Apply Messy Desktop to images and videos online
Build a crowded desktop-style collage with scattered graphics and softened analog-video color. Messy Desktop changes its coverage over time, turning a source image into a restless retro composition.
Before
Ideas for using the effect
Retro internet artwork
Use the crowded window-like arrangement for web nostalgia and early-computer-inspired graphics.
Music visualizers
Animate a portrait or cover image into a dense collage of overlapping visual fragments.
Digital scrapbook covers
Combine the preset's layered appearance with a simple title outside the treated image.
Video transitions
Use changing coverage as a visual interruption between cleaner sections of a sequence.
Made with this effect
More inspiration on Instagram @effect_app
Use Messy Desktop in Photoshop, Figma or on your desktop
One account, the same effect everywhere.
In Photoshop
Apply it to a layer in Photoshop 2022 and later, on macOS or Windows. The plugin renders on your own GPU and hands the result back as pixels on a new layer.
get the Photoshop plugin →In Figma
Run it on images and frames without leaving the canvas. The Figma plugin is this same editor, pointed at whatever you have selected.
get the Figma plugin →On desktop
Install the macOS or Windows app when you want a window of its own, with your account and your presets already there.
download the desktop app →Frequently Asked Questions
How do I apply Messy Desktop online?
Open the Messy Desktop preset, add your image or video, and adjust the loaded effect layers to suit your source. Preview the result before exporting.
How does Messy Desktop work?
Does it use my computer's actual windows?
No. The desktop appearance comes from the preset's graphic texture and your source media. It does not read, rearrange, or capture applications on your device.
How do I make the composition less crowded?
Reduce Scatter density or coverage, then adjust sprite size and spread. Leave enough gaps for the original image to remain visible, especially when the subject is a face or small logo.
Can I animate a still image?
Yes. Saved coverage keyframes alter how much of the source the scattered graphics occupy. Preview the full timeline to choose whether the changing density suits your image.