Nexus
Open the editor

Stencil Effect

Cuts any picture into one flat ink color on paper, with smooth, clean edges and bold shapes.

The same portrait cut into flat black ink on white, with grainy speckled shading on the face and solid black sunglasses and jacket.
Color close-up portrait of a person with short pink hair, narrow black sunglasses and a black jacket against a pale gray wall.
Try this look →Get the plugin

Made with Threshold

Works in

The stencil effect turns a photo into a single flat ink with smooth, clean edges, like a cut paper stencil. Light and dark split at a level you set. The look starts keeping the White side with the source hidden, and you can change the ink colors, add contour lines, grain or rough edges.

Same effect, different settings

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

  • Stencil Effect on a photo of two runners on a track
  • Stencil Effect on a photo of a young man in black
  • Stencil Effect on a photo of a woman in white cat-eye sunglasses
  • Stencil Effect on a photo of a woman with a black bob and red earrings
  • Stencil Effect on a photo of a man with a buzz cut
  • Stencil Effect on a photo of two pears on linen
  • Stencil Effect on a photo of a black horse
  • Stencil Effect on a photo of a man in a white shirt
  • Stencil Effect on a photo of a woman in an orange turtleneck
  • Stencil Effect on a photo of a man with slicked blond hair and sunglasses
  • Stencil Effect on a photo of a woman in black sunglasses
  • Stencil Effect on a photo of a man in white sunglasses

Use Stencil 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

Level
Moves the cut point between ink and paper. Lower or raise it to decide how much of the picture turns solid.
Keep
Chooses which side of the cut stays, Black or White. The look starts on White, and switching flips the stencil.
Rough Edges
Breaks up the clean outlines so shapes look hand cut rather than smooth. Keep it low for crisp stencils.

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn a photo to stencil art?

Open the look in the Nexus web editor and drop in your own image, no account needed. Adjust Level until the shapes read clearly. Exporting needs a free account, which exports images up to 720px.

Can I use the stencil effect in Illustrator?

Yes. Nexus for Illustrator uses your selection as the source and places the result back as an embedded image. This look outputs pixels only, so you do not get vector paths.

Can I animate the stencil art effect in After Effects?

Yes. It lands as a native effect on any layer, and every control can be keyframed on the timeline, so you can move Level, Grain or Rough Edges over time.

Can I change the stencil colors?

Yes. Black Color sets the ink and White Color sets the paper. The look starts with black ink on white paper, and you can pick any pair of colors you like.

Can I see the photo under the stencil filter?

Turn on Show Source to place the original picture underneath the ink, then use Source Opacity to set how strongly it shows. The look starts with Show Source off.

Related effects

Try Stencil Effect in your browser

Free to try. Exporting needs a free account.

Try this look →See every effect