Dither effect

Thirty dithering algorithms, tonal and full-colour palettes, and dots that bleed.

Made with the Bitmap filterWorks in

Dither effect on a portrait of a woman with black hair, hands on her head, made with the Bitmap filter in Filter Archive (Tritone preset)

BeforeAfter

Bitmap pixelates your photo and dithers it into a small palette, from 1-bit Macintosh black and white to handheld-game greens, amber dots, tritone prints and full colour. Thirty algorithms change the texture of the pattern, and a Bleed control lets the pixels swell into each other like ink on soft paper.

9presets
27settings
3apps

Same effect, different presets.

8 photos, each with its own preset. Try it on yours

Dither effect on a portrait of a woman in a red jacket on a blue background, made with the Bitmap filter in Filter Archive (Handheld preset) — Handheld

Dither effect on a portrait of a woman with copper red hair, made with the Bitmap filter in Filter Archive (Amber Dots preset) — Amber Dots

Dither effect on a portrait of a woman with silver hair and blue sunglasses by the sea, made with the Bitmap filter in Filter Archive (Macintosh preset) — Macintosh

Dither effect on a portrait of a man with silver hair and red sunglasses, made with the Bitmap filter in Filter Archive (Newsprint preset) — Newsprint

Dither effect on a portrait of a woman with a nose strip on a white background, made with the Bitmap filter in Filter Archive (Fantasy Console preset) — Fantasy Console

Dither effect on a portrait of a woman with red hair in chrome sunglasses, made with the Bitmap filter in Filter Archive (Tritone preset) — Tritone

Dither effect on a portrait of a woman with silver chains on a grey background, made with the Bitmap filter in Filter Archive (Etching preset) — Etching

Use the dither effect in Photoshop, Affinity or Figma.

One licence covers all three: $9.99 a month or $59.99 once. See pricing

Photoshop

Open Filter Archive from the Plugins menu, pick Bitmap and press Apply. The result lands on a new layer above your original.

Mac & Windows · Photoshop 2024+

Affinity

Choose Filters, Plugins, Filter Archive on a pixel layer, pick Bitmap and apply it to that layer.

Mac & Windows · Affinity 3

Figma

Select an image, frame or shape, run Filter Archive and apply Bitmap as a new layer or in place.

Figma Community

Settings worth touching.

ScaleBitmap: The pixel size the image is reduced to before dithering. Bigger reads as chunkier pixel art.
LevelsBitmap: How many tone levels there are before the palette. 2 is 1-bit.
BleedBitmap: Lets pixels swell into their neighbours and merge, like ink on soft paper.

Plus 24 more in the panel, all editable after you pick a preset.

Dither Effect questions.

What is a dither effect?

A dither effect fakes more tones than a palette really has by scattering pixels of the available colours in patterns. It is the look of early computer graphics, handheld consoles and 1-bit art.

How do I make a dither effect in Photoshop?

Open Filter Archive from the Plugins menu and choose Bitmap. Start from a preset such as Handheld or Amber Dots, adjust the settings while the preview updates, then press Apply. The result goes on a new layer and your original stays untouched.

Can I use it in Affinity or Figma?

Yes. The same Bitmap filter runs in Affinity 3 on Mac and Windows, from Filters, then Plugins, then Filter Archive on a pixel layer, and in Figma on an image, frame or shape. One licence covers Photoshop, Affinity and Figma.

Which presets come with Bitmap?

9 presets: Handheld, Amber Dots, Macintosh, Newsprint, Tritone, Full Colour, Fantasy Console, Soft Dots and Etching. Every setting stays editable after you pick one, and you can save a stack of filters to use again.