Film vs. iPhone | How to Edit Your Pictures Like Film Using VSCO

We’ll dive deep on a few editing tricks you can use to get that film look to your mobile images using VSCO.

Moment 800 T VSCO 1

Can we truly replicate film colors with our phones?

Ah, yes. The age-old question. Is film worth it, given the ever-rising costs? Do I need a second mortgage to fund my endless obsession with Portra 800?

Jokes aside, this article focuses on achieving color accuracy between true film and VSCO film presetsIt's clear that the visual depth of film photos will diverge significantly from those captured on an iPhone – after all, portrait mode is no match for the richness of 6x7 film, right? However, the colors and tones largely contribute to film photography's unique 'feel.' So, with this in mind, we’ll set aside sensor comparisons and concentrate on what truly counts.

Here are a few points to keep in mind from the start:

A few things to note right off the bat:

  1. Generally, the digital photos you see will be taken with an iPhone 12 Pro and noted if otherwise. Similarly, the film photos will be 35mm unless otherwise noted.
  2. The processing of film images varied; some were scanned by camera, and others underwent lab-scanning with various devices. These methods affect the final appearance of the film, but the objective remains to align the digital photo's color and feel with its film counterpart.
  3. We aimed to match the focal lengths between shots as closely as possible, yet there might be noticeable variances in perspective between the paired images. We encourage readers to look past these differences to concentrate on the color comparison, which is, after all, the crux of this discussion.

This is a long one, so pour yourself a cup of coffee and buckle in.

1. Understanding the Different VSCO Presets

VSCO excels as a tool for recreating that nostalgic, film-esque aesthetic. The platform offers a range of presets for iOS smartphones specifically designed to emulate classic analog photography film stocks. Among the plethora of app presets that VSCO generously provides for mobile photographers and videographers (indeed, with VSCO X, these same presets can be applied to videos!), which ones truly deliver an authentic film appearance? While their library is vast and presents many choices, here are several popular options you might consider, depending on your stylistic preference.

A6 - The perfect go-to for a minimalistic edit with lots of contrast and deep vibrance.

B5 - The most classic B&W option boasting pensive shadows and rich depth.

C1 - Bright and color options to mimic film stocks closer to Ektar 100, where the saturation is high and grain is low.

E8 - Bold blues and cooler tones for those with a moody vibe.

G3 - Neutral skin tones perfect for portraits and images close to the human subject.

KP1 - Mimicing Kodak Portra 160 with creamy highlights and punched blacks.

KP4 - Mimicing Kodak Portra 400 for perfecting various skin tones.

M5 - The classic ode to vintage 70s hues, a desaturated and mellow ideal for urban environments and portraits.

SS1 - A dazzling look ideal for street portraits and busy scenes that require a pop of color.

V1 - VSCO's most natural appearing prest with low contrast, open shadows, and a flattened tonality.


2. Ektar 100

Ektar is one of my favorite film stocks. The color, grain structure, and sharpness are all phenomenal. As a 100-speed film, it’s not the most versatile stock, but in the right situation, it sings. I found the Ektar film emulation in VSCO to be one of the most accurate presets we discuss in this article, and it’s also one of my top two most used VSCO presets.

Moment kodak 6031330 Professional Ektar100 Film 135 36 thumbnail

Kodak

Professional Ektar 100 Color Negative Film 35mm

Your film camera will thank you for feeding it the Kodak Professional Ektar 100 film! It offers the finest, smoothest grain of any color-negative film

Buy for $16.99

Ektar 100 35mm Film

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro & KE1 Preset

Ektar 100 35mm Film

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro & KE1 Preset

Ektar 100 35mm Film

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro & KE1 Preset


3. Portra 160

There are multiple versions of the VSCO “Portra 160” preset, and I found that the base version and VC (vivid color) version allowed me to closely match my phone images to the colors of my camera-scanned film images.

Moment kodak 6031959 Professional Portra 160 Film 135 36 Propack 5 Rolls thumbnail

Kodak

Professional Portra 160 Color Negative 35mm Film - 5 Rolls

Treat your film camera! The Kodak Portra 160 35mm film features a significantly finer grain structure, exceptionally smooth, and natural skin tone reproduction

Buy for $69.95

Portra 160 35mm Film

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro + (VC) VSCO Preset

Portra 160 35mm Film

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro + (VC) VSCO Preset

Portra 160 35mm Film

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro + (VC) VSCO Preset


4. Portra 400

Arguably the most popular film stock, this “Portra 400” film preset is native in VSCO and looks pretty accurate to the actual film. Something I particularly appreciate about the “film” presets in VSCO is the added level of control you can manually adjust. Instead of a single slider to adjust the strength of the filter, you get additional “Character” and “Warmth” sliders that provide more fine-tuned control.

