Software

Creating Glitch Effects in DaVinci Resolve

Video Glitch Art — Mathieu St-Pierre

DaVinci Resolve is one of the most capable free video editing platforms available, and its combination of a professional-grade color page, node-based Fusion compositing, and a full NLE timeline makes it an excellent tool for glitch art. Unlike many competitors, Resolve’s free tier includes nearly all the features you need for serious glitch work — making it the top recommendation for artists who want powerful video glitch capabilities without the cost of an Adobe subscription.

Why Resolve for Glitch Art?

Three features set Resolve apart for glitch artists:

  • Fusion page: A full node-based compositing environment (similar to Nuke) where you can build complex glitch effect chains with visual feedback at every stage.
  • Color page: The industry-standard color grading workspace, which can be repurposed for extreme color effects — push curves into unnatural ranges, isolate and corrupt specific hue ranges, or force color space mismatches.
  • Free tier: The free version includes Fusion, the color page, and most effects. The Studio version adds GPU acceleration, noise reduction, and some advanced Fusion tools, but the free tier is more than sufficient for glitch work.

Fusion-Based Glitch Effects

The Fusion page is where Resolve’s glitch potential truly opens up. Everything is node-based: you connect tool nodes in a chain, and each node transforms the image flowing through it.

RGB Channel Splitting in Fusion

  1. Add a ChannelBooleans node to separate your image into individual R, G, and B channels.
  2. For each channel output, add a Transform node to offset the position by a few pixels in different directions.
  3. Merge the offset channels back together using Merge nodes set to Screen or Add blend mode.
  4. Animate the Transform offsets with keyframes or expressions for dynamic RGB split movement.

Displacement and Distortion

  • Displace: Connect a noise pattern (use a FastNoise node) as the displacement source. Animate the noise’s Seethe parameter for evolving distortion.
  • Coordinate Space: The Coordinate Space node lets you remap pixels using mathematical expressions — powerful for creating custom warp patterns.
  • Vector Distortion: Feed motion vectors from one clip into the distortion of another for datamosh-adjacent effects.

Digital Noise and Artifacts

Build a glitch noise overlay entirely in Fusion:

  1. Create a FastNoise node with high contrast and sharp detail settings.
  2. Add a Threshold node to convert it into hard black-and-white blocks.
  3. Use Resize at a very low resolution, then scale back up with nearest-neighbor interpolation for blocky, macroblocking-style artifacts.
  4. Merge this over your footage with an Add or Multiply blend mode.
  5. Animate the noise seed per frame for flickering digital grain.

Screen Tear Effect in Fusion

  1. Use a Crop node to isolate a horizontal band from your footage.
  2. Add a Transform node to offset that band horizontally.
  3. Layer the shifted band over the original using a Merge node.
  4. Duplicate this chain for multiple tear bands at different vertical positions.
  5. Set keyframes to hold for 1-2 frames, then snap to different offsets for authentic digital tearing.

Color Page Corruption

The Color page’s node-based grading pipeline is a glitch playground:

Extreme Curves

  • Push the Curves panel into extreme S-curves or inverse the curve entirely to create color-inverted sections.
  • Isolate individual color channels (Red, Green, Blue curves) and distort each differently for chromatic aberration-style effects.
  • Use the Hue vs Hue curve to remap colors to completely wrong values — turning skin tones green or skies red.

Color Space Abuse

  • In the Color Space Transform node, deliberately set the wrong input color space (e.g., tell Resolve your Rec.709 footage is actually ACES or Log). The resulting color distortion creates distinctive looks that are impossible to achieve with standard grading tools.
  • Stack multiple Color Space Transform nodes with conflicting settings for compounding color corruption.

Power Windows as Glitch Masks

  • Use Power Windows (shaped masks) to isolate regions of the frame.
  • Apply extreme grading only within the window, creating localized glitch zones.
  • Animate the window to track movement or sweep across the frame.

Timeline Techniques

Stutter and Freeze

  • Use Retime Controls (right-click clip > Retime Controls) to freeze specific frames or create rapid speed changes.
  • Set Speed Points at 1-2 frame intervals with alternating 0% (freeze) and 200%+ (fast) speeds for stutter effects.
  • Reverse Segments within a clip for micro-reversed sections that create disorienting playback.

Re-encoding for Artifacts

Like Premiere Pro, you can exploit Resolve’s export settings:

  • Export at extremely low bitrates to force compression artifacts.
  • Use the Data Burn-In tool to overlay technical metadata as a visual element.
  • Export in old codecs at minimum quality, then re-import for generational loss workflows.

Practical Tips

  • Save Fusion compositions as macros: Build your glitch effect chains once, then save them as reusable macro nodes you can drop into any project.
  • Use the Node Editor aggressively: Resolve’s node-based workflow is perfect for glitch art because you can see and modify every step of the effect chain. Branch and merge freely.
  • Performance: Fusion effects can be GPU-intensive. Use proxy mode or reduce timeline resolution for smooth playback while designing effects, then render at full quality.
  • Keyframe with hold interpolation: For authentic digital glitches, set keyframe interpolation to Constant (hold/step) rather than smooth. Real glitches don’t ease in and out.
  • Compound clips for layering: Nest glitched sequences inside compound clips to apply additional effects on top of the already-processed output.