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How to Make Glitch Effect with Filmora

Liza Brown
Liza Brown Originally published Dec 07, 22, updated Nov 12, 24

You don't need outdated VCRs or any other broken technology to produce glitch effects. Instead, you can use a video editing program for Mac and PCs, such as Filmora, to transform your videos into glitch-effect masterpieces. You can also use the glitch effects to provide striking shot transitions or opening titles. Keep reading this article on how to apply various glitch video effects in Filmora 11:

In this article
  1. What is a Glitch Effect?
  2. When Should you Apply a Glitch Effect?
  3. Tutorial to Chromatic Aberration Effect
  4. How to Customize Glitch Effect with Filmora
  5. Tips to Create Awesome Glitch Effects

Part 1: What is a Glitch Effect?

A glitch effect occurs when a section of your video temporarily changes look or "glitches" for a short while. Although transient glitches are typical, they can occasionally linger for a few seconds or more.

what is a glitch effect

You can use a glitch effect to temporarily change the appearance of the image in the video to give the impression that a machine is processing it. Additionally, it gives your finished piece a fantastic, dreamlike aspect.

Part 2: When Should you Apply a Glitch Effect?

A few years back, we had no choice but to watch glitchy movies on rusty VCR devices. Nowadays, retro video effects are very popular in TV movies and even games. You can use these effects in many ways, like making fake vintage footage or emulating a glitching computer.

Filmmakers frequently employ glitching in their videos to give the impression that a character has been affected by a technical abnormality, is having a flashback, or is being watched by someone else via a digital camera system. Something happens when the person or image flashes, often without their knowledge. In addition, you can apply the glitch effect to a composition to evoke a feeling of dramatic irony.

Part 3: Tutorial to Chromatic Aberration Effect

Chromatic aberration refers to how old lenses tend to split colors. This effect is very common in Old media like VHS or LaserDisc.

chromatic aberration

Here is a complete breakdown of each component of the Retro look and how you can make your glitch effects in Filmora 11:

Step1 Download Wondersshare Filmora 11 on your Pc by visiting filmora.wondershare.com.

download wondersshare filmora 11

Step2 Open Filmora and click on the Effects tab.

Step3 Search Chromatic aberration and drag the effect right onto your clip. It will give you a fantastic pre-made version of the effect.

Part 4: How to Customize Glitch Effect with Filmora

You can add final touches to your video clips by customizing Filmora's effects to take your glitch effect to the next level. You can mix and match different effects in your video to create your custom glitch effect in Filmora 11.

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Step1 Once you have your clip on the timeline, select your clip and click on Edit. Now choose Duplicate to create two more copies.

select your clip and click on edit

Step2 Put the new copies on the layer above the others and make sure everything is lined up exactly. To create the glitch effect, separate the color channels on your Clips into the primary colors red, green, and blue.

put the new copies on the layer

Step3 Double-click on the top clip.

double-click on the top clip

Go to Color and open the White Balance option to make this layer completely red. Next, drag both Temperature and Tint sliders to a hundred.

open the white balance option

Step4 Now click the little eye icon on the timeline to hide the top layer and move on to the middle layer.

Step5 Double-click on your middle clip and go to Color, then select White Balance and set your Temperature to -100 and your Tint to 100.

go to color

Step6 Finally, hide this layer just like before. Repeat the same steps for the last clip but make this clip the blue layer by leaving the Temperature at zero and setting the Tint to -100.

setting the tint to -100

Step7 Double-click the clip in the top layer, click the Video Tab, and open the Compositing options. Set the Blending Mode of this top layer to Soft Light.

click the video tab

Now click on the clip in your preview window and move the image over by pressing the left Arrow key on your keyboard a few times. Once you're happy with the top clip, hide that layer by clicking the eye icon.

click on the clip in your preview window

Step8 To make the middle layer visible, double-click the clip in your mid layer and set the Blending Mode of this layer to Screen.

double-click the clip in your mid layer

Now click on your clip in the preview window and press the Right key as many times as you did before. Finally, make all the layers visible by clicking the eye icon.

press the right key

Vignette

A vignette is a dark border that fades around the frame's edges in Filmora. You can easily add a vignette effect to your video by using these steps:

Step1 First, click the Effects Tab and type in Vignette.

Step2 Next, drag the Vignette Radius effect to a layer above your previous three layers.

Step3 Now adjust the length to match the other clips.

VHS static effects

A VHS effect is a grainy distortion that resembles an old analog video cassette recording. To apply the VHS static effects:

Step1 Click the Effects tab.

Step2 Search for the VHS static and drag it to a new layer above everything else.

Step3 Extend one of the effects to match the length of your previous clips.

VCR Distortion

VCR Distortion effect will make your video look highly glitched. To apply this effect:

Step1 Click on the Effects tab.

Step2 Search for VCR Distortion, then drag and drop this effect over your previous layer.

Part 5: Tips to Create Awesome Glitch Effects

  1. One of the best ways to use the VCR Distortion effect is to cut it short and intersperse it around your video in random parts.
  2. The glitch Distortion effect is very intense, so we recommend cutting this effect very short and dropping it at random parts of your video.
  3. You can also use these effects as a sneaky way to hide Cuts in your video.

Summary

You can use glitch effects created or inspired by faulty video equipment as a powerful storytelling tool. These effects can help you change the tone of the entire video by adding a specific visual aesthetic and making the narrative simpler to convey and more approachable for the audience.

We recommend using Filmora 11 for adding built-in glitch effects. You can also use this app to create custom glitch effects within a few minutes.

Liza Brown
Liza Brown Nov 12, 24
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