How do I make a video look like it is on a film strip?
Pick 35 mm strip, Colour negative or Black-and-white film. The clip sits between two bands of sprocket holes, drawn into every frame.
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Put a video in a film strip frame
Choose the film stock: 35 mm, colour negative, black-and-white, Super 8, a vertical strip for Reels, slide mounts or a cinema marquee.
To put a video in a film strip frame, open it above. This page starts on 35 mm strip: black bands above and below the picture, punched with rows of sprocket holes. Choose another stock under the Film category if you like, then press Export video.
Real film formats each have a recognisable edge, and the looks here follow them. Colour negative has the orange base of a developed roll; Super 8 has a rounded gate, a light leak and grain; Slide mount sets the clip in a square card like a projector slide. They are all drawn rather than overlaid, so there is no transparent window to line up. The classic Film strip from the video frames page is here too, with its own Film colour field.
How to add a film strip border
Open the clip
Add your video to the page. It starts inside the 35 mm strip with its sprocket holes.
Choose the stock
Open the Film chip in the gallery. On a computer, hover a tile to try it on your clip before you click.
Age it, or keep it clean
Where a look has grain, the Texture slider makes it heavier or lighter. Scratched film adds wear for an old-reel feel.
Export
Press Export video and download the strip as an MP4, or WebM where your browser offers it.
The film looks
Strips
35 mm strip, Colour negative and Black-and-white film run sprocket holes along the top and bottom. Vertical film strip turns them to the sides and is made for 9:16, so a phone clip reads as a strip running down the screen.
Home movie
Super 8 frames the clip in a rounded gate with a warm light leak and grain. Scratched film adds a worn, scratched texture for footage that should feel decades old.
Slides and cinema
Slide mount, Grey slide mount and Card slide mount sit the picture in a projector slide with a soft shadow. Cinema letterbox adds plain black bars top and bottom, and Cinema marquee rings the clip with bulb lights like a picture-house sign.
Matching the picture to the frame
A frame sets the mood, but the footage inside keeps its own colours. For a black-and-white strip, a colourful clip can look out of place; under More options, Video effect has a Duotone setting that tints the picture in two colours, which pairs well with the monochrome looks. For a vintage roll, keep the clip short and the edit simple: a single, slow shot suits film better than fast cuts.
- Turn off Same width on every side under More options to make the top and bottom bands deeper or slimmer.
- For a feed post, set Shape to 4:5 and the bands grow to fill the taller frame.
- The Frame swatches under Look colours recolour the details of the strip.
Film strip or VHS?
If your nostalgia is more 1990s than 1970s, the Retro category has VHS tape, with a PLAY ▶ label and a tape counter on screen, plus 80s grid and Synthwave. In Tech and HUD, Camcorder adds a viewfinder whose timecode counts up with the video. For a cleaner modern edge round the same clip, try a white border.
Film strip frame questions
Is there a vertical film strip for TikTok or Reels?
Yes. Vertical film strip runs the holes down the sides and is made for 9:16; choose it and press the button to switch the shape if you are on another one.
Do I need a green screen or overlay file?
No. The strip is drawn round the picture directly, so there is nothing to key out or line up, and the whole clip stays in view.
Can I add grain to the film border?
Looks such as Super 8, Colour negative and Black-and-white film have a Texture slider for the grain in the frame.
Does the film frame lower the quality of my video?
Every frame is redrawn, so the clip is re-encoded. Choose High under Quality to keep it close to the original.