Best For
VHS aesthetic / VHS effect / analog horror
VHS Aesthetic
VHS美学
D
58/100Poor
80-90s VHS tape visual aesthetics with color distortion, scanline noise, and signal glitch effects. Ideal for nostalgia, retro tech, and creative video projects.
VHS aestheticVHS effectanalog horrorscanlineschromatic aberrationtracking errorCRT screen90s nostalgiaretro videocamcorder overlayanalog glitch
Primary Move
Apply horizontal scanline overlay on all content areas
Watch Out
Don't use clean, crisp typography
AI Implementation
Copy the Hard Prompt first, then use the spec when needed
Use the Hard Prompt by default to generate UI. Use the Design Spec to understand, modify, and review the style. Use the Creative Brief for early exploration.
Hard Prompt
Use this by default: copy it, append the concrete requirement, and let AI generate consistent production UI.
When to use
- When AI should generate UI directly
- When repeated outputs must stay consistent
- When style drift is the main risk
How to use
- Copy the full prompt
- Append the concrete requirement
- Review against forbidden rules and UI states
STYLEKIT_STYLE_REFERENCE
style_name: VHS Aesthetic
style_slug: vhs-aesthetic
style_source: /styles/vhs-aesthetic
# Hard Prompt
## When To Use
Use this when you want AI to generate code with strict style consistency. It is the safest default for production UI.
## How To Use
- Copy the full prompt into ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or another coding assistant.
- Append the concrete product/page requirement after the prompt.
- After generation, check the forbidden rules and interaction states before accepting the output.
Strictly follow the style rules below and maintain consistency. No style drift allowed.
## Requirements
- Prioritize style consistency first, then creative extension.
- When conflicts arise, treat prohibitions as the highest priority.
- Self-check before output: verify colors, typography, spacing, and interactions still match this style.
## Style Rules
STYLE: VHS Aesthetic
TYPE: 80-90s VHS tape visual aesthetic
MUST USE:
- Background: Black (#000000) or deep purple (#1a0a2e)
- Primary accent: Magenta (#ff00ff) for borders, glows, highlights
- Secondary accent: Cyan (#00ffff) for text, secondary elements
- Tertiary: Yellow (#ffff00) for warnings/timestamps, Green (#00ff00) for status
- All text: Monospace font, uppercase preferred
- Scanlines: Apply repeating-linear-gradient overlay
- Color separation: Use text-shadow with offset magenta and cyan
- Timestamps: Show "REC" indicator, date/time in corner
- Noise: Add grain/noise texture overlay with low opacity
- Tracking distortion: Slight horizontal offset on hover/animation
MUST AVOID:
- Light/white backgrounds
- Pastel or muted colors
- Serif or sans-serif body fonts
- Large border-radius (max 2px)
- Smooth gradients
- Subtle/standard shadows (use neon glow only)
Animation & Interaction Rules:
- Tape Tracking Jitter: Completely abandon smooth animations. On hover, use extremely short duration-75 for crisp, even slightly harsh visual feedback (e.g., instant skew-x-2 or translate-x-1), simulating VHS tape tracking errors.
- Chroma Split Glow: Neon shadows must not just glow -- they must be "misaligned." On hover, magenta and cyan text-shadow or box-shadow must pull apart in opposite directions, simulating tape color dispersion.
- Scanline Distortion: Scanline overlays on cards should speed up vertical scrolling or instantly change opacity (e.g., from opacity-10 to opacity-30) when the container is hovered.
- Playback Snap: Active (:active) state should simulate pressing a heavy VCR physical button. Eliminate all glow and produce a harsh sink (active:scale-95 active:shadow-none).
## Absolute Bans (Match and Refuse)
If any of the following patterns appear, it is a style violation — rewrite without exception.
- use clean, crisp typography
- use light backgrounds
- use modern sans-serif fonts
- use smooth gradients
- use rounded corners larger than 2px
- use subtle, refined effects
## Self-Check (Verify Before Shipping)
If any item fails, the style has drifted — fix before shipping.
