---
title: "RGB Glitch Text"
description: "RGB-offset text copies jitter briefly for a controlled glitch window."
---

import { InstallCommand } from "/snippets/install-command.jsx";
import { VariablesExplorer } from "/snippets/variables-explorer.jsx";

<VariablesExplorer
  previewSrc="/public/catalog/components/rgb-glitch-text.json"
  compositionId="rgb-glitch-text"
  compositionSrc="compositions/components/rgb-glitch-text.html"
  variables={[{"id":"text","type":"string","role":"content","label":"Text","description":"The word shown on all three stacked copies.","default":"GLITCH","maxLength":24},{"id":"intensity","type":"enum","role":"motion","label":"Intensity","description":"Scales the red and cyan offsets the timeline drives, so the split reads as a hairline or a hard tear.","default":"standard","options":[{"value":"subtle","label":"Subtle"},{"value":"standard","label":"Standard"},{"value":"extreme","label":"Extreme"}]},{"id":"tone","type":"enum","role":"style","label":"Tone","description":"Colour of the solid copy the two ghosts split away from: ink for light frames, paper for dark ones, accent rides --brand.","default":"ink","options":[{"value":"ink","label":"Ink"},{"value":"paper","label":"Paper"},{"value":"accent","label":"Accent"}]}]}
>

```html rgb-glitch-text.html
<!--
  RGB Glitch Text - typography primitive for HyperFrames.

  Paste the markup, CSS and script into a composition. Drive the timeline
  integration from a paused GSAP timeline so renders remain deterministic.

  Variables. The script reads each one, falls back to the declared default on
  anything missing or unrecognised, and writes the result as a custom property
  the CSS above consumes. The timeline recipe below is untouched by them: it
  keeps driving one red offset and one cyan offset, and intensity decides how
  far those offsets actually carry.

    - text (any short word, default "GLITCH"): the word set on all three
      stacked copies at once, so they stay in register.
    - intensity (subtle | standard | extreme, default standard): scales the
      driven offsets, from a hairline fringe to a hard tear. Both offsets are
      zero at rest, so this one only shows once the timeline runs.
    - tone (ink | paper | accent, default ink): colour of the solid copy the
      red and cyan ghosts split away from. ink is near-black for light frames,
      paper near-white for dark ones, accent rides --brand.

  On every default the result is identical to the original: near-black GLITCH
  with red and cyan copies tearing 8px either way.
-->

<div
  class="hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text"
  data-composition-variables='[
    { "id": "text", "type": "string", "role": "content", "label": "Text", "description": "The word shown on all three stacked copies.", "default": "GLITCH", "maxLength": 24 },
    { "id": "intensity", "type": "enum", "role": "motion", "label": "Intensity", "description": "Scales the red and cyan offsets the timeline drives, so the split reads as a hairline or a hard tear.", "default": "standard", "options": [{ "value": "subtle", "label": "Subtle" }, { "value": "standard", "label": "Standard" }, { "value": "extreme", "label": "Extreme" }] },
    { "id": "tone", "type": "enum", "role": "style", "label": "Tone", "description": "Colour of the solid copy the two ghosts split away from: ink for light frames, paper for dark ones, accent rides --brand.", "default": "ink", "options": [{ "value": "ink", "label": "Ink" }, { "value": "paper", "label": "Paper" }, { "value": "accent", "label": "Accent" }] }
  ]'
>
  <span>GLITCH</span><span>GLITCH</span><strong>GLITCH</strong>
</div>

<style>
  .hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text {
    color: var(--hf-glitch-ink, #18181b);
    font-family: Inter, system-ui, sans-serif;
    font-weight: 900;
    letter-spacing: -0.04em;
  }
  .hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text {
    position: relative;
    width: 420px;
    height: 82px;
    font-size: 72px;
    line-height: 1;
  }
  .hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text span,
  .hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text strong {
    position: absolute;
    inset: 0;
  }
  .hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text span:first-child {
    color: #ef4444;
    transform: translateX(calc(var(--hf-glitch-red, 0px) * var(--hf-glitch-reach, 1)));
  }
  .hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text span:nth-child(2) {
    color: #22d3ee;
    transform: translateX(calc(var(--hf-glitch-blue, 0px) * var(--hf-glitch-reach, 1)));
  }
  .hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text strong {
    color: var(--hf-glitch-ink, #18181b);
  }
</style>

<script>
  (function () {
    "use strict";

    var vars =
      window.__hyperframes && window.__hyperframes.getVariables
        ? window.__hyperframes.getVariables()
        : {};

    // Unrecognised overrides return to their declared defaults.
    var reaches = { subtle: 0.5, standard: 1, extreme: 2.25 };
    var tones = {
      ink: "#18181b",
      paper: "#fafafa",
      accent: "var(--brand, #34d399)",
    };

    function pick(table, value, fallback) {
      return Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(table, value) ? value : fallback;
    }

    var reach = reaches[pick(reaches, vars.intensity, "standard")];
    var tone = tones[pick(tones, vars.tone, "ink")];
    var text =
      typeof vars.text === "string" && vars.text.trim() !== "" ? vars.text.trim() : "GLITCH";

    var roots = document.querySelectorAll(".hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text");
    for (var i = 0; i < roots.length; i += 1) {
      roots[i].style.setProperty("--hf-glitch-reach", String(reach));
      roots[i].style.setProperty("--hf-glitch-ink", tone);
      var copies = roots[i].querySelectorAll("span, strong");
      for (var j = 0; j < copies.length; j += 1) {
        copies[j].textContent = text;
      }
    }
  })();
</script>

<!--
  Timeline integration:
  tl.to('.hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text', { opacity: 1, duration: 0.01 }, startTime); tl.to('.hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text', { '--hf-glitch-red': '-8px', '--hf-glitch-blue': '8px', duration: 0.06, repeat: 5, yoyo: true, ease: 'steps(1)' }, startTime + 0.1);
-->
```

