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Stipple Effect

Turns any picture into irregular dry-ink flecks on bright, fibrous paper, dense in the shadows and sparse in the highlights.

Stippled black ink print of a person in a suit with flowers covering the eyes, built from dense flecks on grainy off-white paper.
Color photo of a shaved-head person in a dark suit and pale blue shirt, pink and white flowers covering the eyes, against a blue sky.
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Made with Stipple Print

Works in

The stipple effect rebuilds your image from many irregular ink flecks printed on a paper texture with grain and fibers. Dark areas fill with dots, light areas thin out to bare paper. It starts with dark ink on bright paper, and you can change both colors, the dot spacing, size, bleed and grain.

Same effect, different settings

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

  • Stipple Effect on a photo of a woman with a black bob and red earrings
  • Stipple Effect on a photo of a man with pink hair and black sunglasses
  • Stipple Effect on a photo of a pale woman with a white bob
  • Stipple Effect on a photo of a smile with gold grills
  • Stipple Effect on a photo of a man in a white shirt
  • Stipple Effect on a photo of a woman in white cat-eye sunglasses
  • Stipple Effect on a photo of a man with a buzz cut
  • Stipple Effect on a photo of a man in white sunglasses
  • Stipple Effect on a photo of a black horse
  • Stipple Effect on a photo of a woman biting her finger
  • Stipple Effect on a photo of two pears on linen
  • Stipple Effect on a photo of a man with pink hair on green

Use Stipple 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

Stipple Spacing
Sets the distance between flecks. Low values give fine, dense detail. High values give a coarser, more open print.
Dot Irregularity
Moves flecks from even, round dots toward ragged, uneven marks that read more like hand-⁠applied dry ink.
Ink Bleed
Spreads each fleck into the paper so dots soften and merge, as if the ink soaked in.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add a stipple effect in Photoshop?

Install Nexus for Photoshop, convert your layer to a Smart Object and apply the look as a Smart Filter. Double-⁠click the filter any time to change spacing, density or colors.

Can I make a stipple effect in Illustrator?

Yes. Nexus for Illustrator uses your selection as the source and places the result back as an embedded image. This look is pixel-based, so it does not produce vector paths.

Is there a free stipple effect generator?

You can open this 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.

Can I change the ink and paper colors?

Yes. The look starts with dark ink on bright paper, but Paper Color and Ink Color accept any color, and Invert swaps light and dark for a light-⁠on-⁠dark print.

How do I get a finer stippling effect?

Lower Stipple Spacing for smaller gaps between flecks, and adjust Stipple Density to control how many dots fill each tone. Dot Scale makes each fleck smaller or larger.

Related effects

Try Stipple Effect in your browser

Free to try. Exporting needs a free account.

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