Dithering Effect

Rebuild photographs with ordered dithering, error diffusion and limited color palettes, with optional looping motion.

Try this sample

Start blank Use an image Randomize

Runs locally No upload

Dithering result made from the bundled sample

A botanical photo reduced to a high-contrast black-and-white dither pattern.

Facts

Category: Motion
Works with: Image or blank canvas
Exports: PNG / JPEG / Video
Runs in: Your browser, and the SHADR iPhone app
Your images: Processed on your device, not uploaded
Cost: Free in the browser

Break smooth pixels into print, pattern, and motion.

The dithering effect is a free browser tool that redraws a photo using only a few colours, placing dots in patterns so that, from a distance, they still read as shading.

Start

Use your own image, start blank, or open the bundled sample.

Shape

Build the result with Effect Area, Treatment, and Texture, then refine the remaining controls in real time.

Export

Render PNG / JPEG / Video output and download it directly to your device.

Use it for

Animated identity loops
Low-resolution editorial treatments
Halftone key art and social motion

Key controls

Effect AreaChoose Entire Image, Subject, and Background.
TreatmentChoose Preserve, Blend, and Off.
TextureChoose Ordered Matrix, Fine Matrix, and Error Diffusion, plus 4 more variations.

All controls4

Pixel SizeTune from 2px to 20px.

On the Web

Use the whole image instead of automatic subject extraction.
Export motion as video instead of Live Photo.

In the iPhone app, automatic subject extraction is available and Live Photo export is available.

Get the iPhone app

How Dithering works

Dithering is what lets a screen or printer with very few colours show a picture with smooth tones. This tool offers 7 patterns under Texture: Ordered Matrix, Fine Matrix, Error Diffusion, Atkinson, Halftone, Slashes or Noise. Ordered patterns compare each pixel with a repeating grid of thresholds, which gives a regular, graphic texture; error diffusion passes each pixel's rounding error on to its neighbours, which gives an irregular, softer one. Atkinson is also an error-diffusion pattern, from early Macintosh graphics, and it keeps highlights cleaner and the whole image more contrasty than Error Diffusion.

Pixel Size (2–20px, default 4px), Luminance (0–100%) and Effect Amount (20–100%) shape the pattern. Palette sets the colours: Black and White, Handheld Colors, Amber Colors, Print Colors, Original Color or RGB Palette. Turn on Motion to make the pattern drift (Flow: Move right, Shift left, Move up, Move down or Flicker; Rhythm 1–9).

Choosing a photo

High-contrast photos with a clear subject keep their shape when the palette is small. Contrast (40–200%) and Pixel Size decide how much of the photo's detail survives.

Settings worth changing first

Texture (7 patterns) and Pixel Size (2–20px, default 4px).
Palette (6 options) and Color Level (2–8, default 4).
Luminance (0–100%, default 50%) and Contrast (40–200%, default 100%).
Motion: Flow, Rhythm (1–9, default 3), Motion Amount (0–100, default 35).

Presets

Mono Matrix, Fine Diffusion, Retro Pixels, Handheld Colors, Amber Colors and Color Dither.

Before you start

What is the difference between ordered dithering and error diffusion?

Ordered dithering compares each pixel with a repeating threshold pattern, so the texture is regular. Error diffusion passes each pixel's rounding error to the pixels next to it, so the texture is irregular and smoother. Pick Ordered Matrix or Fine Matrix for the first, Error Diffusion or Atkinson for the second.

How do I get a handheld-console or amber-monitor look?

Use the Handheld Colors or Amber Colors palette, or start from the presets of the same names. Row Scan and Screen Glow (0–100%) add the display's scan lines and glow.

Can I export it as an animation?

Yes. Turn on Motion, then export video in the browser; Live Photo export needs the iPhone app. Flow sets the direction and Rhythm the speed.

What sizes and formats can I export?

PNG or JPEG at 1400, 2200 or 3200 pixels on the long edge, or video when Motion is on. Your photo is processed in the browser and is not uploaded.

What changes on the Web?

Use the whole image instead of automatic subject extraction. Export motion as video instead of Live Photo.

Continue with SHADR on iPhone after you create in the browser.

Get the iPhone app