Hellobee

Hello! I’m so excited to be back guest blogging here on hellobee. I will be doing a three part series on how I edit my iPhone pictures using three of my current favorite apps. The number one question I get on Instagram is how I get my pictures to have that bright but faded film look and feel. My answer: VSCO! So today, I’ll be showing you how I edit my pictures in VSCO. It may seem a bit tedious at first because I’m breaking everything down into steps, but both these edits were done in under a minute from start to finish.

1. Open up VSCO and press the button on the bottom left corner of your screen to upload a photo from your camera roll. (You can also take a picture directly from the app but I find it more convenient to use the phone camera and then import the image.) Once your image is uploaded into the app, press the Paintbrush icon which will take you to the Filters.

2. There are ten different filters. (My favorites are filter #4, #5, and #10). However, before I apply a filter I want to tweak my image a bit so I press the Tool icon.

3. The first thing I want to do is brighten up my picture so I scroll right to the Sun icon and tap to change my exposure.

4. I increase my exposure +2 then hit Done to get back to the Tools menu.

5. Next, I don’t like how warm (yellow) my picture is so I’m going to cool it down a bit (add some blue). So I scroll left to the Thermometer icon where I can change the temperature of my image.

6. I take it down one notch to -1 and press Done. Now I’m ready to apply a filter.

7. To get to the filters press the icon on the lower left corner that looks like a picture frame.

8. I choose Filter #10 because I like the glossiness it adds to my image.

9. I’m pretty satisfied at this point but I want to add a little bit of contrast because my image feels a bit dull. I click back into Tools and find the Contrast Icon which is a half black/half white circle.

10. I take it up one notch to +1 and press Done.

11. Lastly, to add a little bit of drama and accentuate the subjects I want to darken the edges. This is called a Vignette and the icon is a rectangle with an oval inside.

12. I usually don’t like my images with too much vignetting so I’m happy at +2 for this picture. Press Done and we’re finished!

To save your image, go back to the main menu and tap the rectangular icon with a downward facing arrow and choose the resolution you want. I always save my pictures at Full/Maximum File Size so it takes about 1-2 minutes to save to my photo library.

Edit #2:

For this example, I’m going to assume you know how to navigate VSCO and will briefly just walk through my editing process.

1. Open VSCO and upload picture.

2. Increase Exposure +2. I tend to overexpose my images because I like my photos really bright.

3. Apply Filter #5. I love the faded, rustic look of this filter.

4. Increase Fill Light +2. This fills in the darker areas of your image whereas Exposure brightens/darkens your entire picture.

5. Add Vignette +1. The vignette doesn’t do much for this image but I’m going for an oldie film look so I like adding that bit of contrast along the edges.

6. Increase Contrast +1. Though I’m going for a “washed-out” look I want my colors to pop a little so I add a little bit of contrast. And we’re done!

A few general tips on taking pictures with your phone:

1. Hold your phone as STEADY as possible. This seems like a no brainer but even the slightest movement of your hand can create a blurry picture. Whenever possible, I try to use both hands to take a snapshot.

2. If you have an iPhone, sometimes it’s easier to take a shot using the Volume + button on the side of your phone instead of the shutter button on your screen.

3. Always tap on the screen over the object/subject you want in focus. It speeds things up because usually the camera takes some time trying to figure out what it should focus on.

Hope this was helpful! Next up, Snapseed!