Moment kodak 6031678 Professional Portra 400 Film 135 36 Propack 5 Rolls thumbnail

Kodak

Professional Portra 400 Color Negative Film 35mm

Eyeing the go-to choice of pro film shooters? Kodak Portra Film at true ISO 400 delivers spectacular skin tones and color saturation in 35mm format

Buy for $79.99

Portra 400 35mm Film

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro & KP4 Preset


5. Portra 800

This example is the only one in the article comparing 120 film to VSCO. Overall, I’m impressed with the match, but Portra 800 is also my favorite film stock, so I’m a little pickier here. This lighting situation highlights a film's advantage over digital, especially for how it renders ambient tones. The reflected blue light from the sky enhances the richness of the horizon, providing additional vividness.

Moment kodak 8127946 Professional Portra 800 Film 120 Propack 5 Rolls thumbnail

Kodak

Professional Portra 800 Color Negative 120 Film - 5 Rolls

In need of a high-speed film with finer grain, higher sharpness, and more natural skin tones? Kodak Professional Portra 800 120 film delivers in a 5 pack!

Buy for $209.99

Portra 800 120 Film

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro & KP8 Preset


6. CineStill 800T 

Replicating the overall tones of 800T in VSCO is relatively straightforward despite the absence of a dedicated "CineStill 800T" preset within the app. However, the hallmark of 800T is the distinctive halation effect in the brighter sections of an image, a feature challenging to duplicate with a mere one-click preset. The most authentic reproductions typically demand greater effort, often involving a blend of Photoshop actions. Therefore, exploring this aspect more is advisable if you want to render your digital photos akin to 800T.

Moment Cine Still Cine Still 800 Tungsten 135 36 Boxed thumbnail

CineStill

800 Tungsten Color Negative 35mm Film

Are you pushing the limits of light? CineStill 800 Tungsten is the ultimate low light film for your film camera! Rated ISO 200-2000! Can be pushed to 3000!

Buy for $17.99

CineStill 800T 35mm Noritsu Scans

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro & FP8 Preset

CineStill 800T 35mm Noritsu Scans

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro & FP8 Preset

CineStill 800T 35mm Noritsu Scans

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro & FP8 Preset

CineStill 800T 35mm Noritsu Scans

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro & FP8 Preset


7. Fuji C200

This is my first time shooting Fuji C200, and it certainly won’t be my last. The greens and blues are so rich, and there’s a general warmth to the image that I love.

Moment Fujifilm 600022186 Fujicolor 200 36 Exp Single Roll Carded thumbnail

Fujifilm

Fujicolor 200 Color Negative 35mm Film

Need rolls of hassle-free film? Designed for flexibility and ease of use, Fujicolor C200 works equally well outdoors in daylight or indoors with flash

Buy for $10.99

Fuji C200 35mm Film Noritsu Scanned

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro & FS1 Preset

Fuji C200 35mm Film Noritsu Scanned

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro & FS1 Preset

Fuji C200 35mm Film Noritsu Scanned

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro & FS1 Preset


8. Kodak Gold 200

I love Gold 200 for the warmth and saturation you can get out of it, and I was pleasantly surprised by how accurately the "Gold 200" VSCO preset matched this film stock. I generally toned down the warmth in VSCO images, but the colors are spot-on otherwise.

Gold 200 120 Film

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro & KG8 Preset

Gold 200 120 Film

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro & KG8 Preset

Gold 200 120 Film

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro & KG8 Preset

Moment Kodak 1075597 Professional Gold 200 120 Film 5 Rolls thumbnail

Kodak

Professional Gold 200 Color Negative 120 Film

Shoot with the Legendary Kodak GOLD 200 120 Film! A low-speed color negative film, offering outstanding color saturation, fine grain, and high sharpness

Buy for $44.99

9. Ilford HP5

It's a classic B&W film stock with less contrast and milkier highlights. VSCO has a specific preset for HP5 that I found to be pretty accurate. I softened the highlights and pumped up the “Character” slider to get the results nearly spot on the lab scans I got.

