Post Alchemy FX documentation

Everything you need to add, stack, animate and render the 60 motion design compositor effects. Each effect is a regular Blender node group, so everything here also works by hand in the node editor.

01Install

1. Download post_alchemy-2.0.0.zip from your Superhive library. Do not unzip it.
2. In Blender, open Edit › Preferences › Get Extensions.
3. Click the ⌄ menu at the top right and choose Install from Disk…, then pick the zip.
4. Make sure Post Alchemy FX is enabled in the list.

You can also drag the zip straight into the Blender window.

02Quick start

1. Open the Compositing workspace, or any Node Editor set to the Compositor.
2. Press N and open the Post Alchemy tab in the sidebar.
3. Pick a family (Glitch, Light & Lens, Screens) and click an effect. It is wired in between your image and the output.
4. Change its values under Effect Settings. Add more effects to build a stack.
5. Press Before / After to compare, then render with F12 or render the animation.

03The panel

The Post Alchemy tab appears in the sidebar of the Compositor, the Video Sequencer and the 3D Viewport. It has four parts:

Star an effect with the ★ button to add it to the Favorites tab. Surprise Me builds a random stack from a curated pool of effects that work well together.

04Effect stack

Effects run top to bottom: the first effect receives your clean image, and each one after it receives the result of the one above. Order matters. A glow placed after a CRT effect lights the scanlines; placed before, the scanlines cut through the glow.

05Settings, Mix & Mask

Every effect has its own Settings panel. Hover a value in Blender to see its tooltip; the full list is in the effect reference.

Mix

Every effect ends in a Mix value from 0 to 1. Use it to dial an effect back without touching its look.

Mask

Every effect group has a Mask input. Connect any black and white image (a Cryptomatte, an ID mask, a drawn mask or a gradient) and the effect only shows where the mask is white. Without a mask the effect covers the whole frame.

Editing by hand

The groups are named PA 001 Digital Damage and so on. Open one with Tab to see how it works. If you break one, use Rebuild Effect Groups in the panel menu to restore the originals.

06Animation

Effects are animated by default: glitches fire in bursts, glows breathe, screens roll and flicker. Animation is driven by scene time, so it follows your frame rate and plays the same on every render.

Any value can be keyframed like a normal Blender property: hover it and press I. Keyframe Mix from 0 to 1 for a quick transition, or Intensity for a hit on the beat.

07Presets

A preset is a saved stack with its values. Applying one replaces the current stack. The 16 built-in looks are: Digital Meltdown, Broadcast Breakdown, Low Bitrate Stream, Cyber Glitch, Music Video Hit, Dream Glow, Anamorphic Night, Neon Sign, Prism Dream, Retro Monitor, Arcade Cabinet, Stadium Screen, Security Feed, Hologram Call, Night Ops, Thermal Drone.

Your own presets

Build a stack, then press Save Preset and give it a name. Saved presets appear under the built-in ones in every project. Delete them with the ✕ next to their name.

08Sequencer strips

Post Alchemy works on any strip in the Video Sequencer, such as movie clips, image sequences or scene strips. Select a strip, open the sidebar with N and use the Post Alchemy tab exactly as in the compositor. The effects are stored in a Compositor modifier on the strip.

To give several strips the same look, build it on one strip, press Copy, select the other strips and press Paste to Selected.

09Live viewport

In the 3D Viewport, press Viewport Preview in the Post Alchemy tab. It switches the view to Rendered shading and turns on viewport compositing, so you see the finished look while you move the camera, animate or light. Turn it off to get full viewport speed back.

10Resolution & HDR

Resolution independent

All sizes (blur radius, block size, scanline spacing, pixel size) are measured against a 1080p frame and scale with your render. A look you build at 50% resolution matches the final 4K render. Sizes in the settings are in 1080p pixels.

HDR safe

Effects expect a scene-linear image, which is what Blender renders. Highlights brighter than 1.0 are handled without fireflies, negative colors or clipping. For best results keep AgX or Filmic as the view transform and grade after the stack.

