Beginner’s Guide to Glitch Art

What is Glitch Art?

Glitch art is a type of art that is created by deliberately introducing errors or “glitches” into digital images or videos. Glitch art can be made with software, hardware, or simply by manipulating digital data. Glitch art often explores the relationship between technology and society. It can comment on mass surveillance, corporate power, and the commodification of culture.

David Ariel Szauder’s Failed Memories

Glitch art can also be simply aesthetic or simply fun. Whatever the purpose, glitch art is a way to create something new and unexpected from digital media.

Glitch Art Print by Azrhon 

History of Glitch Art

Digitex Triacotine 16 Art Print by Chad Wys 

Glitch art has its roots in the early days of computing when programmers deliberately introduced errors or “bugs” into their code to see what would happen. These glitches would often produce unexpected and exciting results, which the programmers share with their colleagues. Glitch art began to take shape in the late 1990s and early 2000s with the advent of digital editing software such as Adobe Photoshop and Apple’s Final Cut Pro. These tools made it possible for anyone with a computer to create glitch art. The genre began to gain popularity in underground art and music scenes.

Digitex Triacotine 20 Art Print by Chad Wys 

In recent years, glitch art has entered the mainstream. Commercial brands are now using glitch art to create eye-catching and attention-grabbing visuals. The genre is continuing to grow in popularity.

Glitch Art Methods include:

  • Databending: the process of manipulating a media file of a certain format, using software designed to edit files of another format. Distortions in the medium typically occur as a result. [more]
  • Pixel Sorting: the process of isolating a horizontal or vertical line of pixels in an image and sorting their positions based on criteria such as luminosity, hue, or saturation. [more]
  • Datamoshing: a technique of damaging video clips to create a glitch effect wherein frames that should change don’t. It’s most noticeable between cuts and across motion. [more]
  • Software Glitches
  • Hardware Glitches
  • Combining Glitches

Data Bending example:

Pixel Sorting example:

Black And White Design GIF by BADCODEC - Find & Share on GIPHY
by badcodec

Famous Glitch Artists

Famous glitch artists include Sabato Visconti, known for his “datamoshing” technique, which involves manipulating digital video data to create Glitch Art.

Images Adrift – Sabato Visconti (Example of Pixel Sorting)

Michael Betancourt

The Kodak Moment by Michael Betancourt

Other amazing glitch artists include:

How to Make Glitch Art

There are many ways to create glitch art, but most methods involve manipulating digital data somehow. For example, you can create glitches by:

  • Editing images or videos with software such as Photoshop or Final Cut Pro
  • Manipulating digital files with hex editors or other hacking tools
  • Playing around with the settings on your computer or video game console
  • Recording and editing digital footage from TV, movies, or other sources
  • Glitching images or videos online using websites or apps such as Glitché or Glitchee
  • Combining different types of glitch art to create unique results

Glitch art is all about experimentation, so there are no hard and fast rules.

Here are some videos for creating your own glitch art:

Glitch Art Tools

There are a variety of tools that you can use to create glitch art, including:

Glitch art is a fun, creative way to experiment with digital media. Have fun and see what you can create!

Best Glitch Art Apps

Glitché

Glitché App

Glitché is an award-winning editor and a perfect NFT-art tool with glitch-filters based on random data that cannot be recreated. Create unique digital art with Glitché.

  • 40+ professional tools for digital glitches, datamoshing, 3D-transformations, color distortions, crusty VHS looks and more
  • Real-time AR-filters and masks to bring the best out of your art
  • Effect control during recording and editing
  • Fonts generator, layers, and blending modes
  • Beautiful simple design
  • Endless inspiration and creativity

Glitché is another excellent option for iPhone users. It has a wide selection of glitch effects, and you can even create your own Glitché filters.

Get Glitché.

Glitch Art Studio: Cam Effects (iPhone)

This app is perfect for creating glitch art on the go. It has a simple interface and various glitch effects to choose from.

Add glitches to your photos and videos!

Glitch Art Studio offers an extensive library of exclusive effects to distort your photos and videos in creative ways.

Effects:

  • Analog Noise
  • Digital Noise
  • Interference
  • VHS Noise
  • Color Aberration
  • Datamosh
  • Slit Scan
  • Pixel Sorting
  • Quantization
  • Dithering
  • Lens Distortions
  • Symmetry
  • Dope & Rad Effects
  • Scanlines
  • Interlace
  • CRT
  • ASCII
  • Glass

Get Glitch Art Cam Effects.

MoshUp

MoshUp

With Moshup you can do live datamoshing on your iPhone or iPad. Capture a short clip and then film something different. The first recording will stick to the second recording and will be transformed by its motion. You can create some interesting mapping effects. The app was mainly used on the viral TikTok datamoshing videos over the last two years.

You can also repeat Frames in order or randomly.

