How to Make a Glitch Effect in DaVinci Resolve

You can create a glitch effect in DaVinci Resolve by using the Fusion page, where you can work with nodes and compositing. You need to use a noise image as the source of distortion and apply it to your original video using the Displace node. You can also add some color distortion and flickering by using the Color Corrector node and the Brightness/Contrast node.

November 9, 2023
How to Make a Glitch Effect in DaVinci Resolve
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Creating Custom Glitches With DaVinci Resolve 18

There are so many different ways to make your footage glitch in DaVinci, especially if you use the Fusion page, which is where you can work with nodes and compositing. Nodes are graphical elements that represent different tools and effects that you can apply to your video. Compositing is the process of combining multiple images or videos into one.

A glitch effect is a type of distortion that simulates a corrupted or malfunctioning video signal. It can add a sense of chaos, tension, or mystery to your footage, depending on how you use it. You can create a glitch effect by using a noise image as the source of distortion and applying it to your original video using the Displace node. You can also add some color distortion and flickering to make the effect more realistic.

In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a glitch effect in DaVinci Resolve using the following steps:

  • Import your video clip into the media pool and drag it to the timeline.
  • Go to the Fusion page by clicking on the Fusion icon at the bottom of the screen.
  • Add the Displace node, which will allow you to distort your video based on another image or video.
  • Use an existing noise image or create one using the Fast Noise node as the source of distortion.
  • Connect the noise image to the Foreground input of the Displace node.
  • Adjust the amount, direction, and type of distortion by changing the settings of the Displace node.
  • Add some color distortion and flickering by using the Color Corrector node and the Brightness/Contrast node.
  • Preview the glitch effect by going to the Edit page by clicking on the Edit icon at the bottom of the screen.
  • Render and export the video from the Deliver page.

DaVinci Resolve is a powerful video editing software that allows you to create stunning visual effects and animations. One of the effects that you can create is a glitch effect, which simulates a distorted or corrupted video signal. A glitch effect can add a sense of chaos, tension, or mystery to your video, depending on how you use it.

In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a glitch effect in DaVinci Resolve using the Fusion page, which is where you can work with nodes and compositing. Nodes are graphical elements that represent different tools and effects that you can apply to your video. Compositing is the process of combining multiple images or videos into one.

To create a glitch effect, you will need to use the following nodes:

  • MediaIn: This node allows you to import your video clip into the Fusion page.
  • Displace: This node allows you to distort your video based on another image or video.
  • Fast Noise: This node allows you to generate a noise image that you can use as the source of distortion.
  • Color Corrector: This node allows you to adjust the color of your video.
  • Brightness/Contrast: This node allows you to adjust the brightness and contrast of your video.
  • MediaOut: This node allows you to export your video from the Fusion page.

You can also use an existing noise image instead of the Fast Noise node, if you prefer. I will explain how to do that later.

Step 1: Import your video clip

The first step is to import your video clip into the media pool, which is where you can manage your media files. To do this, go to the Media page by clicking on the Media icon at the bottom of the screen. Then, locate your video file on your computer and drag it to the media pool.

Next, go to the Edit page by clicking on the Edit icon at the bottom of the screen. This is where you can edit your video on the timeline. Drag your video clip from the media pool to the first video track on the timeline. You can trim or cut your video clip as you like.

Step 2: Go to the Fusion page

The next step is to go to the Fusion page by clicking on the Fusion icon at the bottom of the screen. This is where you can work with nodes and compositing. You will see two windows: the node editor and the viewer. The node editor is where you can add and connect nodes. The viewer is where you can preview your video.

When you go to the Fusion page, you will see two nodes already connected: MediaIn1 and MediaOut1. These nodes represent your video clip. MediaIn1 is the input node, which means it imports your video clip from the Edit page. MediaOut1 is the output node, which means it exports your video clip to the Edit page.

You can preview your video by clicking on the MediaIn1 node and pressing 2 on your keyboard. This will display your video in the right viewer. You can also press 1 to display your video in the left viewer.

Step 3: Add the Displace node

The next step is to add the Displace node, which will allow you to distort your video based on another image or video. To do this, select the MediaIn1 node and press Shift+Space on your keyboard. This will open the Select Tool window, which is where you can search and add nodes.

Type “Displace” in the search box and select the Displace node. Click Add to add it to the node editor. You will see a new node appear between the MediaIn1 and MediaOut1 nodes. This means that the Displace node is connected to both nodes.

