Datamosh Glitch Text
Thin bands of the word stretch sideways into streaks, as if the video file were corrupted, while the letters snap between skews. Each streak is a clip-path band scaled on the X axis.
Also known as: pixel stretch glitch, smear glitch text, corrupted text effect.
CORRUPT
HTML
<div class="txt-datamosh-glitch" data-text="CORRUPT">CORRUPT</div>
CSS
.txt-datamosh-glitch {
--c: var(--txt-color, #3b82f6);
font-size: var(--txt-size, 32px);
font-family: system-ui, sans-serif;
font-weight: 700;
line-height: 1.2;
position: relative;
display: inline-block;
color: var(--c);
letter-spacing: 0.04em;
animation: txt-datamosh-glitch-skew 3.2s steps(1, end) infinite;}
.txt-datamosh-glitch::before,
.txt-datamosh-glitch::after {
content: attr(data-text);
position: absolute;
inset: 0;
opacity: 0;
color: var(--c);
transform-origin: 55% 50%;
-webkit-mask-image: linear-gradient(90deg, transparent, #000 25%, #000 75%, transparent);
mask-image: linear-gradient(90deg, transparent, #000 25%, #000 75%, transparent);
animation: 3.2s steps(1, end) infinite;
}
.txt-datamosh-glitch::before {
clip-path: inset(24% 0 62% 0);
animation-name: txt-datamosh-glitch-a;
}
.txt-datamosh-glitch::after {
clip-path: inset(60% 0 26% 0);
animation-name: txt-datamosh-glitch-b;
}
@keyframes txt-datamosh-glitch-skew {
0%, 36%, 74%, 100% { transform: none; }
30% { transform: skewX(-12deg); }
33% { transform: skewX(7deg) translateX(0.03em); }
68% { transform: skewX(16deg) translateX(-0.03em); }
71% { transform: skewX(-5deg); }
}
@keyframes txt-datamosh-glitch-a {
0%, 27%, 38%, 66%, 76%, 100% { opacity: 0; transform: none; }
29% { opacity: 1; transform: scaleX(1.5); }
32% { opacity: 1; transform: scaleX(1.7) translateX(0.05em); }
35% { opacity: 0.6; transform: scaleX(1.3) translateX(-0.08em); }
68% { opacity: 1; transform: scaleX(1.7) translateX(-0.1em); }
72% { opacity: 1; transform: scaleX(1.2); }
}
@keyframes txt-datamosh-glitch-b {
0%, 27%, 38%, 66%, 76%, 100% { opacity: 0; transform: none; }
29% { opacity: 0.7; transform: scaleX(1.3) translateX(-0.06em); }
33% { opacity: 1; transform: scaleX(1.8) translateX(0.04em); }
67% { opacity: 1; transform: scaleX(1.6); }
70% { opacity: 1; transform: scaleX(1.7) translateX(0.08em); }
73% { opacity: 0.6; transform: scaleX(1.2); }
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.txt-datamosh-glitch, .txt-datamosh-glitch *, .txt-datamosh-glitch::before, .txt-datamosh-glitch::after, .txt-datamosh-glitch *::before, .txt-datamosh-glitch *::after {
animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
animation-iteration-count: 1 !important;
transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
}
}Customizing this snippet
- Color: set
--txt-coloron the element or a parent. Currently previewing#3b82f6. - Font size: set
--txt-size. Every other dimension is inem, so the whole thing scales together. Currently previewing40px. - Speed: change the duration on the
transitionoranimationshorthand. Staggered delays are relative, so they keep their rhythm. - Reduced motion: the rule at the end of the CSS turns the motion off for people who asked their OS for less of it. Keep it.