---
title: "How to add a solarize with Claude (tested prompt and ffmpeg command)"
description: "The pale holographic backdrop folds into dark copper and teal, the white label turns slate gray and the serum glows neon green and pink, while the black dropper stays black. Install one skill and ask Claude Code, or run the ffmpeg command we tested yourself."
url: https://www.recharm.com/effects/solarize
---

# How to add a solarize with Claude

The pale holographic backdrop folds into dark copper and teal, the white label turns slate gray and the serum glows neon green and pink, while the black dropper stays black.

Made by the command on this page, from our own test clip.

## Get this effect

1. ### Switch to Code in your [Claude Desktop App](https://claude.com/download)

2. ### Install the skill (once)

   ```
   Install the Recharm video effects skill: download https://recharm-growth-staging.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/website/downloads/recharm-video-effects.zip and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills
   ```

3. ### Ask for the effect

   ```
   Add a solarize to input.mp4
   Tones above this fold over to negative: 128
   ```

## Several videos, several effects, one ask

Put your clips in the folder, mention them with @, and ask for everything at once. Claude runs one tested script after another on each clip, then joins them.

Add a solarize to **@clip1.mp4**, put a sale badge on **@clip2.mp4**, give **@clip3.mp4** a VHS look, then join all three with crossfades.

## Settings you can change

Ask Claude to change any of these, or edit them at the top of the command.

| Setting     | Default | What it does                                                                                                         |
| ----------- | ------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `THRESHOLD` | `128`   | Tones above this fold over to negative. Lower it to flip more of the picture, raise it to keep more of the original. |

## Without the skill

Don’t want to install the skill? Paste this prompt into Claude Code and Claude writes the command itself.

```
Apply a solarize effect to all of input.mp4, from the first frame to the last. Use the same curve on the red, green and blue channels separately (ffmpeg's lutrgb filter): a value v below 128 becomes 2*v, and a value of 128 or more becomes 2*(255-v), clipped to 0-255. So mid-gray turns white, pure white and black both end up black, near-white backdrops drop to about half their brightness and dark areas stay dark. Don't change anything else. Keep the size, frame rate, length and audio the same. Use ffmpeg and save it as output.mp4.
```

## Run it without Claude

This is the exact command we tested. Save it as `solarize.sh` and run:

```
sh solarize.sh input.mp4 output.mp4
```

```
#!/bin/sh
# Solarize: flip every tone brighter than mid-gray to its negative and stretch the result, so highlights glow and shadows stay dark.
# Usage: sh solarize.sh input.mp4 output.mp4
set -e
IN="$1"; OUT="$2"
THRESHOLD=128   # tones above this (0-255, per channel) fold over to negative; lower flips more of the picture

# Below the threshold a value is kept; above it, it mirrors back down (THRESHOLD + 10 becomes THRESHOLD - 10).
# Both sides are then stretched so the threshold itself lands on full white.
CURVE="clip(255*if(lt(val,$THRESHOLD),val,2*$THRESHOLD-val)/$THRESHOLD,0,255)"
ffmpeg -y -i "$IN" -vf "lutrgb=r='$CURVE':g='$CURVE':b='$CURVE'" \
  -c:v libx264 -crf 18 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a copy "$OUT"
```

## More color looks

- [Apply a LUT **Apply a LUT**](https://www.recharm.com/effects/apply-a-lut)
- [Black and white **Black and white**](https://www.recharm.com/effects/black-and-white)
- [Bleach bypass **Bleach bypass**](https://www.recharm.com/effects/bleach-bypass)
- [Cinematic color grade **Cinematic color grade**](https://www.recharm.com/effects/cinematic-color-grade)
- [Color match **Color match**](https://www.recharm.com/effects/color-match)

## Find 3x _winning ads_

Recharm cuts your ad footage into tagged, searchable clips: hooks, testimonials, product shots. Find the shots that win, add the effect with Claude, and ship 3x more ad edits.

[Start 14-day free trial](https://www.recharm.com/get-started)