filmsim

About filmsim

A free, browser-based film recipe simulator.

What is filmsim?

filmsim lets you apply classic film stock emulations to your photos directly in the browser. There are no uploads, no accounts, and no server-side processing. Your images are processed entirely on your device and never leave it.

How it works

Load any JPEG, PNG, or WebP image and choose from built-in presets inspired by iconic film stocks like Kodak Portra 400, Kodak Gold 200, Fujifilm Velvia, Classic Chrome, and more. Every parameter is adjustable: contrast, saturation, brightness, film grain, split toning, and a three-point tone curve for shadows, midtones, and highlights.

The real-time preview uses GPU-accelerated SVG filters for instant feedback as you adjust sliders. When you export, a separate pixel-level processing pipeline applies tone curves and split toning at full resolution for accurate results.

Built-in presets

filmsim ships with 9 presets designed to emulate the look of popular film stocks:

  • Classic Chrome — Muted tones with warm highlights and cool shadows
  • Classic Negative — High contrast with inverted color cast
  • Portra 400 — Soft, pastel tones with lifted shadows
  • Kodak Gold 200 — Warm, saturated consumer film look
  • Velvia 100 — Vivid colors with deep contrast
  • Acros — High-contrast black and white with grain
  • Cinematic — Teal-and-orange split toning
  • Faded Film — Low contrast with heavy grain and lifted blacks

Every preset can be used as a starting point. Adjust any parameter, then save it as your own custom recipe. Recipes can be exported as JSON files and shared with others.

Features

  • Real-time preview with GPU-accelerated SVG filters
  • Three view modes: single, before/after split, and side-by-side compare
  • Zoom (0.5x to 5x) and pan controls
  • Export to JPEG, PNG, or WebP with adjustable quality
  • Save, import, and export recipes as JSON
  • Keyboard shortcuts for fast editing
  • Light and dark theme
  • Fully responsive with dedicated mobile interface
  • All settings saved locally between sessions

Privacy

filmsim is built with privacy as a core principle. No images are uploaded. No accounts are required. No cookies are used. The only data stored is your recipe preferences in browser local storage, which never leaves your device. Analytics are anonymous and cookie-free.

Tech stack

filmsim is built with Next.js, React, Tailwind CSS, and Zustand. The UI components are based on shadcn/ui. Image processing uses a combination of SVG filter primitives for real-time preview and canvas pixel manipulation for full-quality export.

Open source

filmsim is open source and available on GitHub. Contributions, bug reports, and feature requests are welcome.