Pattern Merge Effect

Picks out the edges, brights or darks of any picture and redraws them as dots that merge into one rounded shape.

Try this effectGet the plugin

Made with Pattern Merge

Works in
The same photo with the outline of the head, the sunglasses, the lips and the shoulders traced in chunky magenta dots that merge together.
Close-up photo of a man with a buzz cut and thin sunglasses in a white tank top, against brushed steel.

The pattern merge effect selects the edges, brights or darks of your picture and fills that selection with a grid of dots. Neighboring dots fuse into rounded blobs, or stay apart as dots, triangles or rings. Your picture stays visible underneath, or you can set a flat background. You can change the spacing, size and color. The pattern merge effect comes with Nexus, a plugin for Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, Affinity and Figma.

Made with this effect

The same effect on 6 different photos. Try it on yours

  • Pattern Merge Effect on a photo of a bunch of lemons, the outlines traced in lime dots
  • Pattern Merge Effect on a black and white photo of two robots, the outlines traced in violet dots
  • Pattern Merge Effect on a photo of a green flowering plant on black, the blooms filled with green dots
  • Pattern Merge Effect on a photo of a man with curly hair and thin sunglasses, the outlines traced in red dots
  • Pattern Merge Effect on a photo of a man in a dark jacket and headphones, the outlines traced in lime dots
  • Pattern Merge Effect on a photo of a man in a teal sweatshirt and silver headphones, the background filled with blue

Use Pattern Merge Effect in your apps

It runs natively in Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, Affinity and Figma, with the same settings everywhere.

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

Settings worth touching

Select
Chooses what gets dots: the edges of shapes, the bright areas or the dark areas of the picture.
Style
Switches the marks between separate Dots, a Rounded Merge that fuses them, Triangles and Rings.
Dot Spacing
Sets the size of the grid. Small values trace fine detail, large values turn the picture into chunky blobs.

Questions, answered

It redraws part of a picture as a grid of dots that fuse where they touch, like a halftone that melts together. You choose whether it follows the edges, brights or darks.

Yes. The effect outputs vector shapes. The web editor exports SVG on the Creator plan, and Illustrator and Figma can bring the result back as native vector paths you can edit.

Install Nexus for Photoshop, free with a Nexus account, and apply the look as a Smart Filter on a Smart Object. Double-click it later to change Select, Style or Dot Color.

Yes. It lands as a native effect on any layer, and its controls can be keyframed on the timeline, so the dots can grow, spread or change color over time.

Yes. Turn off Transparent Background and the dots sit on the flat Background color you pick, instead of on top of your picture. Dot Color sets the color of the dots.

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