- [ ] No purple-to-blue gradients
- [ ] No overused fonts (Inter, Roboto, Geist, Fraunces, Plus Jakarta Sans)
- [ ] No nested cards (cards inside cards)
- [ ] No gray text on colored backgrounds
- [ ] Body text contrast meets WCAG AA (>= 4.5:1)
- [ ] No bounce or elastic easing curves
- [ ] Animations have a prefers-reduced-motion fallback
- [ ] Body text line length capped at 65-75 characters
- [ ] No side-stripe accent borders (border-left/right > 1px)
- [ ] No gradient text (background-clip: text)
- [ ] No glassmorphism used as the default surface treatment
- [ ] No tiny uppercase tracked eyebrow labels above every section heading
- [ ] don't use clean, crisp typography
- [ ] don't use light backgrounds
- [ ] don't use modern sans-serif fonts
- [ ] don't use smooth gradients
- [ ] don't use rounded corners larger than 2pxComponent Templates
Component Preview
按钮
VHS 霓虹按钮，带发光效果和单色字体
Frontend Readiness
Dark Mode, States, Motion, and Accessibility
This layer tracks whether the style is ready for real websites: theme modes, state feedback, keyboard access, and performance constraints.
Overall
51%
Fallback
Dark Mode
0%
MissingUI States
79%
PartialMotion
70%
PartialA11y
70%
PartialPerformance
35%
FallbackKey State Coverage
lightHoverFocus VisibleDisabledLoadingEmptyErrorSuccess
Button
Default / Hover / Focus Visible / Active / Disabled
Input
Default / Hover / Focus Visible / Disabled / Error
Card
Default / Hover / Focus Visible / Loading / Skeleton
Form
Default / Focus Visible / Disabled / Loading / Error
Implementation Notes
- No curated dark-mode contract exists yet.
- Check contrast in both light and dark modes.
- Check heavy shadows, blur, large media, and scroll-linked effects manually.
- No style-specific performance cost profile has been curated yet.
FAQ
VHS Aesthetic — Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the VHS Aesthetic design style?
- 80-90s VHS tape visual aesthetics with color distortion, scanline noise, and signal glitch effects. Ideal for nostalgia, retro tech, and creative video projects. Its core principle: VHS Aesthetic recreates the analog warmth and beautiful imperfections of 80-90s VHS tapes.
- What colors does VHS Aesthetic use?
- VHS Aesthetic uses #ff00ff as its primary color and #000000 as its secondary color, with accent colors #00ffff, #ffff00, #00ff00, #1a0a2e. Every hex value can be copied from the palette on this page.
- How do I apply VHS Aesthetic correctly?
- Key practices: Apply horizontal scanline overlay on all content areas. Use RGB color separation on text (magenta + cyan offset shadows). Add noise/grain texture overlay with low opacity.
- What are common mistakes with VHS Aesthetic?
- Avoid: Don't use clean, crisp typography. Don't use light backgrounds. Don't use modern sans-serif fonts.
- How do I prompt AI to generate VHS Aesthetic UI?
- Copy the ready-made AI prompt on this page — it bundles the design tokens and component rules — and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or v0. Effective prompts include the keywords: VHS aesthetic, VHS effect, analog horror, scanlines.
