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May 29, 2013

VSCO FILM – HOW I EDIT MY IMAGES

For Photographers

**Edit**
VSCO no longer offers these presets for desktop use. I now use my presets through DVLOP.

I get a lot of emails about how I get my digital images to look the way they do. The truth is that most of it is done in camera, properly exposed images shot in good light is what makes a good image, not the processing. With that said though, I do edit my images. Ever since VSCO film was released in 2011, I have used their presets for all my editing, I rarely even open photoshop these days.

VSCO Film 1,2 and 3 are presets for Lightroom and Photoshop. The three packs have a number of presets made to mimic different film stocks. I use all three packs, which presets I use generally depends on my own mood, i have used and use pretty much all of the presets, but I rarely use more than one colour and one black and white preset per wedding or shoot.

Pack 1 has the most classic looks, pack 2 have a few more dramatic looks and pack 3 are presets made to look like instant film (polaroid).

Not only has VSCO helped me speed up my processing immensly, it has made me happy with my processing. I generally don’t  have to tweak my images at all after I’ve applied the different presets and for someone who shoots as much as i do, that’s amazing.

I also use another product from VSCO called VSCO Keys. VSCO Film cut my editing time in half, when I started using VSCO Keys, my editing time was cut in half again. In short VSCO Keys are keyboard shortcuts for Lightroom and using it has helped me speed things up dramatically.

My favourite presets are Fuji 400, Fuji 800Z, T-Max 3200 ++, Ilford Delta 3200 ++, Superia 100 and Portra 400 NC ++. I use the presets in pack 3 for flavour and mainly on individual shots.

You can buy all film packs and VSCO Keys here.

These images were processed with VSCO Film Pack 01

These images were edited with VSCO Film Pack 2.

These images were processed with VSCO Film Pack 3

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COMMENTS Expand -
  1. Quartiz says:
    Your comment is awaiting moderation. This is a preview; your comment will be visible after it has been approved.
    Amazing clicks and editing, i want to install vsco mod apk

  5. These are amazing! I’ve been searching for presets I like and have been using the VSCO app to edit them after, but this makes it all so much simpler!

  9. Jonas – these examples are *stunning* – thank you so much for sharing! Would you mind if I added a link to this page from my blog (http://natephotographic.com)? I’m doing a series where I go through every film in every VSCO pack to learn more about it’s origins, characteristics, and best uses. I’d love to link to your site as a great example of how these films can be used. Thanks!
    ~Nathan

  15. I’d like to know more about your post processing method, but I can’t find the file with all the answers on springme(sad!)…. any suggestion?
    Love your work, go Jonas!

  16. Hi Jonas!

    Love your work and have been admiring it for some time! I’ve also been using VSCO for a couple of years now and have not been able to achieve consistent editing with it like you have. Half the time I nail it, the other half not so much. So after awhile, it got me thinking that maybe my in camera work needs, well, work. I was wondering how you deal with varying temperatures – do you use auto white balance? Expo disc? and when you expose, do you try to hit the mid level range of the histogram? or do you tend to favor the left side of the histogram? I tend to overexpose my images and I was wondering if I should lay off that habit, lol. Anyways, I believe post editing helps bring your own unique storytelling to life and it’s hard to do that when one can’t post process the way they want it to look. =/ So yah, any pointers in nailing a well exposed pic in camera so I can make my life easier for post processing? Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to read this and for sharing this post!

    -jin-

  17. I am really stunned by seeing these amazing pictures, each and every picture is unique and all backgrounds are so beautiful.I appreciate your hard work.

  25. Nice shots but VSCO makes them all look so flat and dull. Never could understand the big deal with this company. I have NIK and for the price you get so much more. But of course there is no right or wrong. Its your choice in the end.

  28. Great work and VSCO samples. I want to ask you if you have try any collection from film-effect-photoshop? they say its same effect as VSCO, but Photoshop Actions. They have a free sample and want to ask any VSCO user if the final look is exactly the same. Thanks.

  31. Thanks for sharing! I’ve been curious about your editing methods for like ever. I will say though, that just because you use VSCO doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lot of different ways you can change an image. You can’t possible click one preset and be done with it. Do you use the VSCO Toolkit as well or just make minor adjustments by hand? I’m also curious how you feel about clipping blacks and whites in the tone curve.