</VariablesExplorer>

## Install

<InstallCommand command="npx hyperframes add rgb-glitch-text" item="rgb-glitch-text" />

That writes one file: `compositions/components/rgb-glitch-text.html`.

## Variables

Every one of these has a default, so the piece works untouched. Set the ones you
want to change on the element:

| Variable | Default | Accepts | What it does |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `text` | `GLITCH` | string | The word shown on all three stacked copies. |
| `intensity` | `standard` | `subtle`, `standard`, `extreme` | Scales the red and cyan offsets the timeline drives, so the split reads as a hairline or a hard tear. |
| `tone` | `ink` | `ink`, `paper`, `accent` | Colour of the solid copy the two ghosts split away from: ink for light frames, paper for dark ones, accent rides --brand. |

Set them with `data-variable-values` on the element that mounts it. These are the
defaults, so this behaves exactly like the preview above until you change one:

```html wrap
<div
  data-composition-id="rgb-glitch-text"
  data-composition-src="compositions/components/rgb-glitch-text.html"
  data-variable-values='{"text":"GLITCH","intensity":"standard","tone":"ink"}'
></div>
```

## Source

<Accordion title={`rgb-glitch-text.html`}>

```html
<!--
  RGB Glitch Text - typography primitive for HyperFrames.

  Paste the markup, CSS and script into a composition. Drive the timeline
  integration from a paused GSAP timeline so renders remain deterministic.

  Variables. The script reads each one, falls back to the declared default on
  anything missing or unrecognised, and writes the result as a custom property
  the CSS above consumes. The timeline recipe below is untouched by them: it
  keeps driving one red offset and one cyan offset, and intensity decides how
  far those offsets actually carry.

    - text (any short word, default "GLITCH"): the word set on all three
      stacked copies at once, so they stay in register.
    - intensity (subtle | standard | extreme, default standard): scales the
      driven offsets, from a hairline fringe to a hard tear. Both offsets are
      zero at rest, so this one only shows once the timeline runs.
    - tone (ink | paper | accent, default ink): colour of the solid copy the
      red and cyan ghosts split away from. ink is near-black for light frames,
      paper near-white for dark ones, accent rides --brand.

  On every default the result is identical to the original: near-black GLITCH
  with red and cyan copies tearing 8px either way.
-->

<div
  class="hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text"
  data-composition-variables='[
    { "id": "text", "type": "string", "role": "content", "label": "Text", "description": "The word shown on all three stacked copies.", "default": "GLITCH", "maxLength": 24 },
    { "id": "intensity", "type": "enum", "role": "motion", "label": "Intensity", "description": "Scales the red and cyan offsets the timeline drives, so the split reads as a hairline or a hard tear.", "default": "standard", "options": [{ "value": "subtle", "label": "Subtle" }, { "value": "standard", "label": "Standard" }, { "value": "extreme", "label": "Extreme" }] },
