Create a VHS/VCR Glitch Effect in Photoshop
This process stacks several classic analog artifacts: subtle liquify warps, torn scan lines, displacement distortions, oversaturated color shifts, TV scan lines, and RGB misalignment. You’ll prepare a displacement map from cloud images, apply it to your subject, then layer in the finishing touches for a convincing VHS look.
Step-by-step instructions
Prep the subject and add subtle warps
Open your main image in Photoshop.
Go to Filter → Liquify. Set Brush Pressure ≈ 30 and enable Pin Edges.
Use Forward Warp to gently distort areas for a worn VHS feel. Click OK.
Create screen tears with marquee transforms
Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool and draw several thin selections across the full width (hold Shift to add more).
Press Ctrl+T (Free Transform), hold Alt and stretch horizontally to create tearing.
Press Enter, then Ctrl+D to deselect.
Build a displacement map from clouds (part 1)
Open a clouds photo.
Go to Image → Adjustments → Desaturate (or Ctrl+Shift+U).
Go to Image → Adjustments → Levels (Ctrl+L) and drag the black/shadow slider right until the sky is solid black.
Go to Filter → Distort → Shear and add multiple curve points to create wavy lines.
Go to Filter → Distort → Wave: Generators: 999; Wavelength: minimum; Amplitude: minimum; Horizontal: 100%; Vertical: 1%.
File → Save As → Photoshop (PSD), name it displacement-map.psd.
Apply the displacement to the subject
Return to your main image and go to Filter → Distort → Displace.
Set Horizontal Scale: 100; Vertical Scale: 0; click OK and choose displacement-map.psd.
Overlay visible distortion lines (part 2)
Reopen the clouds file (or a second clouds image), desaturate (Ctrl+Shift+U) and crush blacks with Levels (Ctrl+L).
Apply Filter → Distort → Shear (previous settings) and Filter → Distort → Wave (same settings).
Select → All, Edit → Copy, then paste into the main document.
Press Ctrl+T to scale/squash to canvas width and position near the top; set Blend Mode to Screen.
Repeat with another clouds image for a second set of lines near the bottom.
Mimic bad analog color with Curves
Add a Curves adjustment layer; set its Blend Mode to Saturation.
In Curves properties, set channel to Red and drag the midpoint up/left.
Set channel to Green and drag the midpoint down/right.
Set channel to Blue, drag a lower‑third point slightly down and an upper point slightly up.
Add scan lines
Create a new layer at the top and go to Edit → Fill → 50% Gray.
Go to Filter → Filter Gallery → Sketch → Halftone Pattern.
Set Pattern Type: Line; Size: 5 px; Contrast: 0.
Set this layer’s Blend Mode to Color Burn and reduce Opacity to ~10%.
Create chromatic aberration
Go to Select → All, then Edit → Copy Merged. Paste as a new top layer.
Double‑click the layer and in Advanced Blending, uncheck the Green channel.
Select the Move Tool and nudge the layer right a few times to shift the channel, creating RGB fringing.
Evaluate and tweak
Reposition distortion layers to avoid key facial features if needed (rotate/scale as necessary).
Fine‑tune opacities and Curves for a balanced retro look.
