Project
VPNOOR
A Python/FFmpeg tool for turning clean footage into deliberately lo-fi, degraded video
Overview
Turning clean footage into intentional lo-fi chaos
VPNOOR is a command-line tool that takes crisp Fujifilm X-M5 1920×1080 footage and deliberately degrades it into one of three distinct retro/glitch looks using FFmpeg.
It's a creative-coding project at heart — the goal isn't technical precision, it's character. Where most video pipelines fight to preserve quality, VPNOOR is built to intentionally destroy it in controlled, repeatable ways: bitrate starvation, repeated low-resolution re-encoding, noise injection, frame-rate changes, and chroma/color manipulation.
Approach
Three presets, three distinct eras of bad video
Each preset chains a different sequence of FFmpeg passes — chosen and tuned by ear/eye rather than derived from a formula — to land on a specific aesthetic.
Input validation (ffprobe) → preset selection → chained FFmpeg passes (scale / bitrate / noise / color) → temp workspace → final MP4 export
2005 digital camera emulates the soft, low-bitrate look of early-2000s consumer camcorders. Corrupted digital pushes further into compression artifacts and signal noise. Absolutely destroyed uses the most aggressive, fastest encoding presets to maximize degradation. The tool can be run non-interactively with a preset argument, or interactively, where it prompts you to choose a look.
Outcomes
A small, opinionated creative tool
3
Degradation presets
FFmpeg
Encoding/processing pipeline
CLI + interactive
Usage modes
Python 3
Implementation
The result is a lightweight utility that pairs cleanly with personal photography/video work — a fast way to explore how much character "imperfect" footage can add to a project.
Project details
Timeline
Role
Platform
Tools
Presets