Apply VHS to images and videos online
Apply authentic VHS effect with professional-grade tape degradation, tracking errors, color bleeding, and analog video artifacts. Recreate the look of classic VHS camcorders and worn video tapes from the 1980s–90s instantly online. Also known as: VHS tape filter, retro video effect, analog camcorder effect
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Ideas for using the effect
Lo-fi music videos & vaporwave
Create authentic VHS aesthetics for lo-fi hip hop, vaporwave, synthwave music videos, and retro visual art.
Retro home video look
Simulate VHS camcorder footage from family videos, home movies, and nostalgic 80s–90s recordings.
Horror & found footage films
Add unsettling VHS tape degradation for horror films, creepypasta videos, and found footage narratives.
Retro commercials & infomercials
Recreate vintage TV commercials, infomercials, and broadcast aesthetics from the VHS era.
Made with this effect
More inspiration on Instagram @effect_app
Use VHS 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
What is the VHS effect?
VHS effect simulates magnetic tape degradation from VHS video cassettes — including tracking errors, color bleeding, tape dropout, wobble, grain, and chromatic artifacts that define the authentic VHS aesthetic.
Is this the same as TV/CRT effect?
No. VHS effect focuses on magnetic tape degradation (tracking errors, color bleeding, tape artifacts), while CRT Screen focuses on display characteristics (scan lines, phosphor dots). Combine them for an authentic 'VHS played on old TV' look. For analog broadcast signal accuracy, see NTSC.
What does the VHS effect include?
This effect combines resolution reduction, tracking noise, vertical jump, tape crease artifacts, color fringing, wobble, sparkle (dropout), flicker, grain, color bleeding, temporal softness, and chroma delay for authentic VHS tape simulation.
Can I use this on videos?
Yes. The VHS effect is specifically designed for video — it includes temporal artifacts like wobble, tracking errors, and flicker that animate over time.
What era does this recreate?
The VHS effect recreates the look of consumer VHS tapes and camcorders from the 1980s–1990s — the peak analog home video era before digital video.
Can I control tape degradation intensity?
Yes. You can adjust individual parameters like tracking noise strength, color bleeding amount, tape crease visibility, dropout frequency, and wobble intensity to simulate anything from fresh tapes to heavily degraded footage.
Is this similar to After Effects VHS plugins?
Yes. This creates the same authentic VHS look as professional plugins like Universe VHS or Red Giant VHS — but runs directly in your browser with real-time preview.
Is this a static VHS overlay?
No. Most VHS filters are static PNG overlays that look identical on every frame. Our VHS effect is a real-time simulation with temporal artifacts — wobble, tracking errors, and color bleeding that animate naturally like real magnetic tape.
Can I use the VHS effect in Photoshop?
Yes. The Photoshop plugin runs the same effect on a layer in Photoshop 2024 and later, and hands it back as pixels on a new layer. A video layer comes back as a single frame, so moving footage belongs in the browser or the desktop app.