The photo app has come a long way since Instagram’s launch in 2010, but the platform still reigns supreme in content sharing, editing, and community. I don’t know if it’s because it’s free and easy to use, or because it gives you insight into the lives of hundreds of celebrities and influencers. But as a photographer, I’ve lost my love for the ‘gram big time’. And it’s not just me.
Although Instagram is used by millions of people around the world, it is falling out of favor with many still photographers. If you ask them why (and I did), they’ll tell you it increases saturation, decreases discoverability, and leaves little room for artistry. It’s no secret that the Meta-owned company is prioritizing video reels over images to compete with rival network TikTok for user attention. Or it could be that the algorithm makes it harder for the photographer to get his work seen because his feed shows popular content first instead of chronologically.
I’ve been looking for an alternative to Instagram for a while and I think I found it in the photo editing and sharing app VSCO. VSCO, which stands for Visual Supply Company (Very Hipster), was founded in 2012, just a few years after Instagram. He is one of the best photo editing apps. Now that I’ve been on a paid plan for my previous mobile phone for a few weeks, I wish I had known about it sooner.
home screen hero
This is part of a regular series of articles exploring apps you can’t live without. Please read them all.
I recently downloaded VSCO from the App Store. Photo editing on iPhone 15 Pro has been completely improved. I have Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop Express, but I prefer VSCO’s minimalist interface and pro-grade filters, and I can’t wait to start sharing my edits with a whole new community and creative space. yeah.
There’s a clear sense of quality over quantity among VSCO users, and I loved experimenting with the app’s filters and collages. Are there any breakthrough features offered? Not much. Like Instagram, VSCO has both a community and photo editing, but the whole package is more polished and has a cool factor that you can’t find anywhere else.
Plus or Pro are best
VSCO is free on iOS and Android, but it only offers 15 presets and basic exposure adjustments. I found this plan too restrictive and immediately signed up for his 7-day trial of the Plus plan. For $7.99 per month or $29.99 per year, you get over 200 presets, a video editor (plus a GIF editor), and the kinds of editing tools found in Lightroom Mobile, including Dodge & Burn, HSL, Clarity, and more. You can also get unlimited “recipes”. This is the equivalent of saving your own presets so you can reapply the same look to your images later.
Pro membership, available only on iOS, costs $12.99 per month ($59.99 per year) and provides all the features of Plus, plus VSCO’s web editor, Pro presets, and a Pro membership badge on your profile. Considering that Snapseed is a completely free mobile photo editor, VSCO starts to look very expensive. Especially when some of the features that were previously free are now behind a paywall.
It’s good that film emulation reproduces the look of analog photography So Well then. VSCO is great for people who love the best instant cameras, people like me who are stupid enough to pay for trendy aesthetics, and photographers who want to get the most out of the best camera phones without using the full features. It definitely appeals to a demographic. A full-fledged desktop photo editor.
About presets
The VSCO interface is organized and easy to navigate thanks to five main sections at the bottom of the screen: Home, Discover, Studio, Member Profile, and Spaces. On Discover, you’ll find inspirational feeds from the VSCO community (curated by VSCO staff) divided into sections like Geometry and Style. So far, this is the area I’ve used the least, and it’s like delving into the hipster gallery of a college photography department. Still, I feel like the content is much more real than the perfection of Instagram’s search and exploration features. This feature started showing me more cat videos and comedians than creative images (probably because of my browsing habits).
Adding photos from your camera roll or phone folder to Studio takes a moment. I imported a recent batch of shots I took with my Leica M11-P so I could test the presets with pro-grade files. Once the images are there, you can sort them using options like edited, unedited, and unsaved.
Studio is where I’ve spent the most time on Tap so far, and it’s where photographers will find the most value, even if they don’t use any of the app’s other features. Most photo editors are either too basic (like Instagram) or too advanced with too many sliders to barely fit on a phone’s small screen. What I like about his VSCO is that when you tap on an image and click edit, it gives you a bunch of recommended presets for that photo, which can be a great starting point.
Evolve
If presets seem too easy, VSCO’s editing tools offer a series of ways to adjust and enhance tonal levels, color, contrast, clarity, and more using surprisingly responsive sliders. Offers. Edits take effect immediately, but if you don’t like the changes you made, you can undo them by tapping the Undo icon. The “FX” tab is my guilty pleasure. Another step in the Studio editor lets you add frames and textures to your images to make them look like old film snaps. Of course, my digital photos are nothing like that, but when you add noise and light leaks to your photos, there’s an unavoidable level of nostalgia. Importantly, VSCO does it in a way that makes it look real, rather than artificial and fake.
The entire editing process is similar to using Lightroom, and I think anyone who has dabbled in image editors will be able to use VSCO effortlessly. Once you’re done playing around with it, VSCO gives you the option to post it to the platform, save it to your camera roll, or a number of other sharing options depending on your device. My iPhone allows AirDrop to WhatsApp and my iMac. most helpful. You can easily rely on VSCO as a high-end image editor, share your shots elsewhere, and never touch the community elements. Alternatively, you can use VSCO’s camera to add funky effects like double exposure and prismatic effects.
I’ve been exploring ways to take advantage of the app’s collage and montage features to create professional-looking graphics that I can email to potential clients without even starting my computer. VSCO has helped me feel more creative and consistent. The recipe feature has also been a game-changer in making my portfolio look consistent.
Enhance your artistry without using algorithms
I said VSCO is an Instagram replacement, and that’s true in many ways. This allows in-app editing, sharing, and connectivity in one great-looking ecosystem. However, there are no comments or likes, and it’s for pure photography enthusiasts who don’t worry about building a comprehensive social network.Maybe it’s about Instagram did it It was meant for creatives, if the owners weren’t focused on building an ad- and algorithm-heavy behemoth.
I know a lot of creators who are part of supportive communities built around Instagram (British Shooter is a great example), and I rely on Instagram for location inspiration and interaction with other users. is definitely a great one. Maybe it’s because I’ve never put the time or effort into growing my Instagram following, but I love VSCO’s minimalist social elements and the freedom to experiment in a low-pressure environment. Has no one seen the photos I’ve shared? Then it’s no big deal and you won’t be embarrassed.
The longer I spend in the world of technology and cameras, the more selective I become with my equipment, tools, and experience. Instagram has always been the most versatile way to share images with the largest audience, but VSCO allows you to explore untapped niches. It has been set up as a space by creators, for creators, so you can easily perform difficult editing so that you can take professional-looking photos on the go.