The shift to digital brought a number of casualties as favorite film stocks went out of production. But VSCO, the mobile editing app known for its film-like presets, is bringing its digital editing profiles to Lightroom, including a handful of presets that mimic now-discontinued film.
On February 10, VSCO launched a handful of its popular presets on the mobile editing app for Lightroom Classic, Lightroom, and Adobe Camera RAW. The launch isn’t the first time that VSCO has brought its presets to Lightroom, but it brings back the desktop editing presets after VSCO stopped launching new Lightroom presets in 2019.
The list of film-inspired presets coming to Lightroom includes several variations of Fujifilm Neopan 1600, Fujifilm Superia ( 100 / 400 / 800 / 1600), Ilford Delta 3200, Kodak Porta (NC / VC in 160), and Kodak Portra 400 (NC / UC / VC).
While digital presets can’t fully replicate the look of film, digital presets help photographers get closer to the look of the traditional format. VSCO’s launch notably includes some film stocks that are difficult to find. Fujifilm Superia is no longer in production (Superia Premium is still produced, but difficult to find). Fujifilm Neopan 1600 was also discontinued.
While some versions of Kodak Porta remain in production – and are actually quite popular – the filmmaker no longer has separate NC (natural color) and VC (vivid color) stocks.
VSCO says that the community has frequently asked the company to bring back the Lightroom presets after shifting away from the desktop presets in 2019.
The launch of the Lightroom presets, however, is exclusive to VSCO Pro subscribers. The Pro subscription, among other tools, includes Lightroom integration as well as full access to VSCO tools and other options, including a website builder and secure client spaces. Instructions for downloading the presets are available on YouTube.
