Review: VSCO

I have been using this app sporadically the past few years. It started life as a film simulation app but has now morphed into a full fledged social media app in itself. If you are looking for some fancy effects or snapchat like filters, this is not the app for you. It set out to be a serious photographers' favourite.

What I like about it though is it's feed. Unlike Instagram, the artists and creators on VSCO have a distinct fine art feel to it. Lots of the work is very conceptual and not very mainstream.

The VSCO camera on the iPhone that I tested out, is a full featured pro version similar to what you will find on the Adobe Lightroom app. You have full control over White Balance, ISO, Flash, Shutter Speed. Unlike the Android version, on the iPhone, you can separate out the focus and exposure by a two finger swipe gesture. It also has a very helpful level feature which helps you in properly orienting your horizon in your image. Finally, you can shoot in Raw. My view - a more than capable camera, better than your native app.

This is where VSCO really shines. With a massive library of film simulation filters, you can really a unique VSCO look for your images. The catch here is not all of them are free - to unlock the whole library you will have to pay. VSCO membership costs $19.99/year and comes with a free 7-day trial. But it is certainly worth it. Not to mention the functionality will be limited to some basic filters, editing tools like Contrast and Saturation, and browsing community content.

The app has traditional photography edit options, such as Exposure, Contrast, Straighten, Crop, Sharpen, Saturation, Highlights & Shadows, Tint and Fade. Almost all tools have slider controls. One unique feature is the skin tone feature that helps edit your portraits.

This is a great all in one solution for photo editing and sharing. It is a bit pricey but well worth every dollar for the amazing film quality emulation tools that you will find in this app.