Weirdcore aesthetic editing: how to create it?

When we think about trending aesthetics, the first thing that comes to mind is pretty images. They’re pleasant to look at, and are intended to make us feel good while instigating the desire to be somewhere, or to have something. Right?

Well, that is the opposite of what the weirdcore aesthetic provoques. As the name implies, this is the aesthetic of weirdness, and many would be surprised to find out just how popular it is!

So let’s dive into the strange world of weirdcore, learn how to create some cool edits, and understand a bit better what it brings to the table within the aesthetic world.

weirdcore aesthetics
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What is weirdcore aesthetic?

Yes, you guessed it right. Weirdcore is all about weird stuff. Surrealist images that evoque confusion, dread and nostalgia feelings. In most cases, weircore is not shocking per se, but softly creepy in a mundane way. Often the simplicity is what makes it so strange and uncomfortable! That is the beauty of weirdcore.

Weirdcore images are amateurish and edited with graphic techniques and technologies considered unsophisticated and outdated. According to Aesthetics Wiki, “visually, it is strongly influenced by the general look and feel of images shared on an older internet, roughly a period spanning from around the late 90’s to mid 2000’s”.

Some of the elements commonly present in general weirdcore imagery are human eyes everywhere (except where they belong), retro objects like old tv sets and 90’s electronics, and familiar places out of their normal context. 

Within Weirdcore, or directly related to it, these aesthetics carry more specific themes.

Dreamcore aesthetic

It’s nearly impossible to describe the aesthetic of a dream. The dreamcore aesthetic intends to emulate that unexplainable feeling with images that are surreal, unexpected and strangely familiar at the same time. 

Many elements of this aesthetic are similar to weirdcore. Dreamcore does not intend to provoke an uneasy feeling or a sense of threat, however. It’s still pretty weird, but more related to positive feelings of being relieved from real life struggles we have while we’re in a dream.

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

Liminal space aesthetic

The term “liminal space” refers to a transitional or threshold space, and in the context of aesthetics, it refers to an aesthetic style or atmosphere that is characterized by a sense of being in between, or on the threshold of, different states or conditions. Liminal space aesthetic centers around images of common, familiar places when they’re empty and not functional. We often see those in passing in real life and barely notice them. When captured in a photo and carefully observed, though, they can bottle up this uneasy feeling of apprehension and even abandonment. Super weird!

While some editing can be done to make liminal places look more creepy or unsettling, usually the images are raw, no external elements added.

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

Now that we’ve covered the basics on weirdcore, here are a few edits you can try.

Let’s get weird!

Adding weird eyes to pictures

Is there anything more fascinating and potentially creepy than the human eye placed where it doesn’t belong? No wonder some of the most popular weirdcore images include cut out eyes all over the place!

For portraits and selfies, for example, a great weirdcore edit idea is to place a third eye on your forehead, creating a disturbing image. 

The goal, of course, is not to create a beautiful work of surrealist art. So the cropping of the eye doesn’t need to be perfect at all. And if your image is high-quality and sharp, make sure you add a retro filter in the end. Weirdcore images are often amateurish. Or at least look like it.

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

With the BeautyPlus app you can use the Remove BG tool to cut out the eye and save it as a transparent png. Then, open your original image again and place the eye in the middle of the forehead. Looks really cool!

Replacing head with other objects in pictures

The TV head is another iconic weirdcore type of image that is simple to recreate with an editing app. Search for an old TV set png that already has a transparent background, or generate one yourself with the BeautyPlus app and import it to your main pic.

After positioning the TV in front of the head, you can include text, stickers or even draw something on the screen. As always, I finished the edit below with a rough filter to make it look low-quality.

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

How to add text to weirdcore aesthetic edits

Text can play a big part on weirdcore edits. And they’re always extremely simplistic, even childish looking.

That’s why you should use fonts that are as basic as possible, and primary colors that don’t match the image nicely. Usually bright red and green are the best choices.

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

What to write also matters here! Weirdcore images don’t make sense, so your edit’s text shouldn’t either. We often see pictures with only half a sentence written, in this aesthetic. Or phrases completely out of context. 

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

The best weirdcore filters

As I’ve mentioned above, weirdcore aesthetics aim to look quietly disturbing and provocative. No pretty filters to enhance the photo and make it look professional! Go for filters and effects that will make the picture distorted or old. In some cases, no filter at all can be the best option.

How to create weirdcore aesthetic wallpapers

There are endless possibilities when it comes to weirdcore aesthetic wallpaper options. 

In this case below I used a photo that was already super cool and had a weirdcore vibe. First step was to include some pretty butterflies using a sticker from the BeautyPlus app. They went from lovely to super weird instantly when I placed the creepy eyes on them.

Check it out:

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

weirdcore aesthetics

Easy, huh?

Weirdcore might not be the prettiest aesthetic, but it 100% is one of the coolest! So if you haven’t tried it yet, it’s time to get out of your comfort zone and learn more about it. It can be quite refreshing to work on edits that are less about achieving perfect visuals and more about experimental provocative concepts, don’t you think?

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