When it comes to recording life’s precious moments, there’s no denying the fact that our smartphones have become our most accessible tool for the task. With high-end and sophisticated cameras that allow us to take crystal-clear images without the need for a DSLR camera, we find ourselves with the newfound ability to scroll through thousands of images – and all within the easy reach of our pockets.

But when the time comes to edit all those photos, what then? 

While our smartphones come equipped with their native editing apps within the gallery, trying to achieve a certain desired look may be difficult. After all, you can’t exactly blend away blemishes or adjust the colour tone on the native editor.

This is when the VSCO app comes into play. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the VSCO app is a free photo editing app that’s available on both Apple iOS and Android PlayStore. The user-friendly tools and adjustable preset filters make it super easy to customise and bring out the best in your most cherished shots. 

Below, we’re sharing some of our favourite VSCO recipes and the best types of images to apply them to. 

80s Vintage

For those who love the vintage, 80’s kind of look, this recipe is for you. Utilising the A4 preset helps to give the photo a nice warm, natural and even skin tone. By adjusting the ‘Grain’ option, you can add a bit of noise to get that grainy, film effect. 

The Recipe

Preset: A4 +12

Exposure: -0.4

Contrast: -1.7

Highlights (Found under ‘Tone’): +0.3

Temperature (Found under White Balance): +1.2

Tint (Founder under White Balance): +0.2

Skin Tone: +0.5

Clarity: +1.0

Grain: +6.0

Warm Autumn

You can never go wrong with the ‘Fall Aesthethic’. There’s just something about the warm, brown tones that make photos look so cosy and inviting. This next recipe is great as it can be used on people, outdoor scenery and even food! Additionally, you can quickly add on an additional ‘vintage look’ by adjusting the grain.

The Recipe

Preset: M5 +12

Contrast: -0.7

Highlights (Found under ‘Tone’): +2.0

Temperature (Found under White Balance): +1.2

Skin Tone: +3.0

Clarity: +1.7

Grain: +6.0 (Optional)

Faux Golden Hour Glow

Getting a ‘Golden Hour’ photo is something many of us dream about. Unfortunately for most of us, catching that magical time just after sunrise and just before sunset is not such an easy task. But with VSCO and a few minor tweaks, you can manually curate the golden hour effect on any of your photos!

The Recipe

Preset: None

Exposure: -2.7

Contrast: +0.6

Saturation: + 1.2

Temperature (Found under White Balance): +4

Skin Tone: +1.9

Grain: +1.5

Highlight Tint in Orange: +6.5 (Optional)

P.S. The highlight tint in orange is optional and should be used only if the photo you’re using doesn’t have much sun exposure.

Summer Vacation

Have photos of the sun and surf? Maybe a beach shot? Then you can never go wrong with a ‘Summer Vacation’ sort of vibe. This recipe utilises the C1 preset from VSCO’s Vibrant Classic set. On its own, the preset helps to boost colours, making the photos look both vibrant and controlled.

Toss in a few tweaks to the contrast, saturation and tone, you’ll be able to use this recipe for a variety of ‘summer-themed’ shots. 

The Recipe

Preset: C1 Vibrant Classic + 6.0

Contrast: – 3.1

Saturation: + 1.6

Highlights (Found under ‘Tone’): +5.4

Shadow (Found under ‘Tone’): +4.2

Travel Neutral 

Perfect for blogs, travel, lifestyle and outdoor photography, this VSCO travel-neutral recipe helps to give your photos a simple and clean feel. Without doing anything too complicated to the photo, this filter recipe will let the scene speak for itself without the use of bold colour tints or ‘too dramatic’ tones. 

The Recipe

Preset: A4 +12

Exposure: -1.6

Contrast: – 1.0

Highlights (Found under ‘Tone’): +5

Temperature (Founde under ‘White Balance’): +1.4

Viginett: +2.0

City Still 

If you’re looking for a filter that will give your image that muted, contemplative look, this recipe is for you. Utilising the J2 preset on VSCO, this recipe lends those quiet moments that subtle bit of ‘oomph’ to make them a little more defined. We’ve found that this recipe works best with flat lays, portraiture and architectural shots.

The Recipe

Preset: J2 + 8

Contrast: + 1.0

Grain: +2.0

Highlights (Found under ‘Tone’): +5

Skin Tone: +1.5

That concludes our blog post. We hope these VSCO recipes will come in handy when you’re editing your next batch of stellar shots. And if you’re looking to get them printed, do feel free to visit our website.