VGCO Tri-X: Classic Film Looks by Very Good Presets

Downloadable Files

You can download Tri-X Discover Classic Film Looks for free from the end of this page.

Tri-X Discover Classic Film Looks by Very Good Presets

Tri-X has been associated with black-and-white photography for decades, appearing across photojournalism, portraits, street photography, fine art, and many other genres. VGCO Tri-X Discover Classic Film Looks by VGCO is designed to bring the recognizable character of this film stock to digital photographs while retaining room for individual adjustments.

Rather than creating a generic monochrome conversion, the preset focuses on several characteristics associated with the VGCO Tri-X aesthetic: strong contrast, shadows that retain depth, visible grain, and an intentionally gritty appearance. The package also includes modifiers, giving photographers additional control over the final result instead of limiting them to a single fixed look.

Recreating the Character of Tri-X

The central purpose of VGCO Tri-X Discover Classic Film Looks is to translate the character of Tri-X into a preset suitable for digital files. Its black-and-white rendering is built around high contrast without simply pushing dark areas into solid black.

This distinction matters to the overall look. Shadows maintain depth, keeping darker areas visually present while still contributing to the strong contrast that defines the look.

Grain is another prominent part of the preset. It is intentionally noticeable rather than a barely visible finishing effect. Combined with the contrast and shadow treatment, it creates the gritty, confident visual character around which VGCO built the preset.

The resulting style is not restricted to one type of subject. The supplied examples show the look across portraits, outdoor scenes, interiors, street photography, landscapes, coastal scenes, and low-light photos.

Preset and Modifiers

The package includes more than just the main Tri-X preset. VGCO also provides a collection of modifiers that let photographers adapt the base look to their own images.

This creates a straightforward structure:

Apply the Tri-X preset → Use the included modifiers → Adjust the look for the image

The main preset establishes the core black-and-white character, while the modifiers let you personalize that starting point. This approach is useful when working across photographs with different subjects, lighting conditions, and compositions, where an identical treatment may not suit every image.

A user guide is included alongside the preset and modifiers.

A Black-and-White Look Across Different Subjects

The sample photography supplied for Tri-X shows how the preset behaves across a broad range of photographic situations rather than presenting it only on controlled portraits.

Portrait examples include both close-up and environmental photographs, while other images cover mountain landscapes, beaches, fields, urban sidewalks, restaurants, interiors, and snowy outdoor scenes. The set also includes photographs with strong natural shadows and dimly lit environments.

This range highlights the VGCO Tri-X treatment's intended versatility. Its combination of pronounced grain, strong contrast, and dimensional shadows can remain recognizable even as the subject matter changes considerably.

For photographers who work across multiple genres, that means the preset can serve as a consistent black-and-white foundation rather than being tied exclusively to portrait, landscape, or street photography.

Lightroom and Capture One Compatibility

Tri-X Discover Classic Film Looks is available for two major photography editing environments:

• Lightroom Classic

• Lightroom Cloud

• Lightroom Mobile

• Capture One 22+

The preset is also described as working with any camera system, allowing the same film-inspired treatment to be incorporated into workflows using files from different camera systems.

This combination of software and camera compatibility makes the preset suitable for photographers who edit on desktop as well as those using Lightroom's cloud or mobile environment.

What Is Included

The Tri-X package contains three core components:

• The Tri-X preset

• Included modifiers for adjusting the look

• A user guide

Together, these elements provide a base film-inspired treatment, plus additional controls to adapt it rather than treating the preset as a fixed result.

Tri-X Discover Classic Film Looks centers on a specific black-and-white aesthetic: pronounced grain, high contrast, and shadows with retained depth. By combining that base treatment with modifiers and support for Lightroom and Capture One workflows, VGCO provides a digital interpretation of the classic VGCO Tri-X character that applies across a wide range of photographic subjects.