©^
PhotoshoPCCCreate VCR-Style
Glitch E©ects
1
Choose a photo
One of the good things about this effect is that it’s appropriate
for almost any image. After all, what’s been captured with a
DSLR could also have been shot using a scratchy CCTV camera.
Look, for example, at these definitely very real business people,
discussing whatever it is on that piece of paper. Secrets! That’s
what’s on it. And our image has been filmed by a tiny spy camera,
dropped by an agent into the office of Maximum PC’s greatest
corporate rivals. Better glitch it up.2
add some text
The first signifier that you’re looking at tape-recorded
footage is the information the recorder burns into the
image. This can range from the time and date, to an index number,
to the word “record”—in case that wasn’t already clear. There
are VCR-specific fonts available online if you want to install one,
but you can create your own using just about any monospaced
font (one in which every character occupies the same amount
of horizontal space). We’re using Source Code Pro from Adobe
Typekit, but others are available. Choose a light color—white or
light gray—and write what you want, initially quite small. Turn
off antialiasing, and rasterize the type layer by right-clicking
its entry in the Layers palette and finding the option in the
menu. Now, with the layer still selected, choose “Edit > Free
Transform,” and make the text bigger by dragging one of the
corners. As it grows, you’ll see it pixelate. Make it a bit too big,
apply the transformation, and double-click the layer to open the
Layer Styles window. Put a check in the “Stroke” box, and yourThe average age of The readers of this magazine is such that we don’t need to explain what
a VHS player or VCR was, thankfully, but this ancient technology has been consigned to the
trash can of history, along with the eight-track cartridge and the wax cylinder.
What the VHS system did have, as with many analog technologies, was charm—especially
when it started to go wrong. The glitches, picture wobbles, and color artifacts this generates
are a kind of art in their own way, perhaps explaining their continued popularity in movies and
TV shows. Any time a computer fails or is hacked, or someone’s reviewing CCTV footage, you
can guarantee there will be some sort of VHS effect, even if it’s being recorded on Blu-ray.
The association of this kind of effect with crime or horror means it’s easy to add a cinematic
look this way, especially in conjunction with a noise filter. It also gives a cool ’80s aesthetic, if
that’s what you’re after. We’re working in Photoshop CC here, but you could do something very
similar in Elements, GIMP, or Affinity Photo. –Ian EvEndEnYou’ll nEEd thIs
photoshop CC
Subscribe to a suitable
package at http://www.adobe.com
(other image editors can
produce similar effects).text gains an outline [Image a]. Now Free Transform
again, but the other way, shrinking it so the size looks
right. When you’re happy, group your type layers so you
can easily find them later, and move them to the top of
the stack if they’re not already.3
smart objeCt
Convert your background layer into a Smart
Object by right-clicking it and choosing the option.
The benefit of this is that you’re able to apply filters and
effects to a Smart Object non-destructively, coming
back later to edit them. Duplicate the new Object, and
leave the original at the bottom of the stack— we’ll be
duplicating it again later.CA B68 MAXIMUMPC AUG 2019 maximumpc.com
R&D