Speed

Set Render Properties › Performance › Compositor › Device to GPU for the fastest previews and renders. All effects are plain nodes and also run on the CPU and on render farms without the add-on installed.

11Shortcuts

12Effect reference

All 60 effects with every control and its default. Open an effect to see its settings.

01 · Digital DamageAll-in-one glitch: torn slices, displaced blocks, RGB split, colour corruption and sparkle noise firing in bursts.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Intensity	0.7	0 – 1	Master strength of every glitch layer
Probability	0.6	0 – 1	Chance that a burst is active (1 = always glitching)
Burst Rate	6	0 – 30	How many times per second the damage re-rolls
Slices	0.6	0 – 1	Amount of horizontal slices that tear sideways
Slice Count	30	2 – 200
Slice Shift	0.12	0 – 1	How far slices tear (fraction of width)
RGB Split	14	0 – 120	Red / blue separation in pixels
Blocks	0.35	0 – 1	Amount of displaced rectangular blocks
Block Size	48	4 – 400
Color Corruption	0.4	0 – 1	Blocks with rolled channels and boosted colour
Noise	0.3	0 – 1	Sparkle pixels during bursts
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

02 · RGB Split GlitchRed and blue channels tear apart along any angle, in jittering horizontal bands that fire in bursts.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	30	0 – 200	Maximum channel offset in pixels
Angle	0	-3.1416 – 3.1416	Split direction
Base Split	0.3	0 – 1	Constant split that stays on between bursts
Bands	14	1 – 200
Band Jitter	0.8	0 – 1
Probability	0.5	0 – 1
Burst Rate	6	0 – 30	See Animation
Green Offset	0	-1 – 1	Move green too (0 = centred)
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

03 · DatamoshMissing I-frame look: blocks keep moving along a coherent motion field and smear old pixels across the frame.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.5	0 – 1	Fraction of blocks that mosh
Block Size	24	4 – 200
Smear	0.12	0 – 0.6	Smear length (fraction of frame)
Flow Scale	0.15	0.01 – 1	Lower = larger regions move together
Hue Drift	0.3	0 – 1	Colour drift typical of broken P-frames
Rate	2	0 – 30	How often the moshed blocks change
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

04 · Bitrate StarvationThe encoder runs out of bits: patches of the frame melt into soft, banded, blocky smears that crawl over time.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.7	0 – 1
Block Size	32	8 – 200
Banding	10	2 – 64	Colour levels left in starved areas
Patch Scale	0.25	0.02 – 2	Size of the starved regions
Softness	0.6	0 – 2
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

05 · Macroblock CorruptionLost packets: random blocks collapse to flat colour with visible DCT patterning, flickering frame to frame.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.3	0 – 1	Fraction of blocks affected
Block Size	16	4 – 128
Detail Loss	0.9	0 – 1
DCT Pattern	0.6	0 – 2	Strength of the 8x8 cosine patterning
Rate	6	0 – 30	How often damaged blocks change
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

06 · Slice ShiftHorizontal slices of uneven height jump sideways, with optional decoder fill colour in the broken slices.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.4	0 – 1	Fraction of slices that shift
Slices	24	2 – 200
Shift	0.25	0 – 1
Height Variation	0.6	0 – 1	Uneven slice heights
Fill	0.1	0 – 1	Chance a broken slice shows fill colour
Fill Color	Color
Rate	8	0 – 30	See Animation
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

07 · Block ShuffleRectangular chunks of the frame are copied from the wrong place; some flip channels or invert.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.2	0 – 1
Block Size	48	4 – 400
Aspect	4	0.25 – 16	Block width / height
Shift	0.12	0 – 1
Invert Chance	0.05	0 – 1
Channel Shift	0.2	0 – 1
Rate	5	0 – 30	See Animation
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

