We Tested Selfie Filters, and These Are Our Favorites

When it comes to snapping the ultimate selfie, everyone has their own technique. Whether it’s holding the camera at a certain angle, finding your light, or standing in a flattering position, there are lots of tips for pulling one off. Selfie filters are among the most talked-about tricks for taking them to the next level. Instagram even has its own built-in filters for helping you perfect your selfie, but my personal methodology involves other apps that help to fine-tune the shots.

Some of my favorites include Snapseed and Darkroom, but one I use for almost every photo is VSCO. With over 150 filters (some for free and others for purchase), there’s never a shortage of options. Pretty much every style is in the mix—clean and bright, moody and dark, and a whole series of film-inspired filters like KP3 (for Kodak Porta 160VC) and IH5 (for Ilford HP5) that are named after the camera film they’re supposed to imitate. That can help you narrow depending on the style of your photos.

A student of film photography myself, I was thrilled when I discovered these filters. And beyond just the filters, there’s a whole range of editing tools, including standard ones like exposure and contrast and more specialized ones like grain and skin tone that allow you to perfectly adjust each photo. Here, see how I used VSCO to edit my recent mirror selfie.