GPT 5.6 Soul one-shotted a complex CRT/VHS video shader with full control over scan lines, line pitching, bloom, vignetting, and ghosting, a result Scott doesn't believe other models could have achieved.
Scott shares a first impression of GPT 5.6 Soul, saying it one-shotted a detailed CRT/VHS-style video shader with all the effects he wanted, a level of quality he hadn't seen from other models on this project. ✦ AI generated
Scott Tolinski · Syntax · 2026-07-13 · original ↗
starts at this moment · 30:54
“Tell me about um usage? / What have you been using it? You have some first impressions?”
I put it on a task of um building out some VHS and some CRT style shaders for me. And I had an implementation that I wanted... it oneshotted this CRT shader that looks really stinking good. Um, and it has all of the things that I want, whether that is control over the scan lines or line pitching, bloom, vignetting.
verbatim transcript · starts at 30:54
30:54and some CRT style shaders for me. And I had an implementation that I wanted. So I understood what I was building. So I think that maybe helped. I was able to correctly describe the techniques that I wanted in this thing. and it oneshotted this CRT shader that looks really stinking good. Um, and it has all of the things that I want, whether that is control over the scan lines or line
31:25pitching, bloom, vignetting. Uh, has um ghosting. Uh, it has all kinds of stuff. It looks so stinking good. And I think it really helped that I understood exactly what I wanted out of this shader. But the end result of it was enough to make me say, "Wow, I I know significantly that the other models, Fable I think, could have done this, but I don't think the other models could have done this. I
31:56just I I just don't because I I've I've been working on this app with other MA models for a little while now and I just haven't seen that same kind of performance out of them. So, I'm trying to find another demo here. This um CRT tube fixture on like the ghosting and stuff on here. It just did a really good job of this. Um so, that's that gives me
32:19a little bit of hope. Now, the one thing I haven't put it on is I haven't put it on any UI tasks, any design tasks. I don't know. This app is significantly vibecoded. So, um it's a large code base with a lot of stuff going on. So, therefore, I am like stoked that it's not getting too lost in the sauce with the size of this codebase. Um and so
32:40far, I' I've been pretty dang impressed. That said, I've seen that it's really good at computer use. I haven't thrown it on Hermes yet to do any major computer use. It has uh I've noticed one thing is that it it has like fable a tendency to run for a long ass time without stopping. Um and so >> if you have a clear idea and and maybe because I've