What It Does
Chromabba simulates chromatic aberration the way it actually occurs optically, bending light around edges rather than simply offsetting RGB channels. The result is a more convincing lens artifact that holds up at high intensities without looking like a cheap color split effect.
Beyond standard aberration, pushing the parameters past their typical range produces a thick, refractive liquid glass distortion, useful for abstract backgrounds, transitions, and experimental title work.
It runs in After Effects, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Nuke, and other OFX hosts. Processing happens entirely on the GPU via WebGPU, with full support for Multi-Frame Rendering and 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit color.
Key Features
Strength. The primary control. Keep it low for a subtle optical touch or push it high for a heavy prism look.
Direction. Choose between Both, Inward, or Outward displacement, giving you control over the optical character of the effect.
Edge Attraction Power. Controls how closely the aberration follows image edges, which is what separates this from simple channel-shift approaches.
Samples and Edge Mode. Fine-tune smoothness and how the effect handles frame borders, with options including Transparency, Clamp to Edge, Repeat, and Mirror Repeat.
Liquid Glass mode. Not a separate toggle, just what happens when you push Strength and related parameters beyond their nominal range. The image refracts into a dense, glassy distortion that works well as a texture or transition element.
GPU acceleration. Uses WebGPU with Metal on macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon) and Direct3D 12 or Vulkan on Windows. Handles large compositions including many 8K scenarios, with an on-frame warning if frame size exceeds GPU limits rather than crashing the host.
Who It’s For
Motion designers and VFX artists who want chromatic aberration that looks like a real optical artifact rather than a filter. The liquid glass mode also makes it useful for abstract or experimental work where you need refractive distortion without compositing actual glass footage.
Applying it to an Adjustment Layer lets you control the affected area and intensity with masks and transforms.
Pricing
Chromabba uses a pay-what-you-want model. Individual users can choose any amount, with a suggested price of $30. Businesses and teams are required to pay the suggested price to receive a valid license. No subscription is involved.