between the width and height of an image or frame. The format is the name we give to the aspect ratio. For example, 16:9 is a widescreen format

Format Cinemascope. But you can choose whichever you like best to know the dimensions your photo should have to fit this format. You just need to divide the width by 2.40; the result of this calculation gives you the height your photograph should have. It's important to keep in mind that you will need to crop the image you see on your mobile screen or camera, so leave space at the top and bottom when composing your shot. Now you have your photo in the appropriate format. Let's move on to the second step: light. The most important element for achieving a cinematic photo is undoubtedly light, but it's better if my guest and childhood friend David explains it. David is a director of photography and has worked on several films and series for Netflix, Prime, or Disney.

Hello, I'm David Pérez, director of photography and a member of the team. If we talk about cinematic photography, I would like to discuss two basic concepts: one would be light, and the other would be composition. When we talk about light, we have to consider five important points: one is direction, color, texture, contrast, and exposure. When we discuss direction, we are talking about how the light hits this scene. It can be side light, backlight, or more frontal light. Texture refers to the quality of this light—whether it is direct, strong, harsh light, or softer ambient light. That is the texture. We understand how this light affects and interacts with the shapes and characters

scene, as well as the color of the light illuminating it. Contrast is what exists between black and white. We can have very radical contrasts where there is very little transition between black and white, or much softer contrasts where there is a wide gradient of grays between black and white. Lastly, exposure is different; it is about how we expose for highlights versus shadows. It is different to have a cinematic photograph with underexposed lighting or bright spots within a scene. 

We will look at examples of photographs I have taken of each of the types David mentioned. We start with the direction of light. In this photo, the light is overhead, coming from the ceiling of the tram, helping to guide the viewer's gaze towards the center of the composition. Moving on to texture, in this photo the light is soft with some contrast; we took advantage of the natural light filtered through the clouds. In this case, however, we sought a strong contrast between the lit area and the rest of the composition, thus generating a certain drama in the capture. 

Now, regarding exposure, in this case, there are several overlapping elements. The main subject is located in the brightest area, thus helping to focus attention on that point. Finally, the color of the light is very important, so much so that it is part of the third step. The color of both the lights and the shadows, as well as the midtones, will define the cinematic aspect of your photo. Light can have many different

Event in Barcelona where light was the main focus, a perfect place to find compositions that convey that feeling of a movie. Look at the photo; red and orange dominate the entire scene. I searched for a group of people who weren't on their phones to emphasize the sensation of entering an unknown portal. What do you think? We can also modify the color of the lights and shadows ourselves. I’ll leave you a video where I explain step by step how to do it; it’s very easy. Look at this photo: through the color grading tool in Lightroom, we subtly changed the tone of the lights to a slightly greenish color and the shadows to a bluish hue. Later, I will explain a trick to make your photos tell stories, to have a narrative that attracts viewers. Let's see another frame from the Batman movie; the aesthetics in the photography of this film seem spectacular to me. We will try to take a photo similar to this, but with a Batman costume. Once we find the best location, we will take some test shots while waiting for dawn and more light. This is the result: we have increased the orange tone of the city lights and the color of the sky with the same color grading. What do you think? We have achieved the Batman aesthetic. I look forward to your comments and opinions. We still have two very important ingredients left to give our photos a cinematic look. But first, I would like to mention that we have updated our photographic map of Barcelona with all

Unique and secret locations that you won't find in classic travel guides. This map is the result of years spent exploring the city, searching for the best places for all kinds of photography, including street photography. It is also constantly updated; every new location is added to the map, which updates automatically. Now there are also photos of annual events that take place in the city. You can find more information in the video description. 

Now, let's move on to the fourth step: adding film grain to our photos. Yes, you heard right. We don’t want our photos to look too sharp or detailed. Film grain is an element that is frequently used in cinema; it can be a personal choice of the director for aesthetic reasons or to give a cohesive touch to the entire scene. Look at this photo. At first glance, the film grain may not be noticeable, but if we zoom in a bit and look more closely, the grain adds a more mysterious touch to the photograph. 

