Interestingly, this fascination isn't limited to those who remember the cutting-edge gadgets of yesteryears.

The Charm of Classic Photography

The appeal of "classic" photography goes beyond nostalgia and Instagram filters. There's a vast array of apps designed to emulate the look of film, lenses, and visual tricks popular in the pre-digital age. Despite the paradox of using sophisticated smartphone cameras to produce "imperfect" photos that appear oversaturated and low in contrast and sharpness, opting for a vintage look can hone your compositional skills.

For those not ready to invest in original equipment, worry not; you can still revisit the past. Here’s how:

Before embarking on your journey, consider a few things. First, ensure you retain the ability to revert any changes made to the original photo. To be safe, keep multiple copies for experimentation.

Secondly, some apps capture content with permanent classic effects, meaning you'll get photos and videos with an everlasting vintage look. Determine the specific effect you want, as it might not require additional software.

Apps from Google, Samsung, and Apple offer a variety of filters, along with built-in editing tools. By manually adjusting color saturation, temperature, and other factors, your images can resemble those taken by an old film camera.

Exploring Apps

For a broader range of editing tools, "Wirecutter," a New York Times site, recommends Adobe Lightroom and Google’s Snapseed for both Android and iOS. Adobe Photoshop Express also features a selection of filters and frames for photos (Adobe Apps are free but offer in-app purchases; Snapseed is also free).

For historic looks (like 70s Polaroid), there are apps with filters and algorithms designed to mimic traditional film and vintage camera lenses. Simply searching "vintage" or "retro" will lead you to numerous camera or photography apps. Read the app descriptions carefully as some may charge for additional filters, subscriptions, or have specific technical requirements.

Apps for a Blast from the Past

- Hipstamatic for iPhone, considered slightly old-school itself since its 2009 debut, uses filters to replicate images taken with a cheap plastic camera from the 80s (Free trial; $2.9 in-app purchases).

- FIMO Analog Camera for both Android and iOS emulates various film types (Free trial; annual subscription $29.99).

Creating “Classic” Videos and Updating Old Photos

To give your moving images a classic look, Google has designed a set of filters and effects for videos within its Google Photos app for both iOS and Android. Similarly, Samsung’s Video Editor, Apple's Photos app, iMovie, and Clips offer their own video editing filters.

The market is flooded with specialty apps for this purpose, with “Super 16” for Android and iOS (Free trial; six-month subscription for $23.49) being notable. It offers 70 customizable filters for photos and videos, suitable for live recording and effect application to videos.

Nexvio’s 8mm Vintage Camera (available for iPhone at $9.99 a year) allows recording in styles reminiscent of black and white and 70s films.

Refreshing Old Photos : As much as you can give new photos a vintage look, you can also refresh old ones by colorizing them. For enthusiasts, “Colorize” (Free trial; annual subscription $18.99) and “Colorize Images” (Free trial; annual subscription $9.99) use AI to turn black-and-white photos into color images. Both apps are available for Android and iOS.

Genealogy apps such as MyHeritage and Ancestry offer a free coloring tool for their subscribers to colorize photos they wish to upload.

While the results vary depending on the original photo quality, photo updating tools might not appeal to history buffs or black-and-white photography enthusiasts. However, they play a significant role in family tree projects, making ancestors feel more relatable.

In conclusion, not everyone may appreciate the temporal alteration of photographs, but for those who do, there’s an abundance of apps available at a modest cost.