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Glitch effect

VHS / Hi-8

VHS / Hi-8 is a glitch video effect in FRCTL, the browser VJ studio. A worn home-video dub: soft colour smear, grain that changes every frame and a shaking tracking band, with a date-stamp flicker as it gets stronger.

Runs live on video, images, a camera or generated art. Stack it with any other effect, and route LFOs, envelopes or any of ten audio bands to its controls so it moves with the music.

Try VHS / Hi-8 free All effects

The untouched demo art: an eye inside a triangle over wavy teal, blue and peach lines — Source

The eye-in-triangle softened by sideways colour smear and fine grain, like a worn home-video dub — VHS / Hi-8, default settings

What VHS / Hi-8 does

Smears red to one side and blue to the other for a soft colour bleed, adds per-pixel luma grain that refreshes every frame, and floats a darker, shaking tracking band near the middle of the frame. As the effect's strength rises, a flickering block pattern appears in the corner where a date stamp would sit. Bleed sets the smear width, Grain the noise, Tracking the band height and shake.

Using VHS / Hi-8

Where it works: Throwback intros, home-video cover art and Reels meant to look like a family dub. The smear stays gentle, so faces and type survive, which the heavier Tape Damage won't guarantee.
With the music: Grain and the band move by themselves. B9 (air) on Grain thickens the noise with the cymbals, and B3 (bass body) on Tracking makes the band jump on bass notes.
Starting point: Bleed at centre, Grain at a quarter, Tracking at centre, Speed at centre.

Controls

Bleed: Horizontal chroma smear width.
Grain: Luma noise and hash grain strength.
Tracking: Bad-tracking band height and shake.
Speed: Rate of the effect motion. Centre is the authored speed, hard left a tenth of it.

Pairs well with VHS / Hi-8