You've seen them. Those grainy, sun-drenched clips that feel like a memory from a summer you never actually had. That's the VSCO aesthetic. It’s a vibe. Honestly, it’s one of the few editing styles that has survived the pivot from Instagram’s hyper-perfection to TikTok’s chaotic energy because it prioritizes mood over everything else. But learning how to make a VSCO video isn't just about slapping a filter on a clip of your iced coffee. It’s a process. You’re basically trying to make digital video look like 16mm film, which is harder than it looks because digital sensors are way too sharp.
Most people fail because they overdo it. They crank the grain to 100, and suddenly the video looks like a security camera feed from 1994. Not good. To get that hazy, "California cool" look, you have to balance the technical settings of the VSCO app with the actual quality of your raw footage. If your lighting is bad, no amount of "C1" or "M5" is going to save you.
Why the VSCO Aesthetic Still Rules Your Feed
Trends come and go. Remember when everyone was obsessed with that weird HDR look where shadows were bright blue? Thankfully, that died. The VSCO look stays relevant because it mimics analog film. Analog is nostalgic. It feels warm. When you understand how to make a VSCO video, you’re essentially learning the basics of color grading, just in a more user-friendly interface.
The app itself, founded by Joel Flory and Greg Lutze, was originally built for photographers. That’s why the video tools feel so high-end compared to the native editors in TikTok or Reels. You aren't getting stickers or goofy transitions here. You’re getting professional-grade presets based on real film stocks like Kodak and Fujifilm. It's about subtlety.
Start With the Right Footage
Before you even open the app, look at what you’re shooting. VSCO filters love natural light. If you shoot in a dark room with fluorescent overheads, the filter will just turn the shadows into a muddy, green mess.
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- Golden Hour is King: Shoot during the hour after sunrise or before sunset. The long shadows and warm tones play perfectly with VSCO’s warmer presets like G3 or M5.
- Keep it Steady (But Not Too Steady): A little bit of natural hand shake adds to the "home movie" feel. Avoid using a gimbal unless you're going for a cinematic travel vlog.
- Frame for the Crop: VSCO is great for vertical video, but if you’re planning on posting to a specific platform, make sure your subject isn’t too close to the edges.
The Step-by-Step Breakdown of How to Make a VSCO Video
First, you need a VSCO membership. While the app has a free version, the video editing tools are mostly locked behind the subscription. It’s worth the few bucks if you’re serious about your "grid" aesthetic.
Open the app and hit the plus icon. Select your video. Now, this is where most people get lost. They see 200 presets and just start tapping randomly. Stop.
Picking Your Preset
Presets are the heart of the app. For videos, the A series (Analog) is usually the safest bet. It gives you those classic, clean tones that look good on basically anything. If you want something moodier, try the M series. It desaturates the colors a bit, making things look a little more "indie film."
Don't leave the preset at 12. Tap the preset again to open the slider. Drop it down to somewhere between 6 and 9. This keeps the colors from looking "baked in" and allows the natural details of your video to breathe.
The Fine-Tuning Phase
After the preset, you need to hit the "Adjust" icon. This is where the magic happens.
- Exposure: If your video is a bit dark, bump it up. But honestly, slightly underexposed videos often look more "VSCO" than bright ones.
- Contrast: Lowering the contrast can give you that "washed out" vintage look. Raising it makes the video pop.
- Saturation vs. Vibrance: Use Vibrance if you want to boost the colors of the sky or grass without making people’s skin look orange.
- Grain: This is the most important part of how to make a VSCO video. Grain adds texture. Set it between 2.0 and 4.0. Anything more than that and it starts looking like static.
- Fade: This is the secret sauce. Fading the video lifts the blacks and gives it that hazy, matte finish that everyone loves on Pinterest.
Advanced Techniques: Speed and Montages
VSCO added a tool called "DSCO" a while back, which is cool for GIFs, but for videos, you want to look at the Speed tool. Slowing down a clip by just 10% or 20% can make a mundane moment feel incredibly significant. It gives the viewer time to actually look at the grain and the colors you've worked so hard on.
If you’re making a montage, you can edit multiple clips at once. VSCO allows you to "Copy Edits" from one video and "Paste Edits" onto another. This is huge. It ensures that every clip in your final video has the exact same color grade, which is the hallmark of a professional-looking edit.
The Recipes Feature
Once you find a combination of settings you love—say, M5 +3.0, Grain +2.5, and Fade +1.5—save it as a "Recipe." This saves you hours of fiddling with sliders in the future. You just tap your recipe, and boom, the video is done.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think a "VSCO video" has to be perfect. It doesn't. In fact, the whole point is that it’s supposed to look a little bit flawed. Professional editors call this "emulating the medium." Digital video is perfect—too perfect. It’s sharp, it’s clean, and it’s sterile. VSCO is about adding those "analog errors" back in.
Don't be afraid of a little bit of lens flare or a shot that's slightly out of focus. Those "mistakes" are what make the video feel human. Also, stop using the "Skins" presets on landscapes. It looks weird. Use the tools for what they were designed for.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Edit
If you're ready to actually sit down and do this, follow this workflow for your next post. It’s the most efficient way to get a high-quality result without getting overwhelmed by the app’s massive library of tools.
- Audit your lighting: Only choose clips that were shot in soft, natural light. Mid-day sun is too harsh and creates ugly shadows that presets can't fix.
- Trim before you tone: Don't waste time editing a 30-second clip if you only need 5 seconds. Use the trim tool first to cut out the fluff.
- The "Double Edit" Trick: Sometimes, I’ll export a video, re-import it, and add a tiny bit more grain or a different overlay. It adds layers of texture that a single pass can't achieve.
- Check the Volume: If you're using a trending song on TikTok later, mute your video in VSCO. Background noise like wind or cars can ruin the "dreamy" vibe.
- Export Settings: Always export in the highest resolution possible. VSCO can sometimes compress videos during the saving process, so check your phone’s storage to ensure you aren't running low, which can cause the app to crash during export.
Once you’ve mastered the sliders, the real trick is knowing when to stop. The best VSCO videos don't look edited at all; they just look like they were filmed on a vintage camera that was found in a dusty attic. Keep it simple, keep it warm, and don't over-saturate. Consistency across your clips is what will eventually build that recognizable "brand" or aesthetic on your profile. Get in there, experiment with the Recipes, and start finding the specific look that feels right for the story you're trying to tell.