VSCO M5 Filter for Lightroom: The Muted Fade Look Explained

VSCO’s M5 filter is one of the warmest, most faded looks in the M-series. Lifted blacks, warm highlights, a muted overall palette, and a softness that works for lifestyle, travel, and natural-light portraits. Here’s what M5 actually is, how to build it in Lightroom, and which film stocks come closest.

Key Takeaways:

• M5 is a native VSCO mobile filter, not a Lightroom preset and not a film emulation
• Its defining character is a warm highlight fade combined with strongly lifted blacks, most recreations miss the highlight warmth and only lift the blacks
• Fujifilm Reala 100 and Agfa Vista 100 are the closest analog film stocks in character: muted, slightly warm, clean and soft
• You can recreate M5 in Lightroom with six adjustments covered below
• The Classic Film Presets Collection from Legendary Presets includes Agfa Vista 100, which produces the closest analog-stock result to M5’s palette
  

  01.

  What Is the VSCO M5 Filter?

  M5 is part of VSCO’s M-series mobile filters. Where the A-series (including A6) tends toward clean and cool, the M-series runs warmer, softer, and more faded. M5 sits in the middle of the M-series range, warmer than M3, less aggressively vintage than M6.

  The visual character of M5:

  • Strongly lifted blacks: the shadow floor sits higher than in A6, creating a more pronounced fade
  • Warm cast in the upper midtones and highlights (a slight orange-yellow push)
  • Overall desaturation, particularly in blues and greens
  • Soft, low-contrast rendering without feeling flat
  • A hazy, ambient quality that reads as nostalgic without being heavily stylized

  M5 became popular for lifestyle content, golden-hour travel photos, and natural-light portraits. It works well on warm-toned subjects and tends to flatten anything with strong cool colors.

  02.

  Is M5 Based on a Film Stock?

  No. Like the A-series filters, VSCO’s M-series are native digital filters built for their mobile app. M5 was not derived from a specific film emulsion scan. VSCO’s Film preset series (Film 01 through 07) were the analog film emulations. The M-series is a separate product with a separate design logic.

  That said, M5’s palette overlaps meaningfully with a few film stocks, more so than A6 does, because its warmth and muted quality are characteristics that certain color negative films naturally produce. The overlap is genuine, just not intentional on VSCO’s part.

  If you want a deeper look at what VSCO Film presets actually were and what has replaced them, the VSCO Film Presets for Lightroom Are Gone article covers the full picture.

  03.

  How to Recreate the M5 VSCO Filter in Lightroom

  M5 is built around two moves most people get right and one they consistently miss. The black lift and the desaturation are obvious from looking at the filter. The highlight warmth is subtle but it’s what makes M5 feel like M5 rather than a generic faded preset.

  

  Here are the six adjustments, in order.

  1. Lift the Blacks Strongly

  In the Tone panel, pull Blacks up to +35 to +45. This is a heavier lift than A6. M5’s fade is its most recognizable quality and it starts here. On low-key images or anything with deep shadows, push toward +45. On brighter, already airy shots, +35 is enough.

  2. Lift Shadows Slightly

  Add a small Shadows lift of +10 to +15. Unlike A6 (where lifting shadows fights the shadow color grading), M5’s warm character means the shadow lift adds to the overall softness rather than working against it. Don’t overdo it, the Blacks lift is doing the heavy work.

  3. Reduce Contrast

  Drop Contrast by 15 to 20 points. M5 is not a flat preset, but it has a relaxed tonal range. The contrast reduction keeps the midtones from getting muddy while the Blacks lift is already softening the lower range.

  4. Warm the Highlights in Color Grading

  This is the step most recreations skip. Go to Color Grading and in the Highlights wheel, push the hue toward orange-yellow with a saturation of 8 to 12. Keep it subtle. You are not going for a golden-hour effect, you want the highlights to read as slightly warm on close inspection. This is what separates M5 from a cold or neutral fade.

  If you want to compare: A6 is cool in the shadows and neutral in the highlights. M5 is neutral in the shadows and warm in the highlights. The warmth sits at the top of the tonal range, not the bottom.

  5. Reduce Saturation

  Drop overall Saturation by 10 to 15 points. Then go to the HSL/Color panel and pull Blues down an additional 10 points and Greens down 5 to 8 points. M5’s desaturation is not uniform, it flattens cooler hues more than warmer ones, which preserves skin tones while muting backgrounds and skies.

  6. Reduce Highlights Slightly

  Pull Highlights down by 10 to 15 points. This controls the brightest parts of the image and keeps the warm highlight color grading from reading as overexposed. The result is a smooth, slightly contained highlight that still glows without clipping.

  My pro tip: Apply the highlight color grading before you reduce saturation. If you desaturate first, you’ll need more saturation in the Color Grading wheel to see the effect, and you’ll overcompensate. Get the warmth in place, then pull back on saturation globally.

  Get the Classic Films Collection

  Don’t waste hours obsessing over grain sliders. Get authentic film texture across 14 classic stocks – Portra, Ektar, Fuji Pro, TRI-X and more – with presets, profiles and LUTs included.

  Classic Film Preset Collection →

  04.

  Analog Film Stocks Closest to M5

  Neither Reala 100 nor Agfa Vista 100 is an exact M5 match, but both share the right underlying character: muted, warm, clean without being clinical.

  

  Fujifilm Reala 100 was Fuji’s most balanced consumer color negative film. It had accurate, slightly restrained color rendering with clean highlight rolloff and a subtle warmth in the upper midtones, the same tonal region where M5’s color grading lives. It reads natural rather than stylized, which gives it the same low-key quality M5 has at its best. Reala 100 is discontinued as a physical film but is well represented as a preset emulation.