    { "id": "tone", "type": "enum", "role": "style", "label": "Tone", "description": "Colour of the solid copy the two ghosts split away from: ink for light frames, paper for dark ones, accent rides --brand.", "default": "ink", "options": [{ "value": "ink", "label": "Ink" }, { "value": "paper", "label": "Paper" }, { "value": "accent", "label": "Accent" }] }
  ]'
>
  <span>GLITCH</span><span>GLITCH</span><strong>GLITCH</strong>
</div>

<style>
  .hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text {
    color: var(--hf-glitch-ink, #18181b);
    font-family: Inter, system-ui, sans-serif;
    font-weight: 900;
    letter-spacing: -0.04em;
  }
  .hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text {
    position: relative;
    width: 420px;
    height: 82px;
    font-size: 72px;
    line-height: 1;
  }
  .hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text span,
  .hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text strong {
    position: absolute;
    inset: 0;
  }
  .hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text span:first-child {
    color: #ef4444;
    transform: translateX(calc(var(--hf-glitch-red, 0px) * var(--hf-glitch-reach, 1)));
  }
  .hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text span:nth-child(2) {
    color: #22d3ee;
    transform: translateX(calc(var(--hf-glitch-blue, 0px) * var(--hf-glitch-reach, 1)));
  }
  .hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text strong {
    color: var(--hf-glitch-ink, #18181b);
  }
</style>

<script>
  (function () {
    "use strict";

    var vars =
      window.__hyperframes && window.__hyperframes.getVariables
        ? window.__hyperframes.getVariables()
        : {};

    // Unrecognised overrides return to their declared defaults.
    var reaches = { subtle: 0.5, standard: 1, extreme: 2.25 };
    var tones = {
      ink: "#18181b",
      paper: "#fafafa",
      accent: "var(--brand, #34d399)",
    };

    function pick(table, value, fallback) {
      return Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(table, value) ? value : fallback;
    }

    var reach = reaches[pick(reaches, vars.intensity, "standard")];
    var tone = tones[pick(tones, vars.tone, "ink")];
    var text =
      typeof vars.text === "string" && vars.text.trim() !== "" ? vars.text.trim() : "GLITCH";

    var roots = document.querySelectorAll(".hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text");
    for (var i = 0; i < roots.length; i += 1) {
      roots[i].style.setProperty("--hf-glitch-reach", String(reach));
      roots[i].style.setProperty("--hf-glitch-ink", tone);
      var copies = roots[i].querySelectorAll("span, strong");
      for (var j = 0; j < copies.length; j += 1) {
        copies[j].textContent = text;
      }
    }
  })();
</script>

<!--
  Timeline integration:
  tl.to('.hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text', { opacity: 1, duration: 0.01 }, startTime); tl.to('.hf-catalog-rgb-glitch-text', { '--hf-glitch-red': '-8px', '--hf-glitch-blue': '8px', duration: 0.06, repeat: 5, yoyo: true, ease: 'steps(1)' }, startTime + 0.1);
-->
```

</Accordion>

## Usage

Open `compositions/components/rgb-glitch-text.html` and paste its contents into your composition. See the comment header in the file for detailed instructions.

{/* hf:generated-footer */}

Tagged `motion-primitive` `typography`.

## Related topics

- [Browse the complete Catalog](/catalog)
- [Add assets and Catalog items in Studio](/studio/assets-and-blocks)
- [Build a richer composition](/go-further)