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Plexus Effect

Scatters points across your picture and links nearby ones with thin lines, building a constellation from the image.

The same portrait overlaid with a web of blue dots and thin lines, dense across the background and sparse over the cheek and nose.
Studio portrait of a man with dark messy hair and a black jacket, looking over his shoulder against a plain light gray background.
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Made with Node

Works in

Also a standalone Photoshop plugin: Node + Circuit Machine

The plexus effect samples points from the picture underneath and joins neighbors with lines, so the image turns into a network of dots and strands. The look starts with a blue gradient keyed to density and light turbulence. You can change the colors, line reach and point count.

Made with this effect

The same look on 12 different photos. Try it on yours

  • Plexus Effect on a photo of a black horse
  • Plexus Effect on a photo of a man in a suit under yellow light
  • Plexus Effect on a photo of a woman in blue glasses
  • Plexus Effect on a photo of a woman with a red bob
  • Plexus Effect on a photo of two pears on linen
  • Plexus Effect on a photo of two runners on a track
  • Plexus Effect on a photo of a man in white sunglasses
  • Plexus Effect on a photo of a purple aster
  • Plexus Effect on a photo of a woman with a black bob and red earrings
  • Plexus Effect on a photo of a man in a white shirt
  • Plexus Effect on a photo of blue cornflowers
  • Plexus Effect on a photo of a woman in white cat-eye sunglasses

Use Plexus 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

Distance
Sets how far apart two points can be and still be linked. Raise it for dense webs, lower it for sparse clusters.
Density
Sets how many points are scattered across the picture. More points give a finer, busier mesh; fewer give an open, sketchy one.
Mode
Chooses Fixed colors, colors Sampled from your image, or a Gradient mapped to a variable such as density, distance or brightness.

Frequently asked questions

What is a plexus effect?

A plexus effect is a network of points joined by straight lines, like a constellation. Nexus places the points from your picture, so the web follows its shapes and tones.

How do I make a plexus effect in After Effects?

Add Nexus for After Effects, drop the look on a layer as a native effect, and keyframe any control, such as Distance or Turbulence, to animate the web over time.

Can I get the plexus effect in Illustrator as vectors?

Yes. The output is vector shapes. In Illustrator, use a selection as the source and the result comes back as native vector paths you can edit.

How do I add the plexus effect in Photoshop?

Use Nexus for Photoshop and apply the look as a Smart Filter so you can reopen it later. If you only want this engine, Node + Circuit Machine from Synkit is a standalone Photoshop plugin.

Is a constellation effect the same thing?

Yes, it is another name for the same look: dots linked by thin lines. You can try it on your own image in the Nexus web editor without an account; exporting needs a free account.

Related effects

Try Plexus Effect in your browser

Free to try. Exporting needs a free account.

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