Software

Glitch Effect in Photoshop: 6 Techniques

Photoshop Glitch Art

Photoshop is one of the most versatile tools for creating glitch art effects — from subtle RGB splits to aggressive databending-style corruption. Unlike dedicated glitch apps that apply preset filters, Photoshop gives you full control over every layer, channel, and pixel, letting you build effects that look intentional rather than random.

This guide covers six core techniques, starting with the simplest and working toward more advanced methods. Every technique works non-destructively and requires no third-party plugins.

Before You Start: Setup

Always begin with a non-destructive workflow:

  1. Open your image and immediately duplicate the background layer (Ctrl/Cmd + J)
  2. For maximum flexibility, convert to a Smart Object (right-click > Convert to Smart Object) — this lets you adjust or remove filters later
  3. Work in 16-bit mode if your source supports it (Image > Mode > 16 Bits/Channel) to preserve tonal data through heavy manipulation
  4. Keep the original layer locked at the bottom of your stack as a safety net

1. RGB Channel Displacement

This creates the signature chromatic aberration / anaglyph look — offset red, green, and blue channels that produce prismatic fringing.

Steps:

  1. Duplicate your image layer twice (you now have three copies)
  2. Select the top layer, double-click it to open Layer Style, and uncheck the Red channel (uncheck “R” in Advanced Blending)
  3. Select the middle layer and uncheck both Green and Blue channels
  4. Set both modified layers to Screen blending mode
  5. Use the Move Tool (V) with arrow keys to offset each layer 3–10 pixels horizontally

The red and cyan fringes appear immediately. For stronger effects, increase the offset. For subtle effects, keep it to 1–3 pixels and reduce the modified layers to 80% opacity.

Variations:

  • Offset layers diagonally instead of just horizontally
  • Apply different amounts of Gaussian blur to each channel layer
  • Mask the effect to specific areas (face, text, subject edges) while keeping the background clean

2. Screen Tearing (Slice & Shift)

Simulates the horizontal displacement artifacts from corrupted video signals or interrupted data transfers.

Steps:

  1. Duplicate your base layer
  2. Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M)
  3. Draw a thin horizontal selection across the full width of the image (10–50 pixels tall)
  4. With the Move Tool (V), shift the selection left or right 20–100 pixels
  5. Repeat with selections of varying heights at different vertical positions
  6. For some slices, nudge only 5–10 pixels; for others, push 50–100 pixels to create visual rhythm

Tips for better results:

  • Vary the slice heights — thin slices (5–10px) mixed with thicker bands (30–50px) look more authentic than uniform strips
  • Cluster more slices in one area of the image to create a focal point of corruption
  • Alternate the direction — shift some slices left, others right
  • Add a 1–2 pixel gap of black between some slices to simulate missing data

3. Wave Filter Distortion

The Wave filter (Filter > Distort > Wave) produces organic, undulating distortions that mimic corrupted signal processing.

Steps:

  1. Duplicate your layer and convert to a Smart Object
  2. Select a horizontal strip using the Rectangular Marquee Tool
  3. Go to Filter > Distort > Wave
  4. Start with these settings:
    • Number of generators: 1–3
    • Wavelength: Min 10, Max 120
    • Amplitude: Min 1, Max 35
    • Scale: Horiz 100%, Vert 100%
    • Type: Sine or Square
  5. Apply, then repeat with different settings on different selections

Key insight: Square waves produce sharp, digital-looking displacements. Sine waves produce smoother, more analog-feeling warps. Use square for “data corruption” looks and sine for “signal interference” looks.

Targeted application: Rather than applying the Wave filter to the whole image, select only horizontal bands. This creates the look of corrupted scan lines where some of the image remains intact — much more compelling than a uniformly warped image.

4. Scan Lines & CRT Overlay

Simulates the horizontal scan line pattern of CRT monitors and analog video displays.

