videobeaux/docs/programs/effects/zapruder.md

zapruder

Description

Applies a stylized “Zapruder film” aesthetic inspired by the iconic 1960s 8mm footage.
The effect simulates historical analog film qualities including jitter, grain, contrast instability, chromatic fading, and hand-held mechanical wobble.

The result resembles degraded archival film transferred from aging physical media.

Purpose

zapruder is designed for creators who want:

• an old-film documentary aesthetic,
• jittery analog motion reminiscent of early consumer cameras,
• heavy grain and historical degradation,
• warm-to-greenish retro color shifts,
• a single-command tool to invoke archival authenticity.

How It Works

1. Film Jitter Simulation
   Slight irregular frame-to-frame positional shifts mimic hand-held mechanical cameras.
2. Grain Injection
   Dense analog-style grain overlays the footage.
3. Contrast and Color Fading
   Produces warm, desaturated tones typical of 1960s film stock and old transfers.
4. Softening & Bloom
   Highlights bloom slightly while edges lose digital sharpness.
5. Encoding
   Output is encoded using Videobeaux global CRF, codec, and pixel-format settings.

Program Template

videobeaux -P zapruder \
  -i input.mp4 \
  -o output.mp4

Arguments

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

Real World Example

videobeaux -P zapruder \
  -i myvideo.mp4 \
  -o zapruder_styled.mp4

Program Output

Technical Notes

• Medium-to-high grain source footage blends best with the effect.
• Extremely dark footage may become muddy due to stacked film noise.
• High-motion scenes highlight jitter and wobble most effectively.
• Works as a final stylistic layer or early preprocessing step depending on workflow intention.

Recommended Usage

• Fake archival footage for narrative or documentary storytelling.
• Flashback sequences, memory montages, or historical reenactments.
• Vintage collage art and experimental cinema.
• Creating “lost media” textures.
• Combining with bad_predator, nostalgic_stutter, or lofi effects for layered retro realism.

Quality Tips

• Lower CRF preserves film grain more cleanly.
• Higher CRF adds compression grit, which can enhance the degraded look.
• Add blur_pix beforehand for softer, more analog edges.
• Apply LUTs after the effect if you want to preserve the vintage tonal palette.
• Combine with reverse and speed for scratched-film temporal irregularity.