VHS 2

The VHS 2 effect simulates the look of vintage VHS tape recordings, complete with scanlines, static noise, color distortion, and tracking errors.

Warning

This effect does not support transparency and will destroy the alpha channel

How it works

VHS 2 combines multiple techniques to recreate the characteristic and authentic artifacts of VHS tape playback:

1. NTSC signal encoding/decoding simulation that mimics the color and clarity limitations of analog video
2. Scanline generation that creates horizontal lines across the image
3. Dynamic noise that simulates static interference
4. Bloom effects that create light bleeding similar to CRT displays and old, stale tapes
5. Horizontal distortion that mimics tracking errors and tape stretching

Use cases

• Creating retro or nostalgic video aesthetics
• Simulating found footage or the lost media aesthetic
• Adding analog warmth and texture to digital content

Controllers

Name	Type	Description	Range
Scanline Noise	Number	Intensity of horizontal scanlines	0-2
Static Noise	Number	Amount of random static interference	0-2
Bloom	Number	Light bleeding and glow effect	0-10
Distortion	Number	Horizontal warping and tracking errors	0-10
Noise Speed	Number	Rate at which noise patterns change	0-10
Clarity	Number	Overall signal quality and definition	-1-1

Scanline Noise controls the intensity of horizontal lines that appear across the image, simulating the scan lines visible on CRT televisions.

Static Noise adds random white noise similar to the static seen on poorly tuned analog TVs.

Bloom creates a glow or bleeding effect around brighter areas of the image, similar to the light diffusion seen on CRT displays. Higher values produce more pronounced blooming, which can create a dreamy, soft look. Be wary of setting it too high - you can always decrease the brightness by adding a Color correction effect before the VHS 2 effect.

Distortion adds horizontal warping and displacement to the image, simulating the tracking errors and tape stretching common in VHS playback. This creates the characteristic unstable image associated with worn VHS tapes.

Noise Speed controls how quickly the noise patterns and distortion effects change over time. Higher values create more rapidly changing noise. This can help prevent the noise pattern from becoming repetitive.

Clarity affects the overall signal quality and definition of the image. Negative values create a more degraded, fuzzy look with increased color bleeding, while positive values create a cleaner signal with better definition. This parameter simulates the varying quality of different VHS tapes and playback systems.