Create a realistic distorted VHS look using this free After Effects template.
If you’re trying to give your footage a nostalgic VHS-style look, After Effects is the perfect program. However, sometimes making footage look the “right kind of bad” is just as hard as making it look good. To make the process easier, we’ve created a free After Effects template to help you create a realistic distorted VHS look. Just follow these easy steps:
Step 1: Download and Install Free Font
Download the free ‘VCR OSD Mono’ font from DaFont. Simply follow the link below and click the download button. A zip file will be downloaded. Double click the zip folder. A .ttf file should appear in your downloads folder now. Simply double-click and install the font onto your computer.
Step 2: Download Free After Effects Project File
Download our free VHS Distortion project file here on RocketStock. If the project file looks eerily familiar, it’s because it’s a variation of our free Digital Distortion project file. However, this project includes one extra slider called ‘VHS Lines’.
Step 3: Drop Footage in ‘Drop Footage Here’ Composition
Once you download the file, open up the project file. It is down-saved to work in any version of After Effects CS5.5 and above. Drop your footage into the bottom of the ‘Drop Footage Here’ composition.
Step 4: Change Text As Needed
Change the text in the ‘Drop Footage Here’ composition. Make sure your font is set to ‘VCR OSD Mono’.
Step 5: Export out ‘Final Output’
Jump into the ‘Final Output’ composition and render your footage. You can change the way your project looks and feels by selecting the ‘Magical Place’ composition and adjusting the various sliders inside. You can also get some pretty cool digital distortion style effects by turning up the ‘Color Boxes’ effect.
