videobeaux/docs/programs/effects/septic.md

septic

Description

Applies an intense, distressed visual filter inspired by the physiological collapse associated with septic shock.
The effect evokes instability, discoloration, plunging contrast, erratic tonal shifts, and an overall sense of visual “failing systems.”

This is a highly stylized effect — not medically literal — meant to express emotional, cinematic, or abstract interpretations of systemic breakdown.

Purpose

septic is designed for creators who want:

• a dramatic “body shutting down” visual metaphor,
• sickly color shifts, muddied gradients, and collapsing tonal structure,
• unstable fluctuations reminiscent of fading consciousness or shock waves,
• aggressive, unsettling distortions appropriate for horror, glitch, or psychological edits,
• a simple one-command filter with no parameters to tune.

How It Works

1. Color Degradation
   The filter pushes hues toward bruised greens, greys, and yellows — evoking the palette of medical distress.
2. Contrast Collapse
   Highlights and shadows may buckle inward, causing the image to dim, lose clarity, or appear “fading out.”
3. Instability Simulation
   Subtle flicker, tonal oscillation, or jitter may appear to represent instability and bodily failure.
4. Encoding
   Output is encoded using global Videobeaux settings, ensuring consistent quality across pipelines.

Program Template

videobeaux -P septic -i input.mp4 -o output.mp4

Arguments

• (No additional program-specific arguments; uses global videobeaux options only.)

Real World Example

videobeaux -P septic \
  -i myvideo.mp4 \
  -o septic_styled.mp4

Program Output

Technical Notes

• Midtones become heavily stressed; this is where the “shock” look is strongest.
• Faces and skin tones distort dramatically, increasing the unsettling aesthetic.
• High-contrast footage produces more severe tonal collapse.
• Works equally well on clean digital footage and degraded sources.

Recommended Usage

• Horror sequences and psychological thrillers.
• Music videos with themes of collapse, breakdown, or emotional overload.
• Glitch-art or experimental montage.
• Narrative moments symbolizing fear, trauma, disorientation, or medical crisis.
• Visual metaphors for systems failure in abstract cinema.

Quality Tips

• Use lower CRF to maintain detail in distressed textures.
• Use higher CRF if you want smeared, grimy collapse artifacts.
• Combine with bad_contrast for deeper shadows and harsher tonal decay.
• Stack with overexposed_stutter for panic-attack visual rhythms.
• Apply before lut_apply if you want a uniform sickly wash; apply after if you want the LUT to warp the septic palette.