Create a Glitch Effect in Premiere Pro in 3 Steps

Video editing has become increasingly popular in recent years, and one technique that has gained significant attention is the glitch effect. This unique visual style adds a touch of creativity and vintage appeal to short video clips and long professional movies. Let's delve into the steps required to create a glitch effect in Premiere Pro.

Glitch Effect Popularity

The glitch effect mimics software bugs in video games or a poor signal on your TV. This can result in interference, picture tearing, wavy distortion, and color channel shifts.

The glitch effect creates distortion, interference, and noise. Interference and noise are effects borrowed from cinematography. In design, it does a great job of conveying atmospherics. It brings a bit of chaos to the design and adds a sense that something has gone wrong as expected. Randomness and anomalies appear in the design, such as unequal spacing, mismatched colors, and overlapping textures. In skillful hands, this technique can look stylish. Distortion, interference, and noise help convey the atmosphere: from frightening and creepy, pressurized and tense to marvelous, fantastic, strange, and absurd.

Like brutalism, this trend expresses protest. If your attention is drawn to weirdness and all sorts of system glitches, then perhaps the glitch effect will help reflect this concern visually.

To understand whether you should use a glitch effect for your project, look at the associations it evokes. If you want to convey that exact mood, go ahead and use a glitch.

• rebellion, boldness, non-conformism, and punk aesthetics;
• modernity, creative thinking, creativity, and unconventionality;
• expression, dynamics, and speed;
• technology, futurism, innovativeness, and the digital world.
• Glitch effects are perfect for modern industries, being the ultimate solution for projects related to futurism and innovative
• technologies. But for banks, insurance companies, online stores, and law firms, it's better not to use it.

Steps to Create Glitch Effect

To create high-quality glitch effect, you can follow the steps we'll describe below.

Step 1: Cutting up Your Clip

First, import your desired footage into Premiere Pro. Pick a clip that suits the glitch effect's intention, such as fast-paced action or dynamic scenes. Next, determine the length you want the glitch effect to appear.

Now, carefully cut up your clip into several smaller sections. Introduce small intervals or pauses between each section as this will allow for smoother transitions later. Remember, the objective here is to create a "glitchy" feel, so don't be afraid to experiment with different cuts and lengths.

Step 2: Duplication and Opacity Shifting

Once you have divided your clip, duplicate the sections and place them on separate tracks. Adjust the opacity of each duplicated section to create the desired glitch effect. Begin by gradually reducing the opacity for a few frames, then suddenly increase it to 100% for a brief moment. This technique will give the impression of a temporary glitch in the video.

To enhance the glitch effect further, consider how to introduce displacement. Add a displacement effect to your duplicated clip sections, pushing the pixels around to create a distorted look. Experiment with different displacement effects, like RGB splitting or horizontal shifting, to achieve your desired glitchy aesthetic.

Step 3: RGB Splitting and Color Enhancing

RGB splitting is a key element in creating an authentic glitch effect. Duplicate your clip one more time and apply separate red, green, and blue channel effects to each duplicated clip. Shift these channels slightly to create a separation effect, resulting in a misalignment of colors. This visual distortion will amplify the glitch effect.

Furthermore, consider enhancing the color contrast and saturation of your footage. Boosting these elements will help intensify the glitch effect and make it more visually appealing. Experiment with different color grading techniques, such as adding a vintage or retro filter, until you achieve the desired result.

Summary 

All in all, creating a glitch effect adds a touch of uniqueness and visual interest to your video projects. Following each step, even amateur editors can easily achieve a professional-looking glitch effect in a single click. With practice and creative exploration, you will master the art of glitch effects and incorporate them seamlessly into video editing.