Rescroll

Free VHS overlay maker

A VCR's on-screen display for your footage: PLAY, SP, a running tape counter and a blocky date stamp, with scanlines, color fringing and a tracking band that rolls through now and then. A 1080p MP4, free, no sign-up, no watermark.

The basics

What is a VHS overlay?

A VHS overlay is the on-screen display of a VCR or a tape camcorder, with PLAY, the tape speed, a counter and a date stamp, laid over modern footage to make it look like a home video from the 1980s or 1990s. It's used for throwback edits, music videos, horror and found-footage scenes.

This one draws every letter in its own blocky bitmap face, the kind tape decks used, rather than a font. The counter runs from 01:23:45 with the clip and the date reads PM 4:32 over JUN. 14 1997. Tape noise and scanlines adds fine lines through the letters, red and cyan fringes on their edges, and a tracking band that rolls down the picture every few seconds, pushing the text sideways as it passes. The band stays away from the end, so the clip finishes clean.

Those effects are made for the black background and a Screen blend. On a green or blue screen the display is drawn solid, without fringes or scanlines, so it keys cleanly; the tracking band still nudges the text.

To put it on your video, see how to add a REC overlay in CapCut, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro.

What you download

Price
Free. No sign-up, no email, no watermark.
Format
MP4 (H.264), no audio
Resolution
1080p: 1080×1920, 1920×1080, 1080×1080 or 1080×1350
Frame rate
30 or 60 fps
Styles
Camcorder, VHS and viewfinder
Timecode
Starts at any time you type and runs frame by frame, with or without a frame count
Clip length
3 to 60 seconds
Date stamp
Up to 28 characters, on one or two lines
Colors
Six looks, or any display and background color, plus the record light's color
Overlay
Green background for chroma key, or black for a Screen blend
Where it runs
In your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

How it works

How to make a VHS overlay.

Four steps, about a minute, and nothing to install.

  1. 1

    Pick a style

    Camcorder for a clean modern display, VHS for a blocky tape-era one with scanlines and a tracking band, or Viewfinder for a cinema camera's grid and readouts.

  2. 2

    Set the display

    Choose REC, PLAY or PAUSE, where the timecode starts and whether it counts frames, the date stamp and the battery level. Any part can be switched off.

  3. 3

    Add the extras and the look

    Add a center cross, a thirds grid, corner marks or exposure readouts, pick a size, and set the clip length from 3 to 60 seconds. Keep it on black for a Screen blend, or choose green screen.

  4. 4

    Download the MP4

    Press Download. The video is rendered in your browser at 1080p and saved to your device. No account, no watermark.

More versions

Make a different one.

Each one opens its own maker with the settings filled in. Change anything, then download.

REC overlay

A camcorder display with a blinking REC light, a timecode running from 00:00:00, a battery, a date stamp and corner marks.

Camcorder overlay

A 16:9 camcorder display with a frame-counting timecode, a 1996 date stamp, a half-full battery and exposure readouts.

Camera viewfinder

A REC tally, a 60 fps timecode with frames, a thirds grid, a center cross and shutter, iris, ISO and white balance readouts.

When a REC overlay isn’t enough

The free REC overlay is the starting point.

Here you get a camera display to lay over your clip. In Rescroll you describe the graphic you want, like “a camcorder REC display that switches to PLAY when I say ‘rewind’, with today’s date”, and it's designed from scratch on your own video and timed to the exact word you say. Attach a screenshot of a look you like as a reference, and change anything by asking in the chat.

Free REC overlay

Rescroll

Three camera styles, in your colors

Any design you can describe, built from your references

A clip you overlay and key out yourself

Designed on your own video, placed around you

You line it up in your editor

Timed to the exact word you say

Change it with the settings here

Change anything by asking in the chat

Make it yours in RescrollSee AI motion graphics

Part of the Pro, Ultimate and Scale plans.

