Rutt–Etra Scan Processing
An analog video synthesizer that displaced scan lines by image brightness, turning pictures into glowing relief. Steve Rutt and Bill Etra introduced it in the early 1970s, and artists such as the Vasulkas used it.
Spot it
- 01Glowing 3D line landscape
- 02Brightness-warped scan lines
- 03Neon on black
Why it happens
The brightness of each pixel deflects the beam vertically, so bright regions lift their scan lines and dark regions stay flat, building a sculptural relief out of lines.
Recreate it in Pixio
Image edit prompt“Process this image through a Rutt-Etra video synthesizer: the subject becomes bright glowing horizontal scan lines displaced upward by brightness into a three-dimensional relief, neon green and cyan lines on a black background, phosphor bloom and slight analog wobble. Keep the original subject and composition recognizable.”
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