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Dither Effect

The dither effect turns any picture into a grid of dots, lines or squares, with tone set by how dense the marks are.

The same portrait rebuilt from fine black dots on white, with dense dots in the hair and jacket and sparse dots across the skin.
Black and white studio portrait of a young man with dark bangs, wearing a pinstriped jacket, striped shirt and white tie.
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Made with Dither

Works in

The dither effect rebuilds your picture from small marks on a grid. Dark areas get more or bigger marks, light areas fewer, so tone survives with a single ink. You can switch between halftone, ordered and error diffusion modes, change cell size and angle, and swap that color for a palette or gradient.

Same effect, different settings

12 photos, each with its own settings. Try it on yours

  • Dither Effect on a photo of a woman in white cat-eye sunglasses
  • Dither Effect on a photo of a woman with a black bob and red earrings
  • Dither Effect on a photo of two pears on linen
  • Dither Effect on a photo of a man reaching into a blue sky
  • Dither Effect on a photo of a man with slicked blond hair and sunglasses
  • Dither Effect on a photo of a woman in black sunglasses
  • Dither Effect on a photo of a man with pink hair and black sunglasses
  • Dither Effect on a photo of a woman in orange glasses and a knit collar
  • Dither Effect on a photo of a man in white sunglasses
  • Dither Effect on a photo of a woman in blue glasses
  • Dither Effect on a photo of a black horse
  • Dither Effect on a photo of a woman with a red bob

Use Dither Effect in Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, Affinity or Figma

The plugins are free with an account. Paid plans add bigger renders and your own filters. See pricing

Settings worth touching

Mode
Picks the pattern: halftone dots, Bayer grids, clustered dots or lines, or error diffusion like Floyd-Steinberg and Atkinson for scattered grain.
Cell Size
Sets how big each grid cell is. Small cells keep fine detail, large cells give a coarse, graphic print.
Threshold
Moves the point where tones flip to ink or paper, making the whole image lighter or darker.

Frequently asked questions

What is a dither effect?

Dithering fakes tone with a limited set of colors by arranging marks in a pattern. The dither effect maps each area's brightness to dots, lines or squares, so a photo reads with a single ink.

How do I add the dither effect in Photoshop?

Install Nexus for Photoshop, then apply the look as a Smart Filter on a Smart Object. Double-⁠click the filter any time to change the mode, cell size or color.

Can I use the dither effect in Illustrator as vectors?

Yes. The output is vector shapes. Nexus for Illustrator returns native vector paths, Figma can take the result back as vectors too, and the web editor exports SVG on the Creator plan.

Can I animate a dithering effect in After Effects?

Yes. Nexus for After Effects adds it as a native effect. Drop it on a layer and keyframe any control, such as Cell Size or Angle, on the timeline.

Can I try the dither effect for free?

Yes. Open the look in the Nexus web editor and try it on your own image without an account. Exporting needs a free account, which exports images up to 720px and video up to 720px with the Nexus mark.

Related effects

Try Dither Effect in your browser

Free to try. Exporting needs a free account.

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