rs - an accurate VHS video effect

1 min read Original article ↗

Screenshot of the ntsc-rs application

Your analog dreams, come true

ntsc-rs is a free, open-source video effect which accurately emulates analog TV and VHS artifacts.

Side-by-side comparison between Red Giant Universe VHS and ntsc-rs

Amazingly accurate

Other popular effects eyeball the look of VHS tapes using simple color lookup tables and overlays. ntsc-rs uses algorithms that model how NTSC transmission and VHS encoding actually work, based on algorithms developed in composite-video-simulator, zhuker/ntsc, and ntscQT.

An ntsc-rs render which has completed in 15 seconds overlaid atop lines of code

Blazingly fast

ntsc-rs is written in Rust, and is multithreaded and SIMD-accelerated. Unlike similar effects such as ntscQT, it can run in real time at much higher resolutions than actual NTSC footage.

ntsc-rs running as a plugin in nonlinear editing software

Fits into your video editing workflow

ntsc-rs is available not just as a standalone application, but also as a plugin for After Effects, Premiere, and all OpenFX-compatible software. This includes DaVinci Resolve, Hitfilm, and Vegas.