How to do TikTok’s viral VHS filter trend

Lawrence Scotti

A new TikTok trend using the VHS Filter and Harry Styles song “Watermelon Sugar” is creating some absolutely adorable moments – and here’s how you can whip one up for yourself.

TikTok is a fantastic app for creating content around nostalgia. There have been a ton of trends that mixes different ages, like videos of high schoolers roaming the hallways during different graduating years in the ’90s and 2000s letting users relived their childhood days or giving the younger generation a glimpse into the past.

With the new VHS filter, users are creating TikToks centered around using their kids or younger relatives to make it look like the viewer is experiencing a blast from the past.

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The VHS Filter trend features the extremely popular Harry Styles track Watermelon Sugar as the adult typically sings the first part, leading into the younger relative with the filter over them for the second part with the old-style VHS filter over them.

The videos are supposed to be a “look into the past” moment, but replacing the younger version of themselves with their kids or grandchildren. This one from TikToker ‘grandadfrank’ is exceptional, as he leads into his grandkid making for an incredible amount of cuteness in one video.

The filter, which replicates the look of home and music videos from the 90’s, is coming into fashion with the larger wave of 90’s nostalgia being back into mainstream culture. TikTok is one of the catalysts for these types of trends, showing the younger generations what analog video used to look like.

How to do VHS Filter trend

The filter is available natively within the TikTok app, making this trend quite easy to hop on to.

  1. Open TikTok.
  2. Click on the ‘Discover’ tab.
  3. Type Vintage Camcorder into the search bar and hit enter.
  4. Tap the record button next to the filter
  5. Click on the ‘Add Sound’ button and search for the song you want to use as part of the trend. Tap the song, and then the tick to add it.
  6. Record the first bit of the video without the effect applied, then midway through the video, add the effect to apply the VHS filter.

This trend is easily one of the cutest that’s popped up on TikTok, and shows off the more wholesome side of the app.

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About The Author

Lawrence is a former Dexerto writer, based in New York City, who covered entertainment and games for Dexerto focusing on Hearthstone, World of Warcraft, NBA 2K, and any indie game he can review.