08 · Pixel SortPixel-sorting glitch art: pixels inside a brightness range stream into long sorted streaks along any angle.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Threshold Low	0.25	0 – 1
Threshold High	0.95	0 – 5
Length	0.18	0 – 1
Randomness	0.5	0 – 1	Per-column variation of streak length
Angle	1.571	-3.1416 – 3.1416	Sort direction (90 = downward)
Softness	0.05	0 – 0.5
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

09 · JPEG CrunchHeavy JPEG compression: blocky 8x8 grid, smeared colour, mosquito noise around edges and visible block seams.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Quality	25	0 – 100	Lower = harder compression
Block Size	8	4 – 64
Chroma Loss	0.7	0 – 1	Colour resolution loss (4:2:0)
Mosquito Noise	0.6	0 – 2	Ringing near hard edges
Seams	0.4	0 – 1	Visible block borders
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

10 · Chroma SubsamplingCodec colour-resolution reduction: sharp brightness, blocky low-res colour bleeding past every edge.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Factor	8	1 – 64	Colour block size in pixels (2 = true 4:2:0)
Bleed	0.3	0 – 2	Soft colour smear on top of the blocks
Amount	1	0 – 1
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

11 · Signal JitterUnstable video signal: scanlines jitter sideways, the picture wobbles and occasionally jumps vertical hold.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.4	0 – 2
Lines	480	32 – 2160
Wave	0.25	0 – 2	Slow sideways wobble
Hold Jumps	0.25	0 – 1	Chance of a vertical hold jump
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

12 · Interlace TearInterlaced fields out of step: alternate lines offset into a comb, as on fast motion in broadcast video.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Shift	6	0 – 80	Field offset in pixels
Vertical	0	-10 – 10	Vertical field offset in pixels
Line Size	1	1 – 8
Field Darken	0.1	0 – 1
Jitter	0.5	0 – 1
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

13 · Screen TearNo V-Sync: the frame splits along tear lines with each part out of step, plus a faint seam.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Shift	0.06	0 – 0.5
Tears	2	1 – 3
Tear Rate	4	0 – 30
Seam	0.3	0 – 2	Brightness of the tear line
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

14 · RGB Zoom PulseBeat-synced punch-in: the frame zooms on every beat with red and blue fanning out, then settles.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.08	0 – 1	Zoom on the beat
BPM	120	1 – 300
Decay	4	0.1 – 30	How fast each hit settles
RGB Split	0.5	0 – 3
Blur	0.4	0 – 2	Radial smear on the hit
Offset	0	0 – 1	Beat phase
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

15 · Glitch StrobeRandom single-frame hits: inverted, channel-flipped, posterised or offset frames flashing on the beat of chaos.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Probability	0.2	0 – 1	Chance a frame is hit
Rate	12	1 – 30	Decisions per second
Invert	0.5	0 – 1
Channel Flip	0.5	0 – 1
Posterize	0.3	0 – 1
Offset	0.04	0 – 0.5
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

16 · Channel SwapSwaps the RGB channel order, fixed or jumping randomly between permutations.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Mode	0	0 – 5	0 GBR, 1 BRG, 2 RBG, 3 GRB, 4 BGR, 5 RGB
Auto Rate	2	0 – 30	Random swaps per second (0 = use Mode)
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

17 · Data BendImage data edited like audio: echoed copies, channel offsets and overflowing colour wraps in random bands.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Echo	0.5	0 – 1
Offset	0.03	0 – 0.3
Wrap	0.2	0 – 1	Fraction of bands with overflowing colour
Bands	6	1 – 60
Rate	2	0 – 30	See Animation
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

18 · VHS TrackingMistracked tape: a noisy band rolls through the frame, tearing lines sideways, with soft tape colour bleed.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.6	0 – 2
Band Height	0.15	0.01 – 1
Band Speed	0.3	-3 – 3
Noise	0.5	0 – 1
Color Bleed	0.5	0 – 2	Tape chroma smear
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

19 · Static BurstAnalog static: a light constant snow plus heavy bursts that wash out the picture, like a dying signal.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Snow	0.1	0 – 1	Constant background static
Burst	0.8	0 – 1	Strength of the bursts
Burst Rate	1.5	0 – 10	See Animation
Grain Size	1.5	1 – 8
Desaturate	0.85	0 – 1	Colour loss during bursts
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

20 · Glitch WarpBands of the frame ripple into sine waves in short bursts, with chromatic fringes on the bend.

