February 22, 2026
Glitch goals or glitch trolls?
Show HN: Minimalist Glitch Art Maker (100% client-side)
No-upload “Glitch” toy sparks love, shade, and a webcam scare
TLDR: A browser-based “glitch” tool runs fully on your device and records/exports easily, winning points for simplicity. But the crowd split: purists want messier, “real” glitches, a mislabeled upload button bugged people, and a reported always-on webcam raised privacy alarms—fixes could make this a keeper.
A bite-size, in-browser “glitch art” maker just dropped, bragging 100% client-side magic—no files leave your computer, it plays with horizontal lines, shaky shifts, and light/dark vibes, and even exports to WebM (a common video format). Fans cheered the simplicity—and the fact it actually records and downloads from the camera without fuss. One admirer swooned over how it just works on mobile, while another dev geeked out that it’s a single tiny file and linked their own CSS-only riff for comparison: muffinman.io/blog/css-image-glitch.
But the comments didn’t just clap—they combusted. Purists came in hot, arguing this isn’t “real” glitch art at all, more like a retro TV filter. One nitpick stung: the app says “no upload,” yet a big “Upload Video” button sits there like a liar button. Then came the chaos agents pitching “true glitches” by breaking image data on purpose—think damaged memory card vibes. A privacy scare added drama when a user said their webcam stayed on after closing the tab, triggering “haunted webcam” jokes and a chorus of “fix it now.” So the mood? Half wowed by the minimal wizardry, half calling for rawer, dirtier, glitchier glitches—and a very quick camera fix.
Key Points
- •The tool runs entirely client-side with no uploads.
- •It processes local video files or webcam feeds in real time.
- •Users can export the processed output as WebM.
- •Controls adjust horizontal scan-line thickness and spacing.
- •Settings control per-line horizontal jitter and black/white balance.