Global Styles
Global CSS
css
/* VHS Aesthetic Global Styles */
@layer base {
body {
@apply bg-black text-white antialiased;
background-image:
repeating-linear-gradient(
0deg,
transparent,
transparent 2px,
rgba(255, 0, 255, 0.02) 2px,
rgba(255, 0, 255, 0.02) 4px
);
}
h1, h2, h3 {
text-shadow: -2px 0 #ff00ff, 2px 0 #00ffff;
}
::selection {
@apply bg-[#ff00ff] text-black;
}
}
@keyframes vhs-tracking {
0% { transform: translateX(0); }
10% { transform: translateX(-2px); }
20% { transform: translateX(3px); }
30% { transform: translateX(0); }
100% { transform: translateX(0); }
}
@keyframes vhs-noise {
0%, 100% { opacity: 0.03; }
50% { opacity: 0.08; }
}
@keyframes vhs-blink {
0%, 49% { opacity: 1; }
50%, 100% { opacity: 0; }
}
@keyframes vhs-color-shift {
0%, 100% { text-shadow: -2px 0 #ff00ff, 2px 0 #00ffff; }
33% { text-shadow: -3px 0 #ff00ff, 1px 0 #00ffff; }
66% { text-shadow: -1px 0 #ff00ff, 3px 0 #00ffff; }
}
/* VHS Aesthetic Design Tokens */
:root {
--vhs-aesthetic-primary: #ff00ff;
--vhs-aesthetic-secondary: #000000;
--vhs-aesthetic-accent: #00ffff;
--vhs-aesthetic-glow: rgba(255, 0, 255, 0.3);
}
.vhs-aesthetic-card {
position: relative;
overflow: hidden;
}
.vhs-aesthetic-card::before {
content: "";
position: absolute;
inset: 0;
opacity: 0;
transition: opacity 0.3s ease;
background: linear-gradient(135deg, rgba(255, 0, 255, 0.05), transparent);
pointer-events: none;
}
.vhs-aesthetic-card:hover::before {
opacity: 1;
}
.vhs-aesthetic-frosted {
backdrop-filter: blur(12px) saturate(180%);
-webkit-backdrop-filter: blur(12px) saturate(180%);
background: rgba(255, 0, 255, 0.08);
}
.vhs-aesthetic-accent-corner {
clip-path: polygon(0 0, 100% 0, 100% calc(100% - 2rem), calc(100% - 2rem) 100%, 0 100%);
}
.vhs-aesthetic-animate-in {
animation: vhs-aesthetic-fade-in 0.5s ease-out both;
}
.vhs-aesthetic-focus { outline: 2px solid var(--vhs-aesthetic-primary, currentColor); outline-offset: 2px; }IDE Integration
IDE Configuration Export
Download configuration files for AI coding assistants to generate code in this style.
Style Pack
Export Style Pack
Get complete machine-readable style assets including design tokens, Tailwind presets, CSS variables, and shadcn/ui themes.
Metadata
Style metadata including version information
Design Tokens
Compatible with Figma / Style Dictionary / Tokens Studio
Tailwind Preset
Tailwind CSS theme preset, import directly in config
Global CSS
CSS variables and base styles
shadcn Theme
shadcn/ui theme configuration
CSS Variables
Pure CSS variables, works with any project
SKILL.md
Loadable skill pack for Cursor / Claude Code / VS Code
Design Philosophy
VHS Aesthetic recreates the analog warmth and beautiful imperfections of 80-90s VHS tapes.
Accessibility
Accessibility Score
WCAG 2.1 compliance analysis based on color contrast and typography readability.
58
Overall Score
Grade: D - Poor
Contrast Ratios
Score: 46/100Average Ratio: 7.49:1
AA FailAAA Fail
| Context | Colors | Ratio | AA | AAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text on background | /#ffffff / #000000 | 21:1 | ||
| Secondary text on background | /#00ffff / #000000 | 16.75:1 | ||
| Text on secondary background | /#ffffff / #1a0a2e | 18.64:1 | ||
| Secondary text on secondary | /#00ffff / #1a0a2e | 14.86:1 | ||
| Button primary | /#ff00ff / #ff00ff | 1:1 | ||
| Text on accent 1 | /#ffffff / #ff00ff | 3.14:1 | ||
| Alt text on accent 1 | /#00ffff / #ff00ff | 2.5:1 | ||
| Text on accent 2 | /#ffffff / #00ffff | 1.25:1 | ||
| Alt text on accent 2 | /#00ffff / #00ffff | 1:1 | ||
| Text on accent 3 | /#ffffff / #ffff00 | 1.07:1 | ||
| Alt text on accent 3 | /#00ffff / #ffff00 | 1.17:1 |
Readability
Score
85/100
Font Size
text-sm md:text-base
Font Weight
font-mono font-bold uppercase tracking-wider
Line Height
default
Scoring is based on WCAG 2.1 standards. AA requires 4.5:1 contrast for normal text, 3:1 for large text; AAA requires 7:1 for normal text, 4.5:1 for large text.