HP5 35mm Film Noritsu Scans

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro + VSCO IH5

HP5 35mm Film Noritsu Scans

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro + VSCO IH5

HP5 35mm Film Noritsu Scans

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro + VSCO IH5

Moment Ilford 1574577 HP5 35 MM 36 EXP thumbnail

Ilford

HP5 PLUS Black and White Negative 35mm Film (36 Exposures)

Looking to get a 35mm B&W film that will deliver outstanding sharpness, fine grain, under all lighting conditions? Feed your film camera Ilford HP5 PLUS 35mm

Buy for $9.99

10. JCH 400 

Big thanks to my friend Gene for helping with this stock! As a less widely available film stock, I wasn’t surprised that VSCO didn’t have a JCH 400 preset, but I found the FN16 simulation to work well. Like Ilford, I cranked the “Character” slider to darken the shadows and bring more contrast to the image.

JCH 400 35mm Film Noritsu Scans

Digital: iPhone 14 Pro + FN16 by @geneyoon

JCH 400 35mm Film Noritsu Scans

Digital: iPhone 14 Pro + FN16 by @geneyoon

JCH 400 35mm Film Noritsu Scans

Digital: iPhone 14 Pro + FN16 by @geneyoon

Moment Japan Camera Hunter 163600 JCH STREET PAN 120 SIZE Thumbnail

Japan Camera Hunter

StreetPan 400 Black and White Negative 120 Film

Looking for an easy-to-scan B&W film? The StreetPan 400 has a very fine grain and the high speed make this film ideal for use in a wide range of conditions

Buy for $14.99

11. CineStill BWxx

Arguably the grittiest of the three film stocks I tested. The grain is coarse, and the contrast is punchy, giving the images a bold look. I used the B4 preset and more contrast, plus a heavy helping of “Grain” to get my iPhone images looking like this rich slice of B&W film.

BWxx 35mm Film Noritsu Scans

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro + VSCO B4

BWxx 35mm Film Noritsu Scans

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro + VSCO B4

BWxx 35mm Film Noritsu Scans

Digital: iPhone 12 Pro + VSCO B4

Moment Cine Still CINE Bw XX36exp Film Bw XX 135 36 roll thumbnail

CineStill

BwXX - Black and White Negative 35mm Film

Are you a B&W shooter? CineStill BwXX is a variable speed, classic black & white film emulsion, with an EI of 250 under daylight and 200 under tungsten lighting

Buy for $13.99

12. Tips For Editing Mobile Images to Look Like Film

Creating a film-like look in your mobile images requires attention to several elements that are characteristic of traditional film photography: color, grain, light, contrast, and sometimes even imperfections. Remember, subtlety is often the key; each adjustment should be relatively mild so that the combined effect is convincing and not overdone. Mimicking film is an art, so keep practicing and tweaking your approach.

Keep It Simple

In its very essence, film photography is as simple as it gets. The art of the image itself comes from crafting a stellar subject. The editing should never take away from the original version of your frame. You want to add, not distract.

Add Grain

Film pictures are known for their harsh scratches and granular touch. Some people do not like adding grain to digital images, which is fine, but it will help add depth and texture to your picture.

Adjust the Temperature and Tint

Analog images have a distinct color balance. Depending on the type of film you want to emulate, you might need to shift colors towards warmer (more yellow or red) or cooler (more blue) tones. Simouletanlouelsy used the "Tint" toggles to neutralize your image.

Use Diffusion

Smartphone cameras have software that sharpens images to give them extra crisp detail, but sometimes, the magic of film is in its softness. If you want to replicate the look of vintage lenses, try holding (or mounting!) a diffusion filter in front of your smartphone while you shoot.

Study Film Photos

Look at images taken with film cameras and try to analyze the colors, contrast, and grain. The more you understand what film images look like, the better you can replicate the effect.

Practice and Experiment

Every image is different, and there's no one-size-fits-all setting. Continually practice and adjust your techniques for different photos.

      Read More!

      💌 There's More!

      Enjoyed this read? Subscribe now and receive all the latest and greatest articles straight to your inbox. All original. Community first. 100% ad-free.