Turn your webcam into a living 8-bit VHS tape.

PixCam is a real-time Python application that processes your webcam feed to mimic the aesthetic of early 90s digital hardware. It combines pixel quantization, color crushing, CRT scanlines, and chromatic aberration glitches into a live video feed.

• Real-time Pixelation: Adjustable downsampling for that crunchy low-res look.
• Color Quantization: Reduces millions of colors down to a retro palette (8 colors).
• CRT Scanlines: Simulates the horizontal raster lines of old monitors.
• VHS Glitch: Random (and manual) chromatic aberration effects (RGB channel splitting).
• GIF Recorder: Built-in tool to record and save retro loops directly from the app.
• Smart Saving: Automatically organizes all screenshots and clips into an output/ folder.

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/thanyow/PixCam.git
   cd PixCam

2. Install dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Run the app

   python pixcam.py

PixCam uses OpenCV and NumPy to manipulate image arrays in real-time:

1. Downscale & Upscale: Uses INTER_LINEAR to shrink and INTER_NEAREST to stretch back up, preserving hard pixel edges.
2. Bitwise Math: Colors are crushed using integer division to create "steps" in the gradient.
3. Channel Splitting: The "Glitch" effect physically separates the Blue and Red channels of the image array and shifts them horizontally.
4. GIF Engine: Uses Pillow to stack frames in memory and export them as an animated GIF when you stop recording.

To keep your project clean, PixCam automatically creates an output/ folder.

• Screenshots are saved as: output/pixcam_shot_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.png
• GIFs are saved as: output/pixcam_clip_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.gif

Feel free to fork this project and add:

• Different color palettes (GameBoy Green, Sepia, etc.)
• Face tracking (using MediaPipe) to pixelate only the background!

Free to use for whatever retro coolness you create.