Digital glitch art is the intentional corruption of data structures that were meant to stay invisible. A camera sensor records a rigid grid of pixels, an encoder serialises them into rows, and a screen paints them line by line. Glitch algorithms break those assumptions along three distinct fault lines:
- Signal-Level Destruction (CRT Scanlines & Phase Shifts): The CRT filter simulates the optical behavior of cathode-ray tube displays. It inserts dark raster scanlines between pixel rows and offsets the sub-pixel color phases. Bright areas bloom across raster boundaries, reproducing the phosphorescent bleed of analog video monitors.
- Sequence-Level Destruction (Pixel Sorting): The Pixel Sort and Pixel Sort V filters scan along rows or columns, measuring luminance against a threshold. Contiguous runs of pixels that cross the threshold are sorted dark-to-bright in-place, turning structural silhouettes into smeared liquid trails while leaving calm regions intact.
- Quantisation & Decimation (Signal Mix, Pixel Crush & Chroma Pop): The Signal Mix, Pixel Crush, and Chroma Pop filters downsample pixel coordinates, map luminance to alternating glyph matrices, and apply high-contrast RGB channel splits, mimicking damaged video RAM and baud-rate teletext corruption.
| Filter | Mechanism | Aesthetic Result | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRT | Scanlines + phosphor bloom | 1980s analog television raster | Street scenes, neon night photography |
| Pixel Sort | Horizontal brightness sorting | High-speed wind smearing | Portraits with hair, dynamic horizons |
| Pixel Sort V | Vertical brightness sorting | Gravity drips and paint melting | Backlit silhouettes, architecture |
| Signal Mix | Coordinate decimation | Corrupted signal telemetry | Cyberpunk posters, type and logos |
| Pixel Crush | Block quantisation | 8-bit video RAM overflow | Retro gaming graphics, icon design |
| Chroma Pop | Saturated palette split | Vibrant analog chromatic aberration | Album artwork, high-fashion editorials |
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