Glitch & Digital

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.03	0 – 0.3
Frequency	18	1 – 200
Bands	8	1 – 100
Probability	0.5	0 – 1
Burst Rate	4	0 – 30	See Animation
Chroma	0.6	0 – 2	Red / blue separation on the wave
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

21 · Dreamy GlowThe Orton technique: a sharp and a blurred overexposed copy combined into a soft, luminous dream glow.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.6	0 – 1
Blur	24	1 – 300
Exposure	1	-2 – 4	How bright the glow layer is pushed
Softness	0.4	0 – 1	Extra blurred bloom on top
Saturation	1.15	0 – 3
Tint	Color
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

22 · HalationFilm halation: light bounces in the film base and leaves a warm red-orange ring around bright highlights.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.7	0 – 3
Threshold	1.2	0 – 20	Scene-linear brightness that halates
Radius	45	1 – 300
Core Protect	0.5	0 – 1	Keep the halo off the highlight itself
Tint	Color
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

23 · Black Mist DiffusionDiffusion-filter look: highlights bloom into a soft haze and harsh digital contrast melts into a filmic finish.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Strength	0.5	0 – 2
Spread	40	2 – 300
Threshold	1	0 – 10
Lift Shadows	0	0 – 1	0 = black mist, 1 = white mist
Tint	Color
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

24 · Chromatic GlowSpectral bloom: highlights glow with red, green and blue spreading at different radii for an iridescent halo.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Threshold	2	0 – 20
Size	30	1 – 300
Spread	0.6	0 – 2	How far the colours separate
Intensity	1	0 – 5
Saturation	1.3	0 – 3
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

25 · Neon Edge GlowEdges traced in glowing neon tubes over a dimmed frame, with an optional second colour and hue cycling.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Edge Strength	6	0 – 50
Glow Size	10	0 – 120
Color	Color
Color B	Color		Second neon colour across the frame
Gradient	0.5	0 – 1	Blend from Color to Color B across the frame
Background	0.3	0 – 1
Hue Cycle	0	0 – 5	Hue rotations per second
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

26 · Glow PulseHighlights glow and breathe in a steady rhythm, for neon signs, energy cores and title hits.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Threshold	1.6	0 – 20
Size	25	1 – 300
Intensity	1	0 – 5
Rate	1	0 – 20	Pulses per second
Depth	0.7	0 – 1
Tint	Color
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

27 · Light LeaksWarm light spilling into the lens: soft drifting flares of colour from the frame edges.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.7	0 – 2
Color A	Color
Color B	Color
Scale	1.5	0.2 – 10
Side	0	0 – 1	0 = left edge, 1 = right edge
Spread	0.6	0.1 – 1	How far the leak reaches into the frame
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	0.6	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

28 · Light SweepA glossy shine band sweeps across the frame, the classic logo and title light pass.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Angle	0.6	-3.1416 – 3.1416
Width	0.08	0.005 – 1
Softness	0.6	0 – 1
Intensity	1.5	0 – 10
Interval	2	0.2 – 20	Seconds between sweeps
Color	Color
Highlights Only	0.3	0 – 1
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

29 · Lens Flare BuilderFull procedural flare: glow, starburst rays, anamorphic streak, halo ring and chromatic ghosts mirrored through the centre.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Position X	0.72	-0.5 – 1.5
Position Y	0.72	-0.5 – 1.5
Intensity	1.5	0 – 5
Glow	1.3	0 – 3
Starburst	0.5	0 – 3	Thin rays around the source
Rays	12	2 – 64
Streak	0.6	0 – 3	Horizontal anamorphic streak
Streak Length	0.9	0.1 – 3
Halo	0.4	0 – 3
Ghosts	0.7	0 – 3
Ghost Spread	1	0.2 – 3
Chromatic	0.5	0 – 1	Rainbow fringe on ghosts and halo
Tint	Color
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

