# Clip effects

> Nine effects in the Slicer editor — shake, pulse, flash, cinema, vignette, film grain, blur, glitch and VHS: what each does and how to apply it to all clips.

Source: https://docs.slicer.media/en/guide/editor/effects/

An effect changes how a clip looks for its whole length: it adds camera motion, a flash, cinematic bars, film grain or an old-tape look. Effects help highlight the climax, set a mood or give the reel one consistent style. A clip can have one effect.

If “Light” or “Bold” was chosen for **Effects & transitions** in the direction settings at montage time, the AI may have already put effects on key moments — for example, a flash or a shake on accents.

**Demo (Web):**

1. Click a clip and press “Effects”
2. Pick “Pulse” — the clip plays from the start with the effect
3. Pick “VHS” — the effect changes
4. Click “Apply to all clips” — VHS is on every clip
5. Click ✓ “Done” — the clips show an effect badge

## Applying an effect

### 1. Open “Effects”

Select a clip and press **Effects**. With nothing selected, the **Effects** button in the main set selects the clip at the playhead by itself.

### 2. Pick an effect

Click a tile — the preview jumps to the start of the clip and plays it with the effect. **None** removes the effect.

### 3. Apply to all or finish

**Apply to all clips** puts the selected effect on every clip of the reel, and **None** together with **Apply to all clips** removes effects from all of them. Click ✓ **Done**.

## All effects

| Effect | What happens |
| --- | --- |
| **Shake** | A light handheld camera shake: the frame is slightly enlarged and moves by up to 2% |
| **Pulse** | The frame “beats”: every 0.6 s it jumps in by 7% and quickly returns |
| **Flash** | A white flash at the very start of the clip, fading in 0.45 s |
| **Cinema** | Black bars at the top and bottom — 10% of the frame height each, like in a movie theater |
| **Vignette** | The edges and corners darken softly, drawing the eye to the center |
| **Film grain** | Film grain over the frame |
| **Blur** | The whole frame is blurred — handy under plaque text or as a backdrop for an insert |
| **Glitch** | Red and blue channels split and the frame “jerks” now and then, like a digital glitch |
| **VHS** | A videotape look: warm faded color, channel split, slight blur, grain and scanlines |

## Good to know

-   An effect runs from the start of the clip to its end. If you [split](https://docs.slicer.media/en/guide/editor/fragments/) the clip, both parts keep the effect.
-   Effects combine with [color](https://docs.slicer.media/en/guide/editor/color/), [animations](https://docs.slicer.media/en/guide/editor/animations/), [keyframes](https://docs.slicer.media/en/guide/editor/keyframes/) and the camera motion placed by the AI.
-   **Shake**, **Pulse** and **Glitch** slightly enlarge the frame so its edges don't show when it moves.
-   The preview draws effects with the same formula as the final reel. On the web, color, grain, vignette and scanlines are drawn by the graphics card (WebGL): in an old browser without WebGL the preview shows the frame without them, but the finished reel has everything.
-   Effects are free. The paid [AI effect from a prompt](https://docs.slicer.media/en/guide/ai/effect/) is a different feature: a neural network changes the video itself based on your description.

> **Tip.** Effects work best in moderation: **Flash** or **Pulse** on the key idea, **Cinema** on a beautiful shot. For one style across the whole reel, a [filter](https://docs.slicer.media/en/guide/editor/color/) with **Apply to all clips** is handier.

## What's next

-   [Color: filters and Adjust](https://docs.slicer.media/en/guide/editor/color/)
-   [In and out animations](https://docs.slicer.media/en/guide/editor/animations/)
-   [AI effect from a prompt](https://docs.slicer.media/en/guide/ai/effect/)