Edge Detection Video

Often followed by + Invert Colors + Glow

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Settings are written to the URL as you change them. Nothing differs from the defaults yet.

Reduce a clip to its outlines. Each frame is convolved with a 3×3 derivative kernel, and what remains is where brightness changes: object edges, texture, and text.

Operators

Sobel, Prewitt, and Scharr measure the rate of brightness change horizontally and vertically and combine the two. They differ only in how they weight the center row and column. Laplacian measures where that rate turns over, which gives thin lines on both sides of an edge.

Noise in motion

Sensor and compression noise change every frame, so an unsmoothed edge map crawls with speckle. Pre-Blur is the main fix. Sensitivity scales the gradient: raise it to bring faint edges up, lower it when texture drowns the outlines. A Binary Threshold gives clean line art that flickers only where edges are weak.

Uses

Edge-detected footage works as a source for rotoscoping references, motion graphics backgrounds, and computer vision demos. For a colored glow along the lines, use the neon outline video effect.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which operator should I use?

Sobel for most footage: its built-in smoothing keeps noise down. Scharr is the most accurate on diagonal edges. Prewitt is noisier. Laplacian gives thinner, often doubled lines because it is a second derivative.

Why is the output full of speckle?

A derivative amplifies noise, and camera footage is noisy. Raise Pre-Blur, which smooths the frame before the kernel runs; its radius is a share of the short edge, so it behaves the same at every size.

What does Binary Threshold do?

Above 0 it turns the gradient into pure on or off lines: pixels above the threshold become lines and everything else the background.

What happens to the audio?

It is copied into the export unchanged when the container can hold its codec, and re-encoded when it cannot. A note under the export button says which happened.

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Edge Detection

Run a Sobel, Prewitt, Scharr, or Laplacian kernel over an image. Set the pre-blur, sensitivity, and binary threshold, then export the gradient as lines on black, white, or a custom pair.

Neon Outline Video Effect

Trace the edges in every frame of a video as glowing neon tubes over a darkened picture. Set neon color, glow radius, intensity, and background dim; the glow scales with the output size. Exports MP4 or WebM with the original soundtrack.

Linocut Video Effect

Carve every frame of a video into a linocut print: solid ink shapes, gouged midtone lines, and ragged cut edges that shift on every frame. Set simplify, ink threshold, gouge spacing, and edge carve. Exports MP4 or WebM with the original soundtrack.

Blueprint Video Effect

Turn every frame of a video into a blueprint drawing: white edge lines on drafting blue with a measured grid. Set edge intensity, blue hue, and grid opacity. Exports MP4 or WebM with the original soundtrack.

Comic Book Video Effect

Turn a video into a moving comic panel: black ink outlines and flat cel-shaded color on every frame. Set ink amount, poster levels, edge sensitivity, and color punch. Exports MP4 or WebM with the original soundtrack.

Dispersion Video Effect

Break the edges in every frame of a video into particles that drift left, right, up, or down, with a new particle layout on every frame. Set particle amount, travel distance, edge threshold, and direction. Exports MP4 or WebM with the original soundtrack.

Drip Video Effect

Pull the strong edges in every frame of a video into downward paint trails, with new trails drawn on every frame. Set drip length, trail spread, edge threshold, and drip amount. Exports MP4 or WebM with the original soundtrack.

Ink Bleed Video Effect

Print every frame of a video as ink that creeps into paper fibre past its edges, with the fibre redrawn on every frame. Set ink threshold, bleed distance, fibre scale, and fibre resistance. Exports MP4 or WebM with the original soundtrack.

Newspaper Print Video Effect

Print every frame of a video as a newspaper halftone: black dots on aged newsprint, ink spread, and paper texture that changes on every frame. Set dot size, contrast, ink spread, and paper texture. Exports MP4 or WebM with the original soundtrack.

Risograph Video Effect

Print every frame of a video as a two-ink risograph: halftone dots, misregistered layers, and print roughness that changes on every frame. Set dark ink, light ink, intensity, and misregistration. Exports MP4 or WebM with the original soundtrack.

Cross-Stitch Video Effect

Render every frame of a video as cross-stitch embroidery: X-shaped thread stitches in a reduced palette on aida cloth. Set stitch scale, thread colors, and fabric color. Exports MP4 or WebM with the original soundtrack.

Crosshatch Video Effect

Redraw every frame of a video as pen-and-ink crosshatching, with darker areas taking more passes at crossing angles and the hand wobble redrawn on every frame. Set line spacing, nib weight, wobble, and contour line. Exports MP4 or WebM with the original soundtrack.