VSCO is a set of presets for Adobe's Lightroom photo-processing application. So what, right? Anyone can make presets all by themselves. But the VSCO presets go a little deeper. Instead of just saving the settings for brightness, white balance ands so on, they manipulate the Camera Profiles themselves. That is, they tell Lightroom to interpret the RAW image data in different ways.
Thus, they can emulate film in a similar way to that in which film reacts to light, changing the software's response to different colors and intensities of light. An added advantage is that you start from scratch and can apply all your usual presets on top of an unadjusted photograph.
The VSCO presets only work with Nikon and Canon cameras. Use anything else and you'll get the effects rendered in the usual way, by tweaking the normal adjustments. Canon and Nikon packs cost $120 each, and if you want both you can grab the Studio pack for $200.
So if you want the look of old Kodak, Ilford and Fuji films, but don't like the primitive controls film gives you, take a look. Available for download now.