The Displace node has three inputs: Background, Foreground, and Mask. The Background input is where you connect your original video clip. The Foreground input is where you connect the image or video that you want to use as the source of distortion. The Mask input is where you connect a mask that you want to use to limit the effect to a specific area of your video.

By default, the output of the MediaIn1 node is connected to the Background input of the Displace node. This means that your original video clip is the background of the effect. You can see the result by clicking on the Displace node and pressing 2 on your keyboard. You will see that your video is slightly distorted, but not very noticeable.

This is because the Foreground input of the Displace node is empty, which means that there is no source of distortion. To create a glitch effect, you need to use a noise image as the Foreground input of the Displace node. You can either use an existing noise image or create one using the Fast Noise node. I will show you how to do both.

Step 4: Use an existing noise image

If you have an existing noise image that you want to use as the source of distortion, you can import it into the media pool and drag it to the second video track on the timeline. Make sure it is aligned with your original video clip. Then, go back to the Fusion page and select the MediaIn2 node. This node represents your noise image.

Connect the output of the MediaIn2 node to the Foreground input of the Displace node. This means that your noise image is the source of distortion. You can see the result by clicking on the Displace node and pressing 2 on your keyboard. You will see that your video is more distorted, depending on the noise image that you used.

You can adjust the amount, direction, and type of distortion by selecting the Displace node and changing the settings in the Inspector panel, which is on the right side of the screen. You can also use the keyframes to animate the distortion over time. I will explain how to do that later.

Step 5: Create a noise image using the Fast Noise node

If you don’t have an existing noise image, you can create one using the Fast Noise node, which allows you to generate a noise image that you can customize. To do this, select the Displace node and press Shift+Space on your keyboard. This will open the Select Tool window again.

Type “Fast Noise” in the search box and select the Fast Noise node. Click Add to add it to the node editor. You will see a new node appear next to the Displace node. This means that the Fast Noise node is not connected to any other node.

Connect the output of the Fast Noise node to the Foreground input of the Displace node. This means that the noise image generated by the Fast Noise node is the source of distortion. You can see the result by clicking on the Displace node and pressing 2 on your keyboard. You will see that your video is distorted, depending on the noise image that you created.

You can customize the noise image by selecting the Fast Noise node and changing the settings in the Inspector panel. You can change the color, contrast, detail, seed, and animation speed of the noise. You can also use the keyframes to animate the noise over time. I will explain how to do that later.

Step 6: Add some color distortion and flickering

To make the glitch effect more realistic, you can add some color distortion and flickering to your video. To do this, you need to use the Color Corrector node and the Brightness/Contrast node, which allow you to adjust the color and brightness of your video.

Select the Displace node and press Shift+Space on your keyboard. This will open the Select Tool window again.

Type “Color Corrector” in the search box and select the Color Corrector node. Click Add to add it to the node editor. You will see a new node appear between the Displace and MediaOut1 nodes. This means that the Color Corrector node is connected to both nodes.

The Color Corrector node has one input and one output. The input is where you connect your distorted video. The output is where you connect your color-corrected video.

You can adjust the color of your video by selecting the Color Corrector node and changing the settings in the Inspector panel. You can change the hue, saturation, gain, and offset of your video. You can also use the keyframes to animate the color correction over time.

For example, you can create a color distortion effect by changing the hue of your video over time. To do this, go to the frame where you want to start the effect and click on the diamond icon next to the Hue parameter. This will create a keyframe. Then, go to the frame where you want to end the effect and change the Hue value to a different number. This will create another keyframe. You will see that your video changes color between the two keyframes.

Select the Color Corrector node and press Shift+Space on your keyboard. This will open the Select Tool window again.

Type “Brightness/Contrast” in the search box and select the Brightness/Contrast node. Click Add to add it to the node editor. You will see a new node appear between the Color Corrector and MediaOut1 nodes. This means that the Brightness/Contrast node is connected to both nodes.

The Brightness/Contrast node has one input and one output. The input is where you connect your color-corrected video. The output is where you connect your brightness-adjusted video.

You can adjust the brightness and contrast of your video by selecting the Brightness/Contrast node and changing the settings in the Inspector panel. You can change the brightness, contrast, and pivot of your video. You can also use the keyframes to animate the brightness and contrast over time.

For example, you can create a flickering effect by changing the brightness of your video over time.