  32. Well, there goes (insert cost of all three film packs)!! Thanks for sharing, this is amazing. I’m always blown away by not only your shots but your editing. Wanted to pick my favorite film pack to buy but now seeing your samples, I want them all! VSCO should pay you for all the business you just brought them :P

  35. Response to Cam: I don’t think it’s strange at all for Jonas to make this post, and I don’t think this post is about making money (although nothing wrong with that)…as Barbara Di Cretico pointed out in the earlier comments, “no filter can gives us your poetry” – Jonas is just being generous, unafraid to share because he understands that true photography isn’t all about pretty presets, if he gave everyone his kit and workflow, no one would still be able to make the same pictures he does. We are all unique in the way we see things!

  36. Are you a sales rep for VSCO? Very strange post for you to make on a wedding photographers blog. I would have thought your methods of turning out beautiful pics was your intellectual property and not really of interest to your customers. Perhaps there is more money to be made promoting ones own brilliance and taking sponsorship deals.

  37. Amazing work, the images have a completely unique and personal feel that I absolutely love. The beach photo above is completely surreal!

  41. It’s a shame cause I looked up to you thinking you edited everything yourself from the ground up. The fact you use presets that have been designed by other people is unfortunate.

  42. May I just say that you completely had me fooled! I could have sworn you were a FILM photographer!!! Goes to show you have an amazing talent. :D

  43. Thank you for sharing this! I like the idea of how most of the work is done in the camera, that’s how it should be. You are by far my biggest inspiration for photography. You’re even making weddings and love look pretty wonderful to me, and that’s something no one has been able to do before. And let me tell you, you certainly see things others don’t. So you just keep taking care of that gift you have :)

  45. Hej Jonas!
    Jag har precis fått upp ett massivt intresse för fotografering. Jag är fortfarande världens rookie, men tycker att det är så fantastiskt kul och vill satsa alltmer. Nu satt jag och letade efter fotobloggar och råkade hamna på din. Jag är en person som läser bloggar och ALDRIG kommenterar, men jag bara måste tala om för dig att dessa bilder fick mig att tappa andan! Jag vet inte hur jag ska beskriva känslan som nyss uppstod, men det liksom tryckte i bröstet på mig, på ett sätt som både kändes bra och dåligt. Du är en stor konstnär och dina bilder tog mig fullkomligt med storm. Tack! Du har härmed en ny läsare.

    Vänliga hälsningar,
    Clara Sundh

  50. These are so, so, gorgeous! I have drooling over VSCO presents for a while now and holding off thinking I should just stick with making my own presets but this pretty well just sold me.

  54. Ahhh, my love for your photographs is renewed. Thank you! I will look into this VSCO. ;)

  55. Very cool! I’ve been back and forth on picking up one of these sets, it’s quite nice to see which shots you edited using which packs. It’s hard, I tend to lean toward making your own presets instead of adopting already made ones. But if it saves you time… well, time saving in editing is a big deal.

    I always love the feel of your weddings. It’s a lot of lovely quiet moments.

  57. Stunning. Do you use a ND filter for some of the landscape shots? Specifically for the first and fourth landscape-orientated images. I love the one where the couple is seemingly walking into a storm.

  61. Jonas. My God…What an fantastic collection of images. I’m more moved by your take on people than VSCO, and I think your compositions is so aligned with that feeling. Simple and complicated at the same time. I’m also amazed how honest you are with things like post processing, your work and all this feedback to other photographers, whom you inspire SO much. You (and a few others) take wedding photography to a whole new level. It’s so inspiring. Anders Zorn comes to my mind. It’s a compliment I hope. L x

  65. Thanks for sharing Jonas, inspiring as always. However, one thing that would be more interesting to hear about would be your social skills with the couples. How do you connect and communicate to get those shots, the presence, the looks? I would love to read a post on that. Sincerely, David

  67. Åhhh jag blir liksom lite lycklig av dina bilder. Lite kär och lite hänförd. Du är otrolig!

  70. Thank you so much for this insight! I love your photography work, and you have such an eye for capturing all of those special moments.

    I’m currently only using VSCO for Instagram shots at the moment, and am really enjoying the outcome, so on reading this post, it has intrigued me to investigate this a little further to extend to my other photography as well, so thank you!

  73. Thank you for breaking down the individual characteristics of each package. I have been thinking about #2 & 3 recently, but after reading your description, and seeing samples of your work with the three packs side by side helped a lot!

  77. Thanks for sharing Jonas. Great to see some of your older images come back to life through a current post. Lovely rooftop on image #2!

  78. I really like your processing but it’s like you say, most work needs to be made by the camera/photographer. An action/preset won’t do much good on a poorly exposed photo, I have tried and still are some times… :)

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