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Image effects

Halftone Effect

Turn photos into halftone dots, lines, squares or diamonds like newspaper print. With screen angle, cell size, two colors and SVG export. Your picture stays on your device.

Open the generator

Runs right in your browser. Your graphics are made on your device.

Example motif made with the Halftone Effect

Start from a preset

Pick a preset and it opens right in the editor, ready to adjust.

What is it?

Halftone is the technique newspapers and posters use to print photos with a single ink: the picture is split into a grid of cells, and each cell gets a dot that grows the darker the picture is at that spot. Up close you see dots, from a distance a photo. Today the look is popular for posters, merch, social media and websites with a retro or pop art style.

How it works

Upload a photo or try the presets on the sample picture. Choose the shape (dots, lines, squares or diamonds), the cell size and the screen angle. Ink and paper are up to you, and the paper can be transparent. Invert turns the light areas into dots, ideal for light ink on a dark background. Brightness, contrast and gamma decide how large the dots get. Space rolls new colors and angles. Export as PNG, JPG, WebP or SVG.

Try the Halftone Effect now

FAQ

Is my photo uploaded?
No. The photo is processed in your browser only and never sent to a server. Share links leave the photo out; if you save the design, everything stays local in your browser.
Can I export the halftone as a vector?
Yes. The SVG export draws every dot and line as a vector shape, ideal for plotters, screen printing or lasers. To keep the file manageable (about 1 MB), it is limited to 70,000 shapes. For very large photos, choose a larger cell size; PNG, JPG and WebP have no such limit.
Which screen angle is right?
45 degrees is the classic: at this angle the eye notices the grid least. 0 degrees looks technical and strict, lines at 30 degrees recall copper engravings. Press space to try different angles.
Why do the dots turn into a flat area in a small preview?
When the cells are smaller than about four screen pixels in the preview, the dots cannot be shown. The preview then shows the tone the screen gives from a distance. Zoom to 100 percent to see the dots; the export always renders at full size.
Can I use my brand colors?
Yes. Apply a brand palette from your Brand Kit: the darkest color becomes the ink, the lightest the paper. With invert on, it is the other way round.

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