In many ways VSCO has become similar to Instagram. You can create an account, edit photos using supplied filters, and share photos publicly. The main difference is that VSCO filters are actually palatable and don’t look like, well, Instagram filters. While both applications offer a free version, VSCO is more closely styled after actual film stocks, and those who pay $20 a year for VSCO X have access to “the most iconic film stocks”; including Fuji Pro 400H, Kodak Porta 160, and Kodak Tri-X.

As of late Instagram has been implementing more Snapchat-like features into the stories, many of which have bled into their parent company’s main app. Recently VSCO announced that it is beginning to introduce video grading capabilities to its flagship application for VSCO X subscribers, which could be great for social stories, or even more.

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VSCO is using the SENS imaging engine, a real-time image processor, enabling direct edit of videos and utilize filters on footage up to 4K/60fps.

VSCO says its version released yesterday is an “early access version” of the feature, which alludes that it is not quite finished. Currently, editing seems to be limited to coloring and grading videos, with controls for contrast and saturation, but no crude timeline features yet, and an Android version coming soon.

To create using the new early access feature:

  1. Make sure you’ve updated your app to the latest version of VSCO.
  2. Open the VSCO app and head over to your Studio.
  3. Tap the banner in your Studio announcing the new Video Editing feature.
  4. Videos from your camera roll will appear. Select a video that you’d like to edit.
  5. Edit your video using a preset from your VSCO X library
  6. Once you’ve finished editing, save your video. This will export the edited video back to your camera roll. (Note: Edited videos will not save to your VSCO Studio).

At the time of writing color grading applications are few and far between on the App Store. With the introduction of color grading to video in VSCO, recording 4K LOG footage ala Filmic Pro, and a handful of other gadgets, captured footage will no longer look like it was shot on a cell phone.