The whole edit. Cuts, punch-in, color, export, on his words.
Product specs. Callouts that follow the phone.

Both built in Rescroll from a description.

Questions

VHS overlay: your questions, answered.

How do I add a VHS overlay to my video?

Download it on black, put it above your footage in your editor and set its blend mode to Screen. The black drops out and the PLAY sign, counter and date stamp sit on your picture with their scanlines and tracking band.

Can I change PLAY to REC or PAUSE?

Yes. Status has REC, with a blinking red dot, PLAY with its triangle, and PAUSE, whose sign blinks. Choose None to hide it.

Can I turn off the scanlines and tracking noise?

Yes. Switch off Tape noise and scanlines for a clean bitmap display. The blocky lettering stays.

What does SP mean on a VHS screen?

SP stands for Standard Play, the VHS tape speed with the best picture. The slower LP and EP speeds fit more on a tape at a lower quality. Here SP sits with the tape counter.

Is the REC overlay maker free?

Yes. It's free to use and free to download, with no account, no email address and no watermark on the video. There's no limit on how many you make.

What format and resolution is the video?

An MP4 with H.264 video, at 1080p in the shape you choose: 1080×1920 (9:16) for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, 1920×1080 (16:9) for YouTube, 1080×1080 (1:1), or 1080×1350 (4:5) for the Instagram feed. You can export at 30 or 60 frames per second.

Can I get the REC overlay with a transparent background?

MP4 can't store transparency, so the REC overlay comes ready to key instead. Set the background to green and remove it with chroma key in your editor. If the graphic is light, you can also set the background to black and use the Screen blend mode. Either way only the REC overlay is left over your footage.

Is my video uploaded anywhere?

No. The REC overlay is drawn and encoded on your own device, using your browser's built-in video encoder. Nothing is sent to a server and there's no render queue.

Can I use the REC overlay in client work, ads or monetized videos?

Yes. The video you download is yours to use in personal and commercial projects, with no attribution needed.

Can I match my brand, add my logo or change the design?

Not in the free maker, which is deliberately simple. That's what Rescroll's AI motion graphics are for: describe the graphic you want in plain English, attach your logo, fonts or a screenshot of your style, and it's designed from scratch on your own video, placed around you and timed to the word you say. Ask for any change in the chat. It's part of the Pro, Ultimate and Scale plans.

More free tools

Other graphics you can make here.

All free, all made in your browser, all without a watermark. See every free tool.

Map route animation

A route between any two of 1,208 cities on a world map, with a plane, car, train or ship traveling it and the distance shown.

Arrow animation

A hand-drawn red arrow that sweeps in, flicks its head and taps at the spot, with a handwritten label.

Confetti overlay

Rainbow confetti fired from two cannons in the bottom corners, tumbling as it falls, on black.

Fireworks overlay

Ten multicolor bursts on pure black, rising, opening and sparkling out over an 8-second loop. Ready for a Screen blend.

Money rain

Banknotes and gold coins falling at different depths, notes fluttering and coins spinning. Any currency sign, any note color.

Snow overlay

Soft falling snow in four depths on pure black, with the nearest flakes out of focus. Loops, ready for a Screen blend.

Keep reading

Where to go next.

REC overlay

Back to the rec overlay maker, with everything it can do.

AI motion graphics

Counters, charts, app screens and maps designed from a description, on your own video and timed to your words.

AI video editor

The whole edit from a sentence: silences and bad takes cut, captions, color, zooms and graphics.

Rescroll vs After Effects

When to keyframe a graphic yourself, and when to describe it instead.

Rescroll vs CapCut

Preset text animations against graphics designed for each moment. Often used together.

Your next video,
edited like the top 1%.

Drop it in. Say what should appear. Read the plan, press Build, and export the finished video — no After Effects, no editor, no template.

Make your first graphic

Part of Pro, Ultimate and Scale · Export is free · Failed builds are refunded