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CCTV Effect

Turns any picture into a dim monitor feed with heavy scanlines, a dot mask, softened detail and color fringes.

A man's buzz-cut profile as a dim CRT image with dense scanlines, a fine dot mask, darkened tones and faint color fringes, inside a black border.
Close-up of a man with a buzz cut and dark jacket against a deep blue sky, with mossy rocks and a red path behind him in bright sunlight.
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Made with CRT Lab

Works in

The CCTV effect runs your image through a simulated video signal and a CRT screen, the way a security monitor shows a feed. It starts with full scanlines, a shadow mask, muted color and offset color channels. You can change the mask, scanline strength, contrast, ghosting, jitter and color mode.

Same effect, different settings

12 photos, each with its own settings. Try it on yours

  • CCTV Effect on a photo of a man in a white shirt
  • CCTV Effect on a photo of a black horse
  • CCTV Effect on a photo of the back of a blond buzz cut
  • CCTV Effect on a photo of a young man in black
  • CCTV Effect on a photo of a woman with a silver earring and winged liner
  • CCTV Effect on a photo of a woman in white cat-eye sunglasses
  • CCTV Effect on a photo of a woman with a black bob and red earrings
  • CCTV Effect on a photo of a man in white sunglasses
  • CCTV Effect on a photo of a woman in orange glasses and a knit collar
  • CCTV Effect on a photo of a man with pink hair and black sunglasses
  • CCTV Effect on a photo of a man with a blue and pink block mask
  • CCTV Effect on a photo of a smile with gold grills

Use CCTV Effect in Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, Affinity or Figma

The plugins are free with an account. Paid plans add bigger renders and your own filters. See pricing

Settings worth touching

Scanlines
Sets how dark the horizontal lines between rows are. It starts at full strength; lower it for a cleaner screen.
Mask Type
Picks the phosphor pattern: Aperture Grille, Slot Mask, Shadow Mask or LED Matrix. It starts on Shadow Mask, a fine dot grid.
Color Mode
Switches from Composite NTSC color to Monochrome Green, Monochrome Amber or Vivid LED for a single-tint monitor or brighter pixels.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add the CCTV effect in Photoshop?

With Nexus for Photoshop, convert your layer to a Smart Object and apply the look as a Smart Filter. Double-⁠click the filter later to change any setting.

Can I animate the CCTV effect in After Effects?

Yes. Nexus for After Effects adds the look as a native effect. Keyframe Signal Phase, Tracking Jitter or any other control on the timeline to make the feed move and wobble.

Is there a free CCTV filter?

You can open the look in the Nexus web editor and try it on your own image without an account. Exporting needs a free account, which exports images up to 720px and video up to 720px with the Nexus mark.

How do I make a photo look like security camera footage?

Keep the scanlines strong, lower Chroma Saturation for washed out color and raise Tape Snow for noise. Add Head Switch Tear or Tracking Jitter to suggest a worn recording.

Can I get a green surveillance camera effect?

Set Color Mode to Monochrome Green or Monochrome Amber for a single color monitor. Phosphor Tint changes the glow color, and Invert flips the tones for a negative feed.

Related effects

Try CCTV Effect in your browser

Free to try. Exporting needs a free account.

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