# Glitch hit on a beat

Edit / Edit effect / Motion and finish. Checked 2026-11-13.

A two-frame jolt that marks the beat.

- Use when: Music-led edits, a hard reveal.
- Phrase: a chromatic split of the colour channels for two to four frames on the downbeat
- Page: https://directorchair.ai/effect/chromatic-hit
- JSON: https://directorchair.ai/api/effect/chromatic-hit.json

## Watch out

- Tested on 26 Oct 2026: the default amount of 8 pixels is barely visible on a soft image. Spike the amount for 2 to 4 frames on the hit. (measured; Director Chair field notes on motion graphics)

## Prompts

### Any chat model

```
Give me an edit brief: where it goes on the timeline, the exact settings, and what to check before export, for a short video about [your product], for [your audience]. The technique is glitch hit on a beat: a two-frame jolt that marks the beat. How it works: a chromatic split of the colour channels for two to four frames on the downbeat. It is right for: music-led edits, a hard reveal. Tested on 26 Oct 2026: the default amount of 8 pixels is barely visible on a soft image. Be concrete: numbers, seconds and settings, no theory. Ask me one question first if something you need is missing.
```

## Goes well with

- Cut on the beat: https://directorchair.ai/sound/cut-on-the-beat
- Sound on the peak, not the start: https://directorchair.ai/sound/sfx-on-the-peak

## Source

Own words from Director Chair field notes on motion graphics

Text CC BY 4.0, Director Chair (directorchair.ai). Reference clips and their card texts belong to their makers.