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Using Creative Looks with your Alpha Camera

Elevate your photography with Sony's built-in presets

What are Creative Looks?

Creative Looks are built-in styles in Sony cameras that change how your photos and videos look. You can pick from options like Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Neutral, and Black & White. These styles help you quickly give your pictures a special look, so you don’t need to edit them much later. Just choose the one you like, and your camera will do the rest.

sony creative look examples

Which cameras are compatible with Creative Looks?

Alpha 6700 ZV-1F
Alpha 7C II ZV-1 II
Alpha 7CR ZV-E10 II
Alpha 7 IV ZV-E1
Alpha 7 V FX3
Alpha 7S III RX1R III
Alpha 7R V
Alpha 9 III
Alpha 1
Alpha 1 II

Why Use Creative Looks?

Creative Looks are made for photographers who want to quickly give their photos a certain mood or style. They are inspired by old film and help you get great results without spending a lot of time editing.

You can use these presets to make your photos brighter, more colorful, or more dramatic right in the camera. This makes it easy to change how your pictures look, whether you’re taking lively street photos or dark, moody portraits.

Popular Creative Looks and When to Use Them

ST creative look example

Standard

ST

A balanced style that works well for most subjects and scenes. It’s a great all-purpose look, perfect for everyday photos when you want natural, true-to-life colours.

PT creative look example

Portrait

PT

Softens skin tones for a smooth, flattering look. Best for taking portraits, making people’s faces look natural and pleasant.

NT creative look example

Neutral

NT

Softens colours and sharpness for a calm, gentle look. Good for photos you want to edit later or when you want less colour and contrast in busy scenes.

VV creative look example

Vivid

VV

Makes colours and contrast stronger, so your photos look bright and lively. Great for capturing colourful scenes like flowers, green landscapes, blue skies, or city views.

VV2 creative look example

Vivid 2

VV2

Creates photos with even brighter and more vivid colours, adding extra clarity. Perfect for making colourful subjects stand out and look extra sharp.

FL creative look example

Film

FL

Makes some colours softer while making skies and greenery stand out. Great for natural landscapes or outdoor scenes with lots of blue sky.

FL2 creative look example

Film 2

FL2

Adds a bit more contrast and softens colours for a nostalgic, old-film feel. Good for photos you want to look a little vintage.

FL3 creative look example

Film 3

FL3

Softens contrast and makes colours clear, giving your photos a light and airy look. Great for gentle, bright images.

IN creative look example

Instant

IN

Gives your photos a soft, matte look by lowering contrast and colour. This style is great for a gentle, modern feel.

SH creative look example

Soft Highkey

SH

Gives your photos a soft, bright look with gentle colours and low contrast. This style makes pictures appear lighter and more colourful, creating a cheerful and airy feeling.

BW creative look example

Black and White

BW

Changes your photos to black and white. This timeless style is perfect for artistic shots or when you want to focus on shapes and details.

SE creative look example

Sepia

SE

Turns your photos into a brownish, old-fashioned style. This look is great for giving pictures a classic, vintage feel.

Setting Up Creative Looks
You can easily access Creative Looks in a number of ways.

To switch Creative Looks when in the Intelligent Auto or Scene Selection mode, tap the [Image adjustment] icon and switch looks from the My Image Style settings.

creative looks menu access part 1

You can quickly access Creative Looks through the Exposure/Color menu

creative looks menu access part 2

Once selected, go to Creative Look and select which style you prefer.

creative looks access through fn button

If your camera has a FN button, pressing this will bring up the quick select screen and you can toggle to the Creative Look icon.

camera menu showing creative look selected

If your main camera screen is selected to show all information, any Creative Look you have selected will be shown.

Tips for Getting the Most from Creative Looks - Customising Creative Looks

A great thing about Creative Looks is that you can adjust them to fit your style. After picking a look, you can change things like colour, contrast, and sharpness. This lets you make your photos unique, without needing extra editing on a computer.

Try playing with the settings like contrast, colour, and sharpness to find a style you like. Remember, some looks work better in certain lighting, so test them in different places. For more options, take one photo with a Creative Look and another with the Standard setting. This way, you can compare them or edit the plain version later if you want.

contrast icon

Contrast

Increase this setting (-9 to +9) to accentuate the difference between light and shadow, exaggerating detail, and vividness.

highlights icon

Highlights

Adjusts the presence of bright areas of an image. Increase this setting to boost brightness without washing out shadows (-9 to +9).

shadows icon

Shadows

Adjusts the depth of dark areas of an image. Increasing this setting pulls details from shadow without washing out the image (-9 to +9).

fade icon

Fade

Increase this setting (0 to 9) to apply a washout effect to the image, replicating the subtle fading of an old photograph.

saturation icon

Saturation

Adjusts the intensity of colour, for more vivid or subdued imagery without shifting the overall hue (-9 to +9).

sharpness icon

Sharpness

Adjusts image sharpness by varying the contrast of edges and contours, to enhance or soften detail (0 to 9).

sharpness range icon

Sharpness Range

Adjusts the range across which the sharpness effect is applied. A larger value applies the sharpness effect to finer outlines (1 to 5).

clarity icon

Clarity

Increases the contrast of mid-tones, for subtle detail enhancement (0 to 9).

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