Chromatic Aberration
Offsets the red, green, and blue channels to simulate lens color fringing.
Category: Effects Menu path: Effects > Chromatic Aberration
Ports
| Port | Type | Direction | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
in | imageRgba16f | input | Input image |
out | imageRgba16f | output | Image with chromatic aberration applied |
Parameters
| Param | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
amount | scalar | 5.0 | Separation distance in pixels between the red and blue channels. Keyframeable. |
mode | enum | Radial | Aberration pattern. Radial: channels spread outward from center. Directional: channels offset along a fixed angle. |
angle | scalar | 0 | Direction angle in radians (Directional mode only). 0 = horizontal. Keyframeable. |
center | vec2 | (0.5, 0.5) | Center point for radial mode in UV space (0-1). Keyframeable. |
Expose Channels
When enabled (E button on node header), adds input ports that override params via edge connections:
| Port | Type | Overrides |
|---|---|---|
amount_in | scalar | amount |
angle_in | scalar | angle |
center_in | vec2 | center |
How It Works
The shader samples the red channel at a negative UV offset, the green channel at the original UV, and the blue channel at a positive UV offset. In Radial mode, the offset direction points away from the center, and magnitude scales with distance from center -- mimicking real lens aberration where fringing increases toward the frame edges. In Directional mode, all pixels are offset along the same angle.
The output alpha is the maximum of the three channel samples, ensuring the combined result doesn't introduce holes.
Chromatic aberration expands content bounds (similar to blur), so the engine computes overscan to prevent clipping at comp edges.
Usage Examples
Basic: Subtle lens fringing
- Add a Chromatic Aberration node after your image
- Set mode to Radial and amount to 3-5
- Edges of the frame show color fringing, center stays sharp
Creative: Glitch effect
- Set mode to Directional with a high amount (20-50)
- Animate the angle to sweep the color split across the frame
- Combine with other effects for a digital glitch aesthetic
Advanced: Breathing lens simulation
- Keyframe amount from 0 to 8 and back over a few frames
- The color channels briefly separate and recombine
- Simulates the chromatic aberration shift during a lens rack focus
Tips
- Radial mode looks most natural for simulating real lens optics
- Amount is in pixels, so the effect scales with resolution -- a value of 5 at 1080p is subtle
- In Radial mode, center (0.5, 0.5) matches the image center; shift it to simulate off-axis optics
- Heavy chromatic aberration combined with Blur creates a dreamy, vintage lens look