Add a sepia tone to an image
The warm brown of an old photograph. Slide the strength to taste.
- Free
- Runs on your device
- No account
- No limits
How to add a sepia tone to an image
- Drop an image in the box above.
- Slide the strength until it looks right.
- Choose a format and download.
About the sepia effect here
Sepia is the brown tone real photographs took on with age. The effect mixes each colour towards that warmth rather than just tinting the whole picture, so light and dark areas stay separate.
Pair it with a vignette for a convincingly old look.
Like everything on this site, this tool runs in your browser. Your image is never uploaded.
Common questions
Is the sepia tool free?
Yes, properly free. No paid tier, no trial, no watermark on the result and nothing to sign up for. Put as many files through it as you like, as often as you like.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. The sepia tool runs inside your browser, on your own machine, so your files never go anywhere. Big ones are fine too, up to whatever your browser can hold.
What is a sepia photo?
A photograph in shades of warm brown rather than grey. It started as a chemical treatment in the nineteenth century that made prints last longer, and the look stuck as the way old photographs are remembered. Now it is used to suggest age, warmth or nostalgia.
Should I use sepia or grayscale?
Grayscale is the neutral, serious choice and it suits portraits, documents and anything modern. Sepia reads as old and warm, which is lovely on a family photograph and out of place on a product shot. If you're not sure, try grayscale first, since sepia is a strong flavour.
What people usually do next
- Add a vignette to an image Darken the corners to draw the eye inwards.
- Convert an image to black and white True black and white, with a strength slider.