Steps:

  1. Create a new layer above your image
  2. Fill it with black
  3. Go to Filter > Filter Gallery > Sketch > Halftone Pattern
    • Size: 1–2
    • Contrast: 50
    • Pattern Type: Line
  4. Set the layer blending mode to Overlay or Soft Light
  5. Reduce opacity to 15–40% depending on how prominent you want the lines

Alternative method (more control):

  1. Create a new 2x2 pixel document
  2. Fill the top row with black, bottom row transparent
  3. Edit > Define Pattern
  4. Back in your main document, create a new layer and Edit > Fill > Pattern, select your scan line pattern
  5. Set to Overlay at 20–30% opacity

This method gives you resolution-independent scan lines that you can scale up or down.

Adding VHS noise: Layer a scan line overlay with a subtle noise layer (Filter > Noise > Add Noise, 3–5%, Monochromatic) for a more authentic VHS aesthetic.

5. Displacement Map Corruption

Displacement maps warp your image based on the brightness values of a second image. Using glitched or noisy maps produces distortions that feel more organic than geometric filters.

Steps:

  1. Create your displacement map:

    • Open a new document at the same dimensions as your image
    • Fill with 50% gray (this = no displacement)
    • Add streaks of black and white using a large brush (black pushes pixels one direction, white pushes the other)
    • Or: apply heavy noise, then Motion Blur for directional distortion
    • Save as a flattened PSD file

  2. Apply the displacement:

    • Select your image layer
    • Go to Filter > Distort > Displace
    • Set horizontal and vertical scale (10–30 for subtle, 50–100 for aggressive)
    • Select your saved PSD map

The image warps wherever the map deviates from 50% gray. Brighter areas push pixels in one direction, darker areas push the opposite way.

Creative maps to try:

  • A heavily databent image saved as a PSD
  • A screenshot of code or text
  • A pixel-sorted gradient
  • Random noise with motion blur applied at different angles

6. Raw Data Editing (Photoshop Databending)

This technique produces authentic corruption artifacts by editing the actual file data — not simulating glitch effects, but creating real ones.

Steps:

  1. Save your image as a BMP or TIFF (uncompressed formats tolerate corruption better than JPEG)
  2. Open the saved file in a text editor (Notepad, TextEdit, or VS Code)
  3. You’ll see a wall of garbled characters — this is the raw binary data represented as text
  4. Skip past the first 50–100 characters (this is the file header — corrupting it makes the file unreadable)
  5. Select a chunk of characters in the middle and replace, delete, or duplicate them
  6. Save the text file
  7. Rename the extension back to .bmp/.tiff if needed and open in Photoshop

The result: horizontal streaks, color band shifts, displaced pixel rows, and structural breaks that no filter can replicate. Each edit produces unique, unrepeatable artifacts.

Going further: For more control over databending, use Audacity to open image files as raw audio, apply audio effects, and re-export. See our full databending guide for detailed workflows.

Combining Techniques

The strongest glitch art pieces layer multiple effects:

  1. Start with RGB displacement for the base chromatic look
  2. Add screen tearing in 2–3 zones for structural corruption
  3. Apply Wave filter to selected strips for organic distortion
  4. Overlay scan lines at low opacity for the CRT texture
  5. Finish with noise and color grading — slightly desaturate, add film grain, push the color temperature toward cyan or magenta

Layer order matters: Apply structural effects (tearing, displacement) before textural effects (scan lines, noise). This keeps the texture consistent across the image rather than getting displaced along with the pixel data.

Photoshop Actions and Batch Processing

Once you’ve developed a glitch workflow you like, save it as a Photoshop Action (Window > Actions > New Action) to apply it to multiple images with one click. This is especially useful for:

  • Creating a series of glitched portraits with consistent style
  • Generating multiple variations from a single source image
  • Building textures and overlays for other design projects

Record your action with slightly randomized parameters (different slice positions, varying wave settings) to keep each result unique while maintaining a cohesive look.