Save the result as an image or video. While data moshing you can now fade back to a clean camera input. It’s now also possible to watch a preview to decide if you want to save or continue with your video recording. Get MoshUp

Web-Based Glitching Tools:

Gitch Art Galleries

Glitch Art is still a relatively new art form, so there aren’t many Glitch Art Galleries yet. However, here are a few that you might want to check out:

Glitch Art Resources

Best Glitch Photo Effects

1. RGB / Glitch Photo FX

The RGB / Glitch Photo FX adds gorgeous old television glitch effect with separated red, green and blue channels.

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2. Descending- Glitch design elements

Inspired by cyberspace, glitch art and sci-fi in general this collection contains 30 creative elements that will help you create amazing wallpapers, posters, brochure/flyer covers etc. Here you will find abstract tech circles and frames, squares, triangles, dripping borders, glitch textures/patterns and lines. Browse through the preview images to see all elements included.

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3. Abstract glitch background textures

► A set of 20 abstract glitch textures in blue tones, created digitally. They can be used as backgrounds and their high resolution and size will ensure a good quality if you are using them for a project that will be printed.

► See last thumbnail picture for a preview of the textures pack.

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4. Grunge | Glitch Photo FX

Grunge Glitch Photo FX – Use this template to add a grunge glitch FX to your photos.

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5. Glitch Photoshop Action

Want to create any text or image into a professional non-destructive glitchy / distortion effects with one click? This is amazing and time saving.

Super easy to use and Includes Step by step Video Instruction so beginners will have no trouble using these Action.

Starting layer is untouched and everything is editable after done the action all layers are packed into a group.

https://crmrkt.com/vpM5WQ

6. Glitch Overlay Effects

GLITCH OVERLAY EFFECTS & TEXTURES


– 50 different textures, 6000×4000 pixels, JPEG’s, 300 dpi


This textures are high resolution and could be a great addition to any project. Use them as textures for cards, invitations, banners, templates, flyers, covers, posters, print, web design, patterns, cases or as overlays for photos and artworks.

https://crmrkt.com/MrWePM

7. Pro Glitch Photoshop PSD Template

Create Corrupted VHS 3D Glitch Fast using our PSD Photoshop Kit. This kit contains 10 Different Glitch Effects in 1 Photoshop Document (PSD) file that will allow you to create glitch and retro VHS effects for your images.

https://crmrkt.com/mgR8jE

8. Glitch Brushes

There’s fonts, vectors, PSD’s, JPG’s and now there’s some good old PS Brushes for you to go wild with! Mash up that immaculate image with some dirty glitches and give it a touch of the Commodor 64.

The brushes are a whopping 3000px X 3000px, so you can use them for anything from textures and backgrounds, or zip ’em down in size and use them as a little treatment for any of your new projects!

https://crmrkt.com/G3E6N7

9. Digital Glitch Effect PSD Templates

Create professional digital glitch effects in seconds with these three high resolution, easy to use psd templates. Includes a bonus of 11 FREE ACTIONS specifically designed to enhance your glitch images and give you additional artefacts and distortion effects. Perfect for adding a cinematic effect, stylize look to your images, retro display effects, or grungy, post-apocalyptic digital interference effects…and everything in between.

Each of the three psd files have slightly different characteristics, but are jam packed with adjustable features and layers to give you virtually endless possibilities. If you know how to double click and paste a graphic that’s all you need to get up and running. A pdf instruction and tips guide is included to help you get the most out of the vast possibilities these templates offer.

Digital Glitch Effect PSD Templates

10. 10 Glitch Art Photoshop Actions

Add abstract and glitchy effects to any photo with these 10 Photoshop actions. These actions create glitch-like art using only nondestructive Photoshop techniques.


Features

  • 10 Abstract Effects
  • Fully Editable & Nondestructive Layers
  • Works on all image sizes (Does not resize your image)
  • Professional Results
  • Works with Photoshop CS6, and CC

https://crmrkt.com/BRdGGa

11. Glitch Photoshop Actions Set

Have you noticed how picturesque and artistic a digital disguise of errors can be? Looks like something futuristic or brought from a movie about post-apocalyptic society. It’s hard to avoid the feeling of electro-music or psychedelic vibes. Anyway, such obscurity of image fostered us to create a set of glitch PS actions.

So now you have 14 of them, waiting to be applied to your photos and pictures. Implement the effect of color or shape corruption and experience the awe of bewilderment, caused by the images. It’s simple to work with this set — just choose and use the action. Your personal or commercial projects will stand out from the crowd!

What’s inside: 14 glitch photo PS actions.

https://crmrkt.com/y9w5pK

12. Hologlyph – Hologram Glitch Effect

Hologlyph Digital Hologram Glitch Action for Photoshop CC
This comprehensive Photoshop action takes the digital glitch effect to the brink and beyond. By including specially developed displacement and anaglyph effects, you can create digital glitch effects that push the boundaries, mimicking futuristic hologram and digital display effects with minimal effort. Think Star Wars, think Aeon Flux, think Dredd, think Ghost in the Shell, think sci-fi, military, supernatural, paranormal, futuristic…think pretty much anything you like.

https://crmrkt.com/vpM5W0