Datamosh 2 opens as a plugin inside After Effects, not as a standalone program

Datamosh 2 is a plugin that lives inside After Effects rather than a separate process you launch. Once installed, you access it through the Effects menu, the same way you would add blur or color correction. The plugin creates a digital glitch effect by breaking up video into blocks and shifting them across the frame — useful for transitions, title sequences, or intentional visual distortion.

Before you can open Datamosh 2, the plugin files must be installed in the correct folder on your computer. If you have already purchased and installed the plugin, the steps below will show you where to find it. If you have not installed it yet, you will need to read it from the Video Copilot website (where Datamosh 2 is sold) and run the installer first.

Key Takeaways

  • Datamosh 2 installs as a plugin folder in After Effects' official Plugins directory, not as a standalone process.
  • You access Datamosh 2 by dragging a video layer into the timeline, then selecting it and going to Effect > Video Copilot > Datamosh 2.
  • If Datamosh 2 does not appear in the Effects menu, the plugin files are either not installed or installed in the wrong location.
  • After Effects must be closed during installation; restarting the program after installing the plugin allows it to scan and register the new effect.

Install Datamosh 2 before opening it in After Effects

read the Datamosh 2 installer from the Video Copilot website using the email and license key you received when you purchased the plugin. Save the installer file to your Downloads folder or desktop.

Close After Effects completely — the plugin installer needs to write files to the Plugins folder, and After Effects locks that folder while it is running. On Windows, you may see a prompt asking for administrator permission; click Yes to allow the installer to access the Plugins directory. On Mac, enter your computer password when prompted.

Run the installer and follow the on-screen steps. The installer will automatically place the Datamosh 2 folder in the correct location: on Windows, this is usually C:\Program Files\Adobe\Common\Plug-ins\[version]\MediaCore, and on Mac, it is /Library/process Support/Adobe/Common/Plug-ins/[version]/MediaCore. Do not move the files manually after installation.

Restart your computer after installation completes. This ensures that After Effects can properly scan and register the new plugin when you launch it next.

Open After Effects and create a new project

Launch After Effects. If it was already open during installation, close it and reopen it so the program can detect the newly installed plugin.

Create a new project or open an existing one. Go to File > New > New Project, or open a project you are already working on. The plugin will be available in any project once it is installed.

Import or create a video layer in your timeline. You can drag a video file into the Project panel, then drag it into the timeline, or use File > Import > File to bring in footage. Datamosh 2 works on video layers, so you need at least one layer with video content before the effect will do anything visible.

Add Datamosh 2 to a video layer

Click on the video layer in the timeline to select it. The layer will highlight in white when selected.

Go to the menu bar and click Effect. A dropdown menu will appear showing all available effects organized by category. Look for Video Copilot in the list — this is the folder where Datamosh 2 lives.

Hover over or click Video Copilot to expand that category. You will see Datamosh 2 listed inside. Click on it. The effect will when ready explore to your selected layer, and the Effect Controls panel will open on the right side of the screen showing Datamosh 2's settings.

If you do not see Video Copilot in the Effect menu, the plugin did not install correctly. Check that the Datamosh 2 folder exists in your Plugins directory (see the installation section above), close After Effects, and restart your computer.

Adjust Datamosh 2 settings in the Effect Controls panel

Once Datamosh 2 is applied, the Effect Controls panel shows sliders and options for the glitch effect. The most common controls are Intensity (how strong the glitch is), Block Size (how large the shifted blocks appear), and Threshold (which parts of the video trigger the effect).

Change any slider by clicking and dragging it left or right, or by clicking the number field and typing a value. You will see the effect update in real time in the Composition viewer on the left side of the screen. If real-time preview is slow, you can press the spacebar to play a preview, or scrub through the timeline manually to see how the effect looks at different points.

Most users start with Intensity around 50 to 70 percent and adjust Block Size based on how pixelated they want the glitch to look. Lower block sizes create finer, more detailed distortion; higher block sizes create larger, more obvious chunks.

Preview and render your composition

Play through your timeline to see how Datamosh 2 looks on your footage. Press the spacebar to start playback, or click the play button in the Preview panel. If playback is choppy, lower your composition resolution temporarily (the dropdown in the bottom left of the Composition viewer) to see a smoother preview.

Once you are happy with the effect, render your composition. Go to Composition > Add to Render Queue. A render panel will appear at the bottom of the screen. Choose your output format (usually H.264 for video) and click the blue Render button. After Effects will process the effect and save the final video file.

Troubleshooting: Datamosh 2 does not appear in the Effects menu

If you installed Datamosh 2 but it does not show up in Effect > Video Copilot, the most common cause is that After Effects was open during installation. Close After Effects completely, wait 10 seconds, and reopen it. After Effects scans the Plugins folder only when it starts up.

If restarting does not work, check that the Datamosh 2 folder is in the correct Plugins directory. On Windows, open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Program Files\Adobe\Common\Plug-ins. You should see a folder named after your After Effects version (like 2024 or 2023). Inside that folder, look for MediaCore, and inside that, you should see a Video Copilot folder containing Datamosh 2 files. If the folder structure is different, the installer may have placed files in the wrong location.

If the folder is in the wrong place, move it to the correct MediaCore directory, close After Effects, and restart. If you are unsure whether your installation is correct, uninstall Datamosh 2 (delete the Video Copilot folder from the Plugins directory), restart your computer, and run the installer again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to restart After Effects every time I use Datamosh 2?

No. Once the plugin is installed and After Effects has detected it, you can use Datamosh 2 in any project without restarting. You only need to restart After Effects once after the initial installation, or if you update the plugin to a newer version.

Can I use Datamosh 2 on multiple layers in the same project?

Yes. Add the effect to each layer individually by selecting the layer and going to Effect > Video Copilot > Datamosh 2. You can use different settings on each layer, or copy the effect from one layer to another by right-clicking the effect name in the Effect Controls panel and selecting Copy, then selecting another layer and pasting.

What if Datamosh 2 slows down my playback or rendering?

Datamosh 2 is processor-intensive, especially at high block sizes and intensities. Lower the Intensity or Block Size values to reduce processing load. You can also lower your composition resolution during editing (the dropdown in the bottom left of the Composition viewer), then render at full resolution when you are done adjusting.

Can I animate Datamosh 2 settings over time?

Yes. Click the stopwatch icon next to any slider in the Effect Controls panel to create a keyframe at the current time. Move the playhead to a different point in the timeline, change the slider value, and After Effects will automatically animate between the two keyframes. This lets you fade the glitch in and out or change its intensity throughout your video.

Is Datamosh 2 compatible with my version of After Effects?

Datamosh 2 works with After Effects 2020 and later on both Windows and Mac. If you are using an older version of After Effects, check the Video Copilot website for system requirements, as older versions of the plugin may be needed. The installer will tell you if your After Effects version is not supported.