  Agfa Vista 100 sits slightly warmer and more saturated than Reala, but in a soft, pastel way rather than a punchy way. Its color palette is muted by saturation constraints rather than by cool desaturation, which matches M5’s warm-muted character better than most Kodak options. It also has a low-contrast, slightly hazy quality in daylight that overlaps with M5’s ambient feel.

  Both stocks are included in the Classic Film Presets Collection, which covers 14 film stocks with XMP presets, Lightroom profiles, and LUTs. For the full range of Fuji stock equivalents, the VSCO Fuji presets replacement guide is worth reading alongside this article.

  05.

  M5 vs A6: The Key Difference

  Both filters lift the blacks. That’s where the similarity ends.

  

  A6 is cool in the shadows, clean in the highlights, and desaturates greens and cyans. It reads as editorial and minimal. M5 is warm in the highlights, muted across the board, and desaturates blues more than greens. It reads as lifestyle and nostalgic.

  If you have already built an A6 look in Lightroom, you can shift toward M5 by: removing any cool shadow color grading, adding warm highlight grading, desaturating blues more aggressively, and increasing the Blacks lift by another 10 to 15 points. The two looks share the same structural logic but land in different emotional territory.

  For a full breakdown of the A6 filter, there is a dedicated guide: VSCO A6 Filter for Lightroom: What It Is and How to Recreate It.

  06.

  What Is the VSCO M5 Filter and How Do You Get It in Lightroom?

  VSCO M5 is a mobile app filter, not a Lightroom preset and not a film emulation. Its look comes from six adjustments:

  • Strongly lifted blacks (+35 to +45)
  • Slight shadow lift (+10 to +15)
  • Reduced contrast (-15 to -20)
  • Warm highlight color grading (orange-yellow direction, saturation 8-12)
  • Reduced saturation (-10 to -15 globally with blues pulled further)
  • Slightly reduced highlights (-10 to -15).

  The closest analog film stocks are Fujifilm Reala 100 and Agfa Vista 100.

  07.

  VSCO M5 Settings in Lightroom

  Adjustment	Panel	Starting Value
  Blacks	Tone	+35 to +45
  Shadows	Tone	+10 to +15
  Contrast	Tone	-15 to -20
  Highlights	Tone	-10 to -15
  Saturation	Presence	-10 to -15
  Highlight hue (color grading)	Color Grading	Orange-yellow, saturation 8-12

  08.

  The M5 Job I Nearly Got Wrong Because I Skipped the Highlight Warmth

  A lifestyle brand brought me in to edit a product shoot. Natural light, warm interior, lots of linen and wood tones. They referenced M5 specifically. I built the look quickly: lifted blacks, pulled contrast, desaturated. It looked close on the preview. I sent a test batch.

  

  They came back saying it felt too cold.

  I went back into the file and looked at it against a reference M5 export I had from a client who used VSCO mobile. The shadow rendering was right. The desaturation was right. The highlight warmth was missing entirely. Without that subtle orange-yellow push in the highlights, my version looked like a generic faded preset. M5 looks like M5 because of where the warmth sits, not because of how far the blacks are lifted.

  I added highlight color grading at saturation 10, orange direction, and resent. They approved immediately.

  That session is why I now teach M5 as a highlight-warmth look rather than a faded look. The fade is visible. The warmth is what makes it feel right.

  09.

  FAQ

  Is VSCO M5 available as a Lightroom preset download?

  No. M5 is a filter in VSCO’s mobile app and was never sold as a Lightroom preset. VSCO’s Film preset series (Film 01 through 07) were the downloadable Lightroom products. Those were discontinued in March 2026. The VSCO Film Presets Download guide covers the full download situation. For M5 specifically, the only option is recreating it manually using the adjustments above.

  What’s the difference between M5 and A6?

  A6 is cool in the shadows, clean in the highlights, and reads as minimal and editorial. M5 is warm in the highlights, more heavily faded overall, and reads as lifestyle and nostalgic. If A6 feels too cold or clinical for your work, M5 will suit you better. If M5 feels too soft or warm, A6 is the tighter, more controlled option.

  What film stock is M5 most similar to?

  Fujifilm Reala 100 is the closest in character: muted, slightly warm in the upper midtones, clean highlights, low contrast. Agfa Vista 100 is the second closest, with a slightly warmer and softer palette. Neither is an exact match because M5 is a digital filter, not a film emulation, but both stocks produce images that share the same tone and mood.

  Does M5 work well on portraits?

  Yes, particularly natural-light portraits in warm or neutral settings. The highlight warmth is flattering on skin tones. The lifted blacks reduce harsh shadows around the face. One thing to watch: M5 can flatten blue eyes significantly because of its blue-channel desaturation. If that’s an issue, pull the Blues back up in the HSL panel to compensate.

  Can I apply M5 in Lightroom Mobile?

  Yes. The panels in Lightroom Mobile are identical to the desktop version. Build the six adjustments, save as a preset, and sync to mobile via your Adobe account. The touch-based sliders are less precise for Color Grading but the range and results are the same.

  Related Articles

  • VSCO Film Presets for Lightroom Are Gone: Here’s What to Use Instead
  • VSCO A6 Filter for Lightroom: What It Is and How to Recreate It
  • VSCO Fuji Presets for Lightroom: Superia, Neopan and What to Use Now
  • VSCO Film Presets Download: What’s Available
  • VSCO Film 02 Lightroom Presets: The Complete Alternative Guide

  Richard is a commercial and editorial photographer with over 15 years behind the lens. He’s shot on film and digital across three continents, and still keeps a Nikon F3 loaded with Kodak Portra on his desk. At LegendaryPresets, he leads preset development – studying actual film scans to make sure every stock behaves like the real thing.