Instagram's retro flash filter is both viral and controversial. But I’m a photographer, and that retro flash look is actually easy to create with almost any camera

Instagram’s new “flash look” filter quickly went viral on social media – but not without its controversy. The new filter quickly went viral for the retro look, but some users reported the AI-generated filter drastically changed their face and even ethnicity.

The viral Instagram flash filter mimicked the retro flash look with harsh shadows and film-like colors. The filter briefly disappeared from the app's options but has since returned.

The filter isn't among the usual carousel of Instagram filters. Instead, the viral Instagram flash filter was a “Create with AI” option located inside Stories and Effects that uses AI to re-generate the photo with the popular retro look.

While the filter quickly went viral, some users reported that the tool appeared to change ethnicity . I tried it out myself, and it certainly created a retro look, but it also changed my eye color from blue to green, serving as a reminder of one of the pitfalls of using generative AI.

The Instagram flash filter went viral for all the wrong reasons – while some loved the look, others realized the shortcomings of AI-generated imagery, including portraits that no longer looked like the person in the photograph.

But here’s the thing – I’m a photographer, and I think the retro flash look is actually one of the easiest flash effects to create, even if all you have is a smartphone. While using flash to mimic natural light or create dramatic portraits takes time, practice, and expensive lighting set-ups, the direct flash look is as simple as just turning the built-in flash on.

The look that the viral Instagram filter comes from is based on the look of 35mm film compact cameras, which were consumer cameras and not complicated options geared towards professionals.

Getting the retro direct flash look in camera has just one key step: Turn the flash settings to always on.

How to get the viral retro flash look on a smartphone

On a smartphone, tap the lightning bolt icon to turn the flash to “Flash on” or “Always on.” (On an iPhone, tap the advanced settings menu icon next to the flash icon, then tap the flash option until “Flash On” pops up.)

A smartphone flash isn’t always super powerful, so the retro flash look is easiest to recreate indoors and in limited light than outdoors on a sunny day. Move the phone physically closer to the subject rather than switching to a zoom lens, as getting in close will create those dark shadows. The rear-facing flash is also the strongest, so this effect doesn’t work very well with the selfie camera.

Pro tip: If the flash look isn’t strong enough, try lowering the exposure. Taping the screen, then drag the sun slider to make the image a bit darker.

That creates the harsh shadows, but you’ll need to open a photo editing app – or apply one of Instagram’s filters – to finish the look with the retro film-like colors. Once you have taken a photo with the flash on, then just open an image editor and apply a retro preset – VSCO is my favorite for retro filters. The free VSCO camera app is also great for controlling the flash on a smartphone and adding other film-inspired effects.

How to get the retro flash look on a mirrorless or compact camera

A compact camera or a mirrorless camera can create an even stronger retro flash look, as the flash on dedicated cameras tends to be even stronger. If your camera doesn’t have a built-in flash – which is becoming more common on high-end and compact mirrorless cameras – you’ll need to add a hot shoe flash. But, even a cheap flash can mimic the direct flash look.

For the retro look, go into the camera settings and set the flash to always on. You don’t want to use auto flash because if the scene is bright enough, the flash won’t fire at all.

If you’re using a hot shoe flash, just power the flash on and leave it on auto and unmodified.

While flash modifiers are often key to getting a specific look, for the retro flash look, you want an unmodified flash – don’t add a diffuser or tilt the flash to bounce off the ceiling. Aim the flash right at the subject with no modifiers; this creates those harsh shadows.

In most instances, you won’t even need to take the flash off auto mode, as most auto flash modes tend to create those harsh shadows. But if the flash isn’t harsh enough for the retro look, use flash compensation to increase the power of the flash.

Finally, open the images in your favorite photo editor and apply a retro preset to finish the look with colors like the 35mm film the AI preset is inspired by.

I love the retro flash look – but frankly, I think using AI to get a retro look feels like an oxymoron. Using energy-hungry AI to get the look is silly when it’s as simple as turning on the flash and using a retro, non-AI filter to modify the colors.

You may also like

Want to go all in on that retro compact camera look? Here are the best retro cameras. Or, take a look at the best hoe shoe flashes.