30 · Prism DispersionLight split through a prism: the frame fans out into a rainbow of offset copies, linear or radial.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.012	0 – 0.1
Angle	0	-3.1416 – 3.1416
Radial	Off		Disperse outward from the centre
Intensity	1	0 – 1
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

31 · Lens DirtDust, specks and greasy smudges on the front glass that light up only where bright light hits them.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	1	0 – 5
Threshold	1.5	0 – 20
Spread	80	5 – 400
Dirt Scale	6	1 – 40
Smudges	0.6	0 – 1
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different dirt pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

32 · Purple FringingLongitudinal chromatic aberration: violet fringes where dark edges meet bright light.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.8	0 – 4
Threshold	1.4	0 – 20
Radius	5	0.5 – 40
Color	Color
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

33 · Petzval SwirlVintage portrait-lens character: the background swirls around a sharp centre.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.6	0 – 2
Sharp Center	0.35	0 – 1
Edge Blur	3	0 – 30
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

34 · Split DiopterHalf-lens close-up filter: one side sharp, the other defocused, split by a soft line at any angle.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Position	0.5	0 – 1
Angle	0	-3.1416 – 3.1416
Blur	18	0 – 200
Softness	0.04	0.001 – 0.5
Flip	Off
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

35 · Tilt-ShiftMiniature look: a band in focus, graduated blur outside it and boosted colour.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Focus Position	0.45	0 – 1
Focus Width	0.1	0 – 1
Falloff	0.25	0.01 – 1
Blur	14	0 – 100
Angle	0	-3.1416 – 3.1416
Saturation	1.25	0 – 3
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

36 · Pro VignettePrecise vignette: size, feather, roundness, movable centre, colour and highlight protection.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.55	0 – 1
Size	0.6	0 – 2
Feather	0.6	0.01 – 2
Roundness	0.6	0 – 1	0 = follows the frame, 1 = perfect circle
Center X	0.5	0 – 1
Center Y	0.5	0 – 1
Color	Color
Highlight Protect	0	0 – 1
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

37 · Highlight SparkleTwinkling star glints on small bright highlights, with four or eight points.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Threshold	2.5	0 – 50
Length	22	2 – 200
Intensity	1	0 – 10
Twinkle	0.7	0 – 1
Diagonals	Off		Eight-point stars
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

38 · Flash FramePhotographic white or coloured flash hit at a chosen frame, with optional looping.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Start Frame	1	-10000 – 100000
Duration	8	1 – 500	Fade-out length in frames
Peak	1	0 – 3
Color	Color
Loop Every	0	0 – 10000	Repeat every N frames (0 = once)
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

39 · Volumetric HazeAtmospheric haze that thickens toward the horizon and glows where light passes through it.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Density	0.5	0 – 1
Horizon	0.45	0 – 1
Falloff	0.35	0.01 – 1
Color	Color
Glow Through	0.5	0 – 3	Bright light scattering inside the haze
Noise	0.25	0 – 1
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	0.5	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

40 · Reeded GlassFluted glass: the image refracts through ribs at any angle, with a highlight on each rib.

Glow, Light & Lens

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Ribs	40	2 – 400
Refraction	0.6	-3 – 3
Angle	0	-3.1416 – 3.1416
Highlight	0.25	0 – 2
Shadow	0.25	0 – 1
Blur	1.5	0 – 30
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

