[2024] How to Make VHS Effect in DaVinci Resolve

DaVinci Resolve VHS Tutorial

This is not the first time you have seen a VHS effect in a video. You have probably seen it in movies, TV shows, music videos, or even online tutorials. A VHS effect is a visual effect that simulates the look and feel of an old videotape, with its noise, scan lines, chromatic aberration, and glitches. A VHS effect can give your footage a retro and nostalgic feel, or a stylized and artistic look, depending on your preference and purpose.

In this article, I will show you how to create a VHS effect in DaVinci Resolve, a powerful video editing software that allows you to create stunning visual effects and color grading for your footage. You will learn how to:

• Change the aspect ratio of your footage or timeline to 4:3, which is the standard format for old TVs.
• Add an adjustment clip on top of your footage in the Edit page, which will allow you to apply the VHS effect to multiple clips at once.
• Split and shift the color channels of your footage in the Color page, which will create a chromatic aberration effect, a common artifact of old VHS tapes.
• Lower the contrast and adjust the pivot of your footage in the Color page, which will reduce the dynamic range and change the balance between the dark and bright areas of your footage, making it look more faded and washed out.
• Add a VHS texture overlay on top of your adjustment clip in the Edit page, which will add more realism and detail to your VHS effect. You can find free VHS textures online or create your own using noise and scan lines.
• Add a digital glitch effect to your adjustment clip in the Edit page, which will simulate the digital distortion and corruption of a VHS tape. You can customize the amount and type of glitches using the parameters of the effect.
• Add VCR-style text to your footage using the Text+ tool in the Edit page, which will allow you to create and edit text and titles for your project. You can choose a font that resembles the VCR display, such as VCR OSD Mono or VT323. You can also add some effects to the text, such as blur, glow, or distortion, to make it more realistic.

Creating a VHS Effect in DaVinci Resolve

DaVinci Resolve is a powerful video editing software that allows you to create stunning visual effects and color grading for your footage. One of the effects that you can create is a VHS effect, which simulates the look and feel of an old videotape. In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a VHS effect in DaVinci Resolve using some simple steps and tools.

Changing the Aspect Ratio

The first step is to change the aspect ratio of your footage or timeline to 4:3, which is the standard format for old TVs. This will give your footage a more authentic VHS look. To do this, you need to go to the menu bar at the top of the screen and click on Timeline. Then, you need to hover over Output Blanking and select 1.33 from the list. This will add black bars to the left and right sides of your footage, making it narrower. Alternatively, you can also crop the left and right sides of your footage manually by going to the Inspector tab on the right side of the screen. Under the Video section, you will see a Transform subsection. There, you will find a Cropping option, where you can adjust the Left and Right values to crop your footage. For example, you can set them to 200 each to crop 200 pixels from each side.

Adding an Adjustment Clip

The next step is to add an adjustment clip on top of your footage in the Edit page. An adjustment clip is a special type of clip that allows you to apply effects and adjustments to multiple clips at once. This will make it easier to create the VHS effect without having to repeat the same steps for each clip. To add an adjustment clip, you need to go to the Effects Library on the left side of the screen and click on the Toolbox tab. There, you will see a list of different effects and tools that you can use in your project. Under the Effects section, you will find the Adjustment Clip option. You need to drag and drop it onto your timeline, above your footage. You can adjust the length and position of the adjustment clip to match your footage.

Splitting and Shifting the Color Channels

The next step is to go to the Color page and select the adjustment clip. The Color page is where you can perform advanced color grading and correction for your footage. To go to the Color page, you need to click on the Color button at the bottom of the screen. There, you will see a node graph, which is a visual representation of the color processing pipeline for your footage. Each node represents a different operation or effect that you can apply to your footage. To create the VHS effect, you need to split and shift the color channels of your footage, which are red, green, and blue. This will create a chromatic aberration effect, which is a common artifact of old VHS tapes. To do this, you need to add a splitter-combiner node by going to the menu bar at the top of the screen and clicking on Color. Then, you need to hover over Nodes and select Add Splitter/Combiner Node. This will create three nodes that represent the red, green, and blue channels of your footage. You need to select each node and go to the Sizing tab on the right side of the screen. There, you will see a Pan and Tilt option, which allows you to move the color channel horizontally and vertically. You need to adjust the Pan and Tilt values to slightly shift the color channel in different directions. For example, you can set the Pan value of the red node to 2.000 to shift the red channel to the right by 2 pixels. You can set the Tilt value of the green node to 2.000 to shift the green channel up by 2 pixels. You can set the Pan and Tilt values of the blue node to -2.000 each to shift the blue channel to the left and down by 2 pixels. You can experiment with different values to create different levels of chromatic aberration.

