What It Does
Recursive Mosaic divides your image into a grid, then intelligently subdivides individual blocks to preserve or discard detail. Unlike standard pixelation that treats every area equally, this creates mosaic patterns that adapt to image complexity. The result looks pixelated while retaining important details where you need them.
The recursion stops at a specified detail level, letting you dial in anything from subtle blocky stylization to aggressive JPEG-style compression artifacts. Works in both After Effects and Premiere Pro.
Key Features
Mosaic Intensity controls how blocky the result gets. At 0, you see the original image. At 1, only the largest blocks from your initial grid remain. Everything in between gives you granular control over the pixelation strength.
Grid Width and Grid Height set the starting subdivisions. Larger grids create smaller initial blocks. The plugin then recursively splits these based on image complexity.
Maximum Iterations caps how many times blocks can subdivide. Lower values keep blocks large. Higher values allow finer sub-blocks in detailed areas.
Intensity Source lets you use a separate layer (or track in Premiere) to drive the effect. This opens up dynamic control where parts of your image pixelate differently based on the source layer’s values.
Channels determines which color channels get affected. You can apply the effect to luminosity (all channels synchronized), RGB separately for chromatic effects, or individual red/green/blue/alpha channels.
Curve parameters (added in v1.2.0) map block complexity to the mosaic threshold through adjustable curves. Curve Phase offsets the mapping, Curve Smoothness softens transitions, and Curve Phase Split (RGB) adds color shifts by offsetting the red and blue channels separately when using RGB filtering. A Curve Graph visualizes these mappings (not available in CC2014 or earlier).
Who It’s For
Motion designers creating glitch transitions or digital degradation effects. Useful for title sequences that need controlled pixelation or music videos with abstract visual treatments. Also practical for simulating compression artifacts in lo-fi aesthetic work.
Pricing
Single user license: $27.99. One-time purchase, no subscription. Trial version available. Upgrade pricing offered for eligible previous buyers.