41 · CRT MonitorComplete picture-tube look: curved glass, scanlines, phosphor mask, glow, misconvergence, flicker and rounded corners.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Curvature	0.25	0 – 1
Corner Radius	0.06	0 – 0.5
Scanlines	0.5	0 – 1
Lines	270	50 – 1200
Mask Type	0	0 – 2	0 aperture grille, 1 shadow mask, 2 none
Mask Strength	0.5	0 – 1
Mask Pitch	3	2 – 16
Phosphor Glow	0.4	0 – 3
Convergence	1.5	0 – 20	Red / blue misregistration in pixels
Brightness	1.35	0.5 – 4
Vignette	0.35	0 – 1
Flicker	0.04	0 – 0.5
Noise	0.03	0 – 0.5
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

42 · LED WallStadium and stage LED screen: the image rebuilt from glowing diodes, with dim unlit LEDs and bloom.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Pitch	9	3 – 64	LED spacing in pixels
Dot Size	0.75	0.1 – 1
Round	On
Gain	1.8	0.5 – 5
Glow	0.5	0 – 3
Unlit LEDs	0.06	0 – 0.5	Visibility of dark diodes
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

43 · Convergence ErrorMisaligned electron guns: red and blue images drift apart, worst toward the corners of the screen.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	4	0 – 40	Misregistration in pixels
Corner Boost	2	0 – 10
Vertical	0.4	0 – 1
Drift	0	0 – 1	Slow wandering over time
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	0.5	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

44 · ScanlinesRaster lines with beam bloom: bright areas fatten the lines just like a real tube.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Lines	270	50 – 1200
Amount	0.55	0 – 1
Beam Bloom	0.5	0 – 1
Brightness	0.3	0 – 1
Roll	0	-2 – 2	Lines crawl vertically
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

45 · Aperture GrilleVertical RGB phosphor stripes of a premium tube, visible up close.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Pitch	3	2 – 16
Amount	0.65	0 – 1
Brightness	1.5	0.5 – 4
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

46 · Shadow MaskStaggered RGB phosphor dots of a classic consumer CRT.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Pitch	4	2 – 16
Amount	0.65	0 – 1
Brightness	1.8	0.5 – 4
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

47 · Screen-DoorThe dark grid between display pixels, as seen on VR headsets, projectors and zoomed-in panels.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Pitch	4	2 – 32
Line Width	0.22	0 – 0.9
Amount	0.7	0 – 1
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

48 · Rolling Flicker BarFilming a screen: a soft band rolls through the frame from the refresh-rate mismatch.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.45	0 – 1
Width	0.25	0.01 – 1
Bright Bar	Off		Bright instead of dark band
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	0.4	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

49 · Screen MoiréCamera-on-screen interference: rainbow ripple patterns that crawl over the picture.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.6	0 – 2
Frequency	120	10 – 600
Angle	0.05	-1 – 1
Color	0.7	0 – 1	Rainbow vs mono ripples
Drift	0.2	0 – 2	Ripple crawl speed
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

50 · Backlight BleedLCD clouding and panel glow: light leaks in from the screen edges, most visible in dark scenes.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Amount	0.35	0 – 2
Spread	0.3	0.01 – 1
Tint	Color
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different clouding pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

51 · Monitor BezelFrames the image inside a monitor: rounded screen, bezel, inner shadow and a glass reflection.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Border	0.06	0 – 0.3
Radius	0.05	0 – 0.3
Bezel Color	Color
Inner Shadow	0.5	0 – 1
Reflection	0.12	0 – 1
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

52 · Retro PixelRetro game screens: chunky pixels snapped to a 4-colour, CGA, EGA or free palette with ordered dithering and outlines.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Palette	0	0 – 3	0 four-colour (Colors 1-4), 1 CGA, 2 EGA 16, 3 free levels
Pixel Size	4	1 – 64
Dither	0.5	0 – 1
Contrast	1	0.2 – 3
Levels	5	2 – 32	Colour levels per channel in free mode
Outline	0	0 – 1	Dark outlines on cell edges
Grid	0.1	0 – 1	Thin LCD pixel grid
Color 1	Color
Color 2	Color
Color 3	Color
Color 4	Color
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