But it’s not just for nighttime scenes; we can also use it in well-lit situations, as seen in this photo. Again, let's zoom in to see the details and the difference between the photo with and without grain. What do you think? Do you feel that film grain helps achieve a cinematic look in our photos? I look forward to your comments. 

You can create film grain in Photoshop using filters, or you can download our film pack completely free. In this pack, you will find two different types

In fusion mode, choose soft light, then lower the opacity to 60-70%, and that's it. For the mobile version, you can do it with Snapseed and its double exposure tool. The last step is to add the Fog filter. This filter is used to soften the lights and slightly reduce the sharpness of the scene. Let's see it with an example. Look at this light without the filter; the details are very sharp. Now, let's apply the filter, and the change is noticeable. The light now generates a halo and has a glow. Additionally, it creates the fog that we have often seen in movies. All the photos in this video were taken with the fog filter applied, both on the camera and on the mobile. If you're interested, I use the Magnetic Fog filter from Freeway for the camera and the lens system from the same brand for the phone. Moreover, with the mounting system, the mobile transforms into a camera. Look at this photo; the lights create a fog, achieving the cinematic look we are after. Now that we know what to do to get cinematic photos, I propose a way to take photographs that will help you tell stories. Take photos in groups of three. Let me explain with an example. Look at this photo: a wide shot of a man walking down a street. We don't know where he is going or where he came from. Now, let's look at this photo: a sign from a local establishment. This sign appeared in the

Inside the restaurant, if you pay attention, you can see the reflections of the lights from the bulbs in the other two photos. Through cinematic shots, we have managed to create a story with three photos and connecting elements. You can stack the three photos and share them on Instagram. If you do, tag Viaje con la cámara, and we can see your work. However, there is still something very important and common in both cinema and photography, but it's better if David explains it to you. 

When we talk about composition, we refer to framing, and here it is very important to know what type of lenses we are going to use. If we are going to take cinematic photographs, we might use wide-angle lenses or telephoto lenses. The technique is also important, and depending on whether we use spherical or anamorphic lenses, our concept of framing and composition may vary. 

If you want us to make a second part, Episode 2, the sequel, or whatever you want to call it, where we explain cinematic composition, types of shots, and how to emulate cinema anamorphic lenses with our cameras or phones, leave us a comment. Take care, and see you soon!

Cómo hacer que tus FOTOS parezcan de PELÍCULA

De Viaje con la Cámara

Transforming Your Photos into Cinematic Stills

The video offers five simple steps to take photos that look like movie stills, featuring a guest with experience from Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney.

The first step emphasizes the importance of the aspect ratio in giving a cinematic touch to photos.

The second step focuses on light, with the guest explaining key concepts like direction, color, texture, contrast, and exposure.

The key elements for a cinematic photo are light direction, texture, contrast, exposure, and color.

The direction of light can guide the viewer's gaze, while texture and contrast add drama to the composition.

Color grading can be used to modify the tones of lights and shadows, creating a specific mood and aesthetic, as demonstrated in the examples from Barcelona and the Batman movie.

Exploring Unique Photography Locations and Film Grain Techniques

The map of unique photography locations in the city is constantly updated and includes photos of annual events.

Film grain is used to add a mysterious touch to photos, creating a cinematic look.

The film grain effect can be achieved in Photoshop or through a free film pack download.

Creating Cinematic Photos with Soft Light and Fog

To achieve a cinematic look, use soft light in fusion mode with 60-70% opacity, and apply the Fog filter to soften lights and reduce sharpness.

The Magnetic Fog filter from Freeway is recommended for both camera and mobile use, with the mounting system allowing the mobile to transform into a camera.

Taking photos in groups of three is suggested to tell a story, with each photo providing context and depth to the narrative.

The three photos in the restaurant reflect the lights and create a connected story.

Composition and framing are crucial, with lens choice playing a significant role in cinematic photography.

The technique, whether using spherical or anamorphic lenses, can vary the concept of framing and composition.