Creating "Displacement"

[polar jay]

https://eyy.co/tools/artifact-generator/

I used this JPEG artifact simulator to simulate how it'd look if I saved a JPEG a couple hundred times. However, on the right, theres this one setting that I really want to recreate in photoshop - the "displace" setting (to me) creates a sense of fuzziness around the edges. It is very cool.

before after reference

[fervent coral]

I guess that you already tried distort>displace?

[polar jay]

I'm sorry, I am new to photoshop. Every time I click on it, it gives me a "displace file", and i don't know what that means. Can you elaborate?

[fervent coral]

Hi, indeed, you load a PSD file that will be used to displace the main document : https://www.thegoldenmean.com/technique/displace1.html

https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/displacement-map.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlQj-EyyDhg

Search online for “Photoshop displacement map download.”

Try to look in these folders for Photoshop:
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop [version]\Presets\Textures
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop [version]\Required\Plug-Ins\Displacement Maps

[polar jay]

This is almost what I am looking for. It does create a sense of "displacement", but as you can see in the reference photo, it creates an almost grainy, shaky texture. Like the compression artifacts of a VHS.

[fervent coral]

Yes, peruse the golden mean site, try to create a grainy displacement map, do it on the whole image, then mask it and reveal it only in some areas, like in your example

[polar jay]

thanks alot!

[open vale]

Gave +1 Creative Carma to @fervent coral (current: #12 - 356)

[fervent coral]

What have you done so far?

[polar jay]

Ironically, it looked better if I just used a 5x5 displacement map and then a 10x10. Creates a similar effect, but more mellow.

[fervent coral]

For a nerdy answer, have you considered 16x16 and 8x8?
See effects on this page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JPEG