making digital video look like VHS

[BrianP]

I have a lot of VHS material to which I'd like to add some new footage. The problem I foresee is there being an obvious visual discrepancy between the two sources (the new material would be D8).

Is there a filter or batch process in Premiere (or MSP) to make the D8 stuff look more VHS-like?

[wkulecz]

I've taken the opposite tack when mixing Video8 (marginally better than VHS) with D8 footage. Instead of bringing down the D8 I brought up the V8 by sharpening and adding a bit of color saturation and extra contrast.

Since I had mostly D8 and you seem to have mostly VHS, try the reverse on your D8 -- blur, reduce the color saturation and contrast, maybe add a little noise and it should "blend in: pretty well with your VHS stuff.

It might matter what order the filters are applied in -- add noise then blur might be noticably different than blur followed by add noise depending on the levels of noise and blur.

--wally.

[Dr Mordrid]

Wally's point about the application order of video filters is excellent.

Using stacked filters is often as much art as science. One should experiment with the application order of the combination you're going to use before rendering the project.

In the case of blur and noise; blur should be applied first, then noise. Otherwise the granularity of the noise (presuming you want to preserve this) will be blurred along with everything else.

This is one of those things that takes practice and experimentation to get right. The perfect way to spend a Wednesday night

Dr. Mordrid