Sepia

Apply sepia tone effect to create vintage, antique, or nostalgic photographs with warm brown tones.

Installation

Usage

Basic Usage

Options

Intensity Guide

0-30: Subtle Warm Tint

• Effect: Slight warm tone, colors mostly preserved
• Use: Gentle warming, modern vintage look
• Example: --intensity 20

40-60: Moderate Vintage Look

• Effect: Noticeable sepia, retains some color
• Use: Contemporary vintage style
• Example: --intensity 50

70-85: Classic Sepia (Recommended)

• Effect: Traditional antique photograph look
• Use: Historical photos, heritage collections
• Example: --intensity 80 (default)

90-100: Strong Antique Effect

• Effect: Heavy brown tones, deep vintage
• Use: Extreme vintage, aged photographs
• Example: --intensity 100

How It Works

Sepia tone uses a recombination matrix:

Intensity parameter blends between original and sepia-toned image.

Examples

1. Default Sepia

Classic sepia effect:

mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg

Result: 80% intensity, traditional vintage look.

2. Maximum Intensity

Full sepia tone:

mediaproc image sepia image.png -i 100

Effect: Deep brown antique appearance.

3. Subtle Sepia

Gentle warm tone:

mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 30

Modern: Contemporary vintage aesthetic.

4. Moderate Effect

Balanced vintage look:

mediaproc image sepia portrait.jpg -i 60 -o vintage-portrait.jpg

Portraits: Natural vintage feel.

5. Batch Processing

Apply to multiple photos:

mediaproc image sepia "photos/*.jpg" -i 80

Collection: Consistent vintage theme.

6. Wedding Photos

Classic wedding album style:

mediaproc image sepia wedding.jpg -i 75 -o wedding-vintage.jpg

Weddings: Timeless aesthetic.

7. Historical Recreation

Simulate old photographs:

mediaproc image sepia modern-photo.jpg -i 90

Historical: Age modern photos.

8. Gentle Warmth

Subtle warm filter:

mediaproc image sepia portrait.jpg -i 25

Portraits: Soft warming effect.

9. Strong Vintage

Heavy antique effect:

mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 95

Artistic: Dramatic vintage look.

10. Comparison Shots

Create intensity variations:

# Light
mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 40 -o light-sepia.jpg

# Medium
mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 70 -o medium-sepia.jpg

# Heavy
mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 100 -o heavy-sepia.jpg

Testing: Find perfect intensity.

11. Verbose Processing

Show details:

mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 80 --verbose

Info: Processing information, dimensions.

12. Preview Effect

Check before applying:

mediaproc image sepia image.jpg -i 85 --dry-run

Safety: Verify settings.

13. Family Archives

Heritage photo collection:

mediaproc image sepia "family-photos/*.jpg" -i 80

Archives: Unified vintage theme.

14. Portrait Studio

Studio vintage portraits:

mediaproc image sepia portrait.jpg -i 70 -o studio-vintage.jpg

Professional: Classic studio look.

15. Social Media

Vintage Instagram aesthetic:

mediaproc image sepia selfie.jpg -i 65

Social: Trendy vintage filter.

Use Cases

1. Historical Photo Restoration

Simulate historical photographs:

# Antique photograph look
mediaproc image sepia modern-photo.jpg -i 85

# Early photography era
mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 90

History: Historical recreation.

2. Wedding Photography

Classic wedding album style:

# Ceremony photos
mediaproc image sepia "ceremony/*.jpg" -i 75

# Reception photos
mediaproc image sepia "reception/*.jpg" -i 70

Weddings: Timeless elegance.

3. Heritage Collections

Family and heritage photos:

# Family portraits
mediaproc image sepia "family/*.jpg" -i 80

# Old building photos
mediaproc image sepia architecture.jpg -i 85

Heritage: Preserve history aesthetic.

4. Artistic Photography

Creative vintage effects:

# Fine art portraits
mediaproc image sepia portrait.jpg -i 60

# Landscape photography
mediaproc image sepia landscape.jpg -i 70

Art: Artistic expression.

5. Social Media Content

Vintage Instagram/TikTok filters:

# Instagram vintage
mediaproc image sepia post.jpg -i 65

# Story aesthetic
mediaproc image sepia story.jpg -i 55

Social: Popular vintage filters.

6. Album Covers

Music album vintage aesthetic:

# Indie album cover
mediaproc image sepia album-photo.jpg -i 75

# Folk music aesthetic
mediaproc image sepia cover.jpg -i 80

Music: Album artwork.

7. Book Covers

Historical fiction book design:

# Period piece cover
mediaproc image sepia book-photo.jpg -i 85

# Vintage memoir
mediaproc image sepia portrait.jpg -i 80

Publishing: Book design.

8. Restaurant Decor

Vintage restaurant photos:

# Historical establishment photos
mediaproc image sepia "restaurant/*.jpg" -i 80

Decor: Vintage ambiance.

