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Shape Halftone

Shape halftone swaps each patch of your picture for a stamped shape, picked by how light or dark that patch is.

The same photo as a grid of purple ringed squares, with the dark horse shape filled by green dots, gray crosses and chevron outlines.
Photo of a black horse with a long mane, head turned to the right, against a pale blue sky and blurred dry grassland.
Try this look →Get the plugin

Made with Array

Works in

Also a standalone Photoshop plugin: Array Machine

A shape halftone divides your image into a grid of cells and stamps a shape from a curated library into each one, choosing it by the brightness underneath. The look starts with a four-color palette and outlined edges. You can change the cell size, the tone curve, every color and the edge lines.

Same effect, different settings

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

  • Shape Halftone Effect on a photo of a young man in black
  • Shape Halftone Effect on a photo of a man with pink hair and black sunglasses
  • Shape Halftone Effect on a photo of a woman in an orange turtleneck
  • Shape Halftone Effect on a photo of a woman with a red bob
  • Shape Halftone Effect on a photo of a woman with a black bob and red earrings
  • Shape Halftone Effect on a photo of a woman in black sunglasses
  • Shape Halftone Effect on a photo of a man in white sunglasses
  • Shape Halftone Effect on a photo of a man with a buzz cut
  • Shape Halftone Effect on a photo of a woman in orange glasses and a knit collar
  • Shape Halftone Effect on a photo of a man in a white shirt
  • Shape Halftone Effect on a photo of a woman in blue glasses
  • Shape Halftone Effect on a photo of a woman lying in white flowers

Use Shape Halftone 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

Cell Size
Sets how big each grid cell is. Small cells keep more detail, large cells turn the picture into bold, readable shapes.
Empty Below
Leaves cells blank where the picture is darker than this level, so shadows drop out to plain background.
Edges
Traces the outlines found in your picture with extra marks. Threshold decides how strong an edge must be, Thickness sets line weight.

Frequently asked questions

What is a shape halftone?

It is a halftone that uses a grid of stamped shapes instead of round dots. Each cell gets a shape chosen by the brightness of your picture beneath it.

How do I make a halftone shape effect in Photoshop?

Install Nexus for Photoshop, apply the look to a Smart Object as a Smart Filter, and double-⁠click to adjust. If you want only this engine, Array Machine from Synkit is a standalone Photoshop plugin.

Can I get halftone shapes as vectors in Illustrator?

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

Can I change the colors of a shape halftone?

Yes. The look starts in Palette mode with four slots. Change any Palette color, add slots up to eight, or switch Color Mode to Preserve, Sample Source, Override or Gradient.

Can I try it without installing anything?

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 Shape Halftone Effect in your browser

Free to try. Exporting needs a free account.

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