Lowering the Contrast and Adjusting the Pivot

The next step is to add another node at the end of the node graph by going to the menu bar at the top of the screen and clicking on Color. Then, you need to hover over Nodes and select Append A Node. This will be the node where you apply the final adjustments to the VHS effect. To create the VHS effect, you need to lower the contrast and adjust the pivot of your footage. This will reduce the dynamic range and change the balance between the dark and bright areas of your footage, making it look more faded and washed out. To do this, you need to go to the Color Wheels tab on the right side of the screen. There, you will see a Contrast and a Pivot option, which allow you to control the contrast and the pivot of your footage. You need to lower the Contrast value to reduce the dynamic range of your footage. For example, you can set it to 0.85 to make your footage less contrasty. You can also adjust the Pivot value to change the balance between the dark and bright areas of your footage. For example, you can set it to 0.700 to make your footage darker.

Adding a VHS Texture Overlay

The next step is to go to the Edit page and add a VHS texture overlay on top of your adjustment clip. A VHS texture overlay is an image or a video that contains the noise, scan lines, and other imperfections of a VHS tape. This will add more realism and detail to your VHS effect. You can find free VHS textures online or create your own using noise and scan lines. To add a VHS texture overlay, you need to import it into your project by going to the menu bar at the top of the screen and clicking on File. Then, you need to select Import Media and choose the VHS texture file from your computer. You need to drag and drop it onto your timeline, above your adjustment clip. You can adjust the length and position of the VHS texture to match your footage. To blend the VHS texture with your footage, you need to change the blend mode of the VHS texture. The blend mode is a setting that determines how the VHS texture interacts with the footage below it. You can find the blend mode option in the Inspector tab on the right side of the screen, under the Video section. You need to click on the drop-down menu next to Composite Mode and select Screen or Overlay, depending on your preference. Screen will make the VHS texture brighter and more transparent, while Overlay will make the VHS texture darker and more opaque. You can experiment with different blend modes to create different looks.

Adding a Digital Glitch Effect

The next step is to add a digital glitch effect to your adjustment clip by going to the Effects Library on the left side of the screen and clicking on the Toolbox tab. There, you will see a list of different effects and tools that you can use in your project. Under the Effects section, you will find the Digital Glitch effect, which simulates the digital distortion and corruption of a VHS tape. You need to drag and drop it onto your adjustment clip. To customize the digital glitch effect, you need to go to the Inspector tab on the right side of the screen and click on the OpenFX section. There, you will see a list of parameters that you can adjust to create the desired amount and type of glitches. For example, you can increase the Frequency and Intensity values to make the glitches more frequent and noticeable. You can also change the Color, Shape, and Direction of the glitches to create different styles. You can experiment with different parameters to create different effects.

Adding VCR-Style Text

The final step is to add some VCR-style text to your footage using the Text+ tool in the Effects Library on the left side of the screen. The Text+ tool allows you to create and edit text and titles for your project. To add VCR-style text, you need to drag and drop the Text+ tool onto your timeline, above your adjustment clip and VHS texture. You can adjust the length and position of the text to match your footage. To edit the text, you need to double-click on it and type your desired text in the box that appears. To change the font and style of the text, you need to go to the Inspector tab on the right side of the screen and click on the Text section. There, you will see a list of options that you can use to customize your text. To create a VCR-style text, you need to choose a font that resembles the VCR display, such as VCR OSD Mono or VT323. You can find these fonts online or install them on your computer. You can also add some effects to the text, such as blur, glow, or distortion, to make it more realistic. You can find these effects in the Effects Library on the left side of the screen, under the ResolveFX section. You can drag and drop them onto your text and adjust their parameters in the Inspector tab, under the OpenFX section. You can experiment with different fonts and effects to create different looks.