What is pixel sorting?

An effect that pulls the brightest pixels along one axis so highlights stretch into long streaks while darker areas stay put.

Why is nothing streaking?

The Threshold is probably above the brightest tones in your shot. Lower it until the highlights start to run.

Vertical or horizontal?

Vertical reads as melting and bleeding. Horizontal reads as a scan line or a broken signal.

Does it work on flat, low-contrast footage?

Barely. The effect keys off brightness, so it needs highlights to have something to pull.

Pixel Sort

Pixel sorting takes the brightest pixels in the frame and drags them along one axis, so highlights turn into long smooth streaks while the darker parts of the image hold still. It reads like a photograph caught mid-melt. Used carefully it is a glitch that keeps the picture legible; pushed hard it turns the whole frame into a frozen waterfall.

How to use Pixel Sort

Upload a clip. High-contrast footage with bright highlights gives the strongest result.
Choose vertical or horizontal.
Set Threshold for which tones streak, then Streak for how far they travel.
Pull Mix back if you want the original image to read through the effect.
Export as MP4 at source resolution.

Tips

Keep Threshold around 0.55 and push Streak past 0.5. You get long streaks without dissolving the image underneath.
Footage with hard highlights (windows, lamps, sun, specular water) sorts far more dramatically than flat, evenly lit footage.
Horizontal sorting reads as a scan or a signal fault. Vertical reads as melting or bleeding.
Drop Mix to around 0.6 if the effect is overwhelming the shot. The streaks stay, the picture comes back.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is pixel sorting?: An effect that pulls the brightest pixels along one axis so highlights stretch into long streaks while darker areas stay put.
Why is nothing streaking?: The Threshold is probably above the brightest tones in your shot. Lower it until the highlights start to run.
Vertical or horizontal?: Vertical reads as melting and bleeding. Horizontal reads as a scan line or a broken signal.
Does it work on flat, low-contrast footage?: Barely. The effect keys off brightness, so it needs highlights to have something to pull.

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