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Browse all 60 presets →The Stranger Things photo filter: 80s neon through deep shadow.
A free Stranger Things photo editor and color grading preset inspired by the visual aesthetic of Stranger Things, built to give night and low-light photos the show's signature neon glow, warm highlights, and near-black shadow.
Practical neon and 80s horror shadow
Stranger Things builds its look around visible, practical light sources, string lights, arcade marquees, flashlights, the Upside Down's red haze, set against shadows that go almost fully black. It's a deliberate homage to 80s genre filmmaking: warm, saturated highlights doing most of the color work while everything outside them drops into near silhouette.
That contrast is what sells the era and the horror-adjacent mood at once. Rather than an even, filled-in exposure, light sources bloom and scatter into the surrounding dark, which is why this preset pairs a strong glow default with a magenta-red haze layer, the same trick used for the Blade Runner 2049 grade, to let highlights spill outward instead of staying crisp.
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How the Stranger Things color grade actually works
The base adjustment pushes contrast and saturation up together while pulling brightness down slightly, driving shadows toward black without crushing the whole frame flat. A magenta-red overlay then splits the image in overlay blend mode, warming highlights and midtones while keeping the deepest shadows relatively untouched.
A dedicated haze layer, a low-opacity magenta wash across the frame, sits on top of that color grade to simulate the glow bleeding off neon and practical lights. Combined with one of the highest glow defaults in the tool, it's what makes bright points of light bloom outward into the surrounding dark instead of staying sharp and contained.
What to shoot it on
- Night shots with visible light sources. String lights, neon signage, and flashlights are exactly what the glow and haze layers are built to bloom around.
- Arcade, diner, or retro interiors. Mixed warm-and-cool practical lighting plays directly into the preset's magenta-red split.
- Dusk or overcast scenes. Enough ambient light to hold detail, but dim enough for the deep-shadow contrast to read clearly.
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Common questions about the Stranger Things photo filter
Is this an official Stranger Things photo filter?
No. This preset is inspired by the visual aesthetic of Stranger Things' cinematography, it isn't an official filter licensed by or affiliated with Netflix or the show's creators. It's an independent color grade built to echo the look, not a branded tie-in product.
Is there a dedicated Stranger Things photo editor?
This page is that dedicated editor — the Stranger Things grade loads pre-selected in the drop zone above, so you can drop a photo and immediately adjust its haze, glow, and grain without hunting through the full 60-preset library first.
Why does the Stranger Things preset add a pink-red haze?
The show leans heavily on practical neon and sodium-vapor lighting, arcade marquees, Christmas lights, the Upside Down's red-tinted atmosphere, that bleeds color into the air around it rather than staying contained to the light source. This preset adds a low-opacity haze layer on top of the color grade specifically to recreate that bleed.
How is Stranger Things different from the Euphoria preset?
Both lean into neon, but in different directions. Stranger Things splits toward magenta-red highlights over near-black shadows for an 80s-horror, practical-lighting feel, with a strong glow default. Euphoria pushes a cooler purple-blue cast with a dreamier, more washed-out overall look rather than deep, contained shadows.
Does the Stranger Things preset work on daytime photos, or does it need to be dark to start with?
It's built around neon and low-light color separation, so it shows off most on night shots, string lights, or anything with a visible artificial light source. Daylight photos still pick up the contrast and saturation push, just without as much of the signature glow and haze to bloom around.
Why is the default glow so high on this preset?
Stranger Things' 80s-inspired look leans on practical lights (neon signs, flashlights, string lights) blooming softly rather than staying crisp. The preset ships with one of the highest glow defaults in the tool so those light sources scatter and halo the way they do on screen.
What kind of photos look best with a Stranger Things-style grade?
Night shots with visible light sources work best: string lights, neon signs, arcade or diner interiors, flashlight-lit scenes, or anything with mixed warm-and-cool lighting. It also holds up well on moody overcast or dusk shots where the shadows can go deep.
Prefer a different show or film's look? Browse the full library of 60 presets, learn more about cinematic color grading, or head to the homepage to start with a blank slate.