Boris FX Sapphire, known across Hollywood for its high-end effects and transitions plugin collection, leans into its cinematic roots with the new 2025 release.
“Video editors and artists looking to lend an air of nostalgia (or grittiness) to projects will love Sapphire’s new S_VHS Damage effect,” says Boris Yamnitsky, president and founder of Boris FX. “It immediately transports audiences back to the simple pleasure of rewatching your favorite VHS tapes until you physically wore them out.”
“Our goal with VHS Damage was to authentically recreate the unmistakable charm of analog video that we all know and love,” says Brian Fox, chief marketing officer for Boris FX and Sapphire product manager. “We’ve meticulously captured the worn textures, tracking glitches, and color shifts that defined the VHS era, providing artists with a flexible tool to explore a full spectrum of looks—from subtle wear to intense tape degradation.”
“I’ve been waiting for a tool like VHS Damage to chase that sweet nostalgia,” says Jon Anderson, an award-winning freelance editor. “Every project I work on has its own unique needs. The ability to customize the look in such fine detail is critical. The level of authenticity and control this plugin offers is truly remarkable.”
What’s New
The S_VHS Damage effect recreates the iconic look of 1980s analog video with textures crafted from sourced original tapes. It replicates the wear and tear of repeatedly playing a VHS tape, complete with tracking errors, interlaced combing, color downsampling, and tape distortions. Artists can choose from one of the 18 included presets or customize any detail.
The Transitions category adds Dissolve Light Leaks. The transition mimics the natural flares and bursts of light often seen in analog film. Designed to create smooth and colorful transitions between clips, Dissolve Light Leaks includes 14 new presets to help editors get started.
The 2025 release also builds upon Sapphire’s famed lens flares collection with eight more flares and 50+ additional professionally designed presets across effects, including Dust, Grid, UltraZap, and the Effect Builder.
Pricing
Sapphire is available as a plugin collection with subscriptions, upgrade & support plans, and perpetual licenses. Subscriptions start at $495/year or $62/month. See pricing for more details.
Host support includes Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer, and OFX hosts, including Autodesk Flame, Foundry Nuke, Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve, and VEGAS Pro. Customers on current Sapphire subscriptions or upgrade & support plans receive the 2025 release as a free update. Learn more about Sapphire.
