Threshold effect

A two-tone threshold whose edge dissolves into specks of toner instead of dither.

Made with the Threshold Plus filterWorks in

Threshold effect on a portrait of a woman in white sunglasses with a lollipop, made with the Threshold Plus filter in Filter Archive (Toner preset)

BeforeAfter

Threshold Plus cuts your photo down to two tones, then breaks the edge between them into specks of toner the way a copier or a spray stencil would. Keep it as a clean cut, or open the speckled band for a gritty print. Ink and paper are yours to pick.

3presets
17settings
3apps

Same effect, different presets.

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

Threshold effect on a portrait of a man in sunglasses on a red background, made with the Threshold Plus filter in Filter Archive (Toner preset) — Toner

Threshold effect on a portrait of a man with silver hair and red sunglasses, made with the Threshold Plus filter in Filter Archive (Clean Cut preset) — Clean Cut

Threshold effect on a portrait of a man with spiky red hair on a blue background, made with the Threshold Plus filter in Filter Archive (Spray Stencil preset) — Spray Stencil

Threshold effect on a portrait of a person with goggles looking up, made with the Threshold Plus filter in Filter Archive (Clean Cut preset) — Clean Cut

Threshold effect on a portrait of a woman in sunglasses against a blue sky, made with the Threshold Plus filter in Filter Archive (Spray Stencil preset) — Spray Stencil

Threshold effect on a portrait of a woman with red hair in a studded beanie, made with the Threshold Plus filter in Filter Archive (Toner preset) — Toner

Threshold effect on a portrait of a man in black sunglasses, made with the Threshold Plus filter in Filter Archive (Clean Cut preset) — Clean Cut

Use the threshold 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 Threshold Plus 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 Threshold Plus and apply it to that layer.

Mac & Windows · Affinity 3

Figma

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

Figma Community

Settings worth touching.

BleedThreshold: Thickens or thins the dark marks before the cut, so shapes swell or starve.
Break-upSpecks: How wide the band of toner specks along the edge is. At zero the cut is clean.
Edge RoughnessEdge: Roughs up the boundary itself, separate from the specks.

Plus 14 more in the panel, all editable after you pick a preset.

Threshold Effect questions.

What is a threshold effect?

A threshold effect turns every pixel either black or white (or ink or paper) depending on whether it is darker or lighter than a set level. The result is a bold two-tone graphic, like a stencil or a photocopy.

How do I make a threshold effect in Photoshop?

Open Filter Archive from the Plugins menu and choose Threshold Plus. Start from a preset such as Toner or Clean Cut, 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 Threshold Plus 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.