Combining with Other Commands

Sepia + Vignette

Classic vintage with darkened edges:

# Apply sepia
mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 80 -o sepia.jpg

# Add vignette
mediaproc image vignette sepia.jpg

Classic: Complete vintage effect.

Sepia + Border

Framed vintage photo:

# Apply sepia
mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 75 -o sepia.jpg

# Add vintage border
mediaproc image border sepia.jpg --width 20 --color "#8B7355"

Framing: Vintage presentation.

Sepia + Grayscale Comparison

Compare effects:

# Sepia version
mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 80 -o sepia.jpg

# Black & white version
mediaproc image grayscale photo.jpg -o bw.jpg

Comparison: Different vintage styles.

Sepia + Reduce Quality

Authentic old photo appearance:

# Apply sepia
mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 85 -o sepia.jpg

# Reduce quality for authenticity
mediaproc image optimize sepia.jpg -q 75

Authentic: Aged photo look.

Sepia + Resize

Create vintage thumbnails:

# Resize
mediaproc image resize photo.jpg -w 800 -o resized.jpg

# Apply sepia
mediaproc image sepia resized.jpg -i 80

Thumbnails: Vintage thumbnails.

Sepia + Pixelate

Retro digital effect:

# Apply sepia
mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 80 -o sepia.jpg

# Pixelate
mediaproc image pixelate sepia.jpg -p 8

Retro: Vintage digital aesthetic.

Technical Details

Sepia Formula

Standard sepia transformation matrix:

• Red channel: 0.393R + 0.769G + 0.189B
• Green channel: 0.349R + 0.686G + 0.168B
• Blue channel: 0.272R + 0.534G + 0.131B

Intensity Blending

Intensity controls linear blend:

• 0%: Original image (no sepia)
• 50%: Half sepia, half original
• 100%: Full sepia tone

Formula: output = intensity × sepia + (1-intensity) × original

Color Characteristics

Sepia tone produces:

• Warm brown tones: Nostalgic feel
• Reduced saturation: Muted colors
• Enhanced contrast: Slightly increased
• Uniform tone: Consistent warmth

Performance

• Very fast: Matrix operation
• Small images (less than 1MP): ~50-100ms
• Medium images (5MP): ~100-200ms
• Large images (greater than 10MP): ~200-400ms
• No quality loss from operation itself

Best Practices

1. Start with Default Intensity

Default 80% works well:

# Classic look
mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg

2. Use Lower Intensity for Modern Vintage

Contemporary look uses subtler effect:

# Modern vintage (50-70%)
mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 60

3. Higher Intensity for Period Pieces

Historical photos need stronger effect:

# Historical (80-95%)
mediaproc image sepia historical.jpg -i 90

4. Test on Representative Images

Find best intensity for your set:

# Test different levels
mediaproc image sepia sample.jpg -i 60 -o test-60.jpg
mediaproc image sepia sample.jpg -i 80 -o test-80.jpg
mediaproc image sepia sample.jpg -i 95 -o test-95.jpg

5. Combine with Other Effects

Enhance vintage feel:

# Sepia + vignette + grain
mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 80 -o sepia.jpg
mediaproc image vignette sepia.jpg
# Add film grain if available

6. Maintain Consistent Intensity

For collections, use same intensity:

# All photos at 75%
mediaproc image sepia "wedding/*.jpg" -i 75

7. Consider Subject Matter

Portraits: 60-80% Landscapes: 70-85% Architecture: 75-90% Historical: 85-95%

Troubleshooting

Issue: Effect Too Strong

Problem: Image too brown, details lost

Cause: Intensity too high

Solution: Reduce intensity

# Too strong
mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 100

# Better
mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 70

Issue: Effect Too Weak

Problem: Barely visible sepia tone

Cause: Intensity too low

Solution: Increase intensity

# Too subtle
mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 20

# More visible
mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 75

Issue: Looks Orange Not Brown

Problem: Image looks orange instead of brown

Cause: This is expected at lower intensities

Solution: Increase intensity for more brown tones

# More brown
mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 85

Issue: Loss of Detail

Problem: Details seem lost

Cause: Sepia reduces color contrast

Solution: This is expected. Consider sharpening after

# Apply sepia
mediaproc image sepia photo.jpg -i 80 -o sepia.jpg

# Sharpen if needed
mediaproc image sharpen sepia.jpg

Issue: Different Results on Different Photos

Problem: Same intensity looks different on various photos

Cause: Original photo colors affect result

Solution: This is normal. Adjust intensity per photo

# Darker photos may need higher intensity
mediaproc image sepia dark-photo.jpg -i 90

# Lighter photos may need lower intensity
mediaproc image sepia light-photo.jpg -i 70

Related Commands

• grayscale - Convert to black and white
• vignette - Add darkened edges for vintage look
• border - Add vintage-style borders
• modulate - Adjust brightness and saturation

Further Reading

• Sepia Tone
• Photographic Toning
• Color Grading