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How to Create Unique Glitches in After Effects with Pixel Repeat

By adjusting parameters like repeat strength, direction, and threshold, you can fine-tune how your glitch unfolds. Pair it with After Effects Displacement Maps or motion blur to enhance realism without complex setups.

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When it comes to glitch-style animation and digital distortion, Pixel Repeat by Max van Leeuwen is one of those plugins that instantly elevates your visuals. Available on Plugin Play, this After Effects plugin loops pixels in a way that creates mesmerizing streaks, smears, and glitch transitions; perfect for adding a stylized, techy edge to your motion graphics.

How Pixel Repeat Actually Works

At its core, Pixel Repeat doesn’t just duplicate pixels; it repeats and offsets them based on their luminance. This means bright areas stretch more while darker regions stay compact, producing a natural “pull” that reacts to your scene’s lighting. The result? Motion-driven distortion that feels digital but controlled.

By adjusting parameters like repeat strength, direction, and threshold, you can fine-tune how your glitch unfolds. Pair it with After Effects Displacement Maps or motion blur to enhance realism without complex setups.

Creative Application for Pixel Repeat

Pixel Repeat is more than just a visual gimmick, it’s a versatile design tool with endless creative possibilities. Motion designers use it to craft glitch transitions for tech-inspired edits, add abstract overlays to music videos, and simulate data-stream streaks or signal distortions in futuristic UI sequences. Its ability to loop and manipulate pixels opens up unique ways to bring motion and texture to digital visuals, making it a go-to plugin for stylized, high-impact effects.