53 · Phosphor TerminalMonochrome terminal screen in any phosphor colour: quantised tones, scanlines and glow.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Color	Color		Green P1 by default; try amber (1, 0.45, 0.02)
Brightness	1.3	0 – 4
Levels	8	2 – 32
Pixel Size	2	1 – 16
Scanlines	0.4	0 – 1
Glow	0.5	0 – 2
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

54 · Dot-Matrix SignSingle-colour LED sign: big round dots, stepped brightness, dim unlit dots and glow.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Pitch	14	4 – 80
Color	Color
Levels	4	2 – 16
Dot Size	0.8	0.2 – 1
Unlit Dots	0.06	0 – 0.5
Glow	0.7	0 – 3
Contrast	1.4	0.2 – 4
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

55 · HologramSci-fi hologram projection: tinted translucent image, moving scanlines, flicker and glitch tears.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Color	Color
Flicker	0.3	0 – 1
Lines	180	20 – 1000
Glitch	0.3	0 – 1
Transparency	0.4	0 – 1
Edge Glow	0.6	0 – 3
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

56 · HUD ScanHeads-up display overlay: tinted feed, grid, corner brackets and a sweeping scan line with trail.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Color	Color
Trail	0.25	0 – 1
Grid	0.2	0 – 1
Grid Size	12	2 – 60
Brackets	0.8	0 – 1
Tint	0.3	0 – 1
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	0.4	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

57 · Night VisionImage-intensifier goggles: amplified green image, heavy noise, blooming highlights and tube mask.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Gain	3	0.5 – 20
Noise	0.35	0 – 1
Tube Mask	0.8	0 – 1
Bloom	0.5	0 – 2
Color	Color
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

58 · Thermal CameraThermal imaging false colour: ironbow, white-hot or rainbow palettes mapped from brightness.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Palette	0	0 – 2	0 ironbow, 1 white hot, 2 rainbow
Contrast	1	0.2 – 4
Blur	2	0 – 20
Invert	Off
Noise	0.1	0 – 1
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

59 · CCTV FeedSecurity camera feed: low-res washed image, wide-angle bend, noise, editable camera label and running clock.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Label	CAM 01
Noise	0.25	0 – 1
Resolution	3	1 – 16	Pixel size of the low-res sensor
Desaturate	0.7	0 – 1
Barrel	0.15	0 – 1
Text Size	0.045	0.01 – 0.2
Show Clock	On
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Speed	1	0 – 10	Animation speed multiplier
Seed	0	0 – 9999	Change for a different random pattern
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

60 · REC ViewfinderCamcorder viewfinder burn-in: blinking REC label, corner marks and running timecode, all editable.

Screens & Displays

Control	Default	Range	What it does
Label	● REC
Size	0.055	0.01 – 0.3
Text Color	Color
Label Color	Color
Blink Rate	1	0 – 10	Blinks per second (0 = always on)
Timecode	On
Corner Marks	0.8	0 – 1
Animate	On		Let the effect move on its own. Turn off to freeze it for stills or keyframing
Mix	1	0 – 1	Blend between the input and the effect

13Troubleshooting

The image is black or unchanged

Make sure the compositor is turned on (Compositing workspace, Use Nodes) and that the stack is connected to the Group Output or Composite node. Press Before / After twice to rewire the stack.

An effect looks too strong or too weak

Very bright renders push glow effects harder. Raise the effect's Threshold, lower Mix, or lower exposure before the stack.

The look changes between preview and final render

Check that both use the same frame and that Animate is on or off as you expect. Resolution changes do not change the look.

Rendering is slow

Switch the compositor device to GPU, mute effects you are not using, and avoid stacking several large blurs (Dreamy Glow, Black Mist, Halation) at full strength.

I edited a group and broke it

Use Rebuild Effect Groups from the panel menu. Your stack keeps its values.

14Changelog

2.0.0

Rebuilt from scratch for motion design: 60 effects in three families, 16 new presets, animated by default with the Animate switch, resolution independence, HDR-safe glows, favorites, Surprise Me, copy and paste stacks, paste to selected strips, and the Ctrl Alt E pie menu.