by Erf Studio
Dither Generator
The most complete dithering tool on the web: 20 algorithms from Bayer and blue noise to Floyd-Steinberg, Riemersma and dot diffusion, with linear-light processing, live instrument controls and full-resolution PNG export. Runs in your browser.
Your files never leave this device. All processing happens in your browser, there is no upload, no server, no account, and nothing is kept.
How to use
- Drop, paste or load any image. The built-in test card is already running, so you can play with the controls right away.
- Turn the Algorithm knob through all 20 dithers, from Bayer and halftone to Floyd-Steinberg, Riemersma and dot diffusion, or press keys 1 to 9 to jump.
- Shape the result with Strength and Pixel Scale, and flip the Domain switch to Linear so gradients keep their tonal depth.
- Hold the display (or press Space) to compare against the source at any time.
- Export a PNG at 1x, 2x or 4x. Every control state lives in the page URL, so copy it to share an exact recipe.
Examples
- A clean 1-bit Floyd-Steinberg conversion for zines, stickers or e-paper screens.
- A rotated line halftone at a high pixel scale for a screen-printed poster look.
- Bayer 8x8 in the Linear domain for the regular pattern of old games and e-ink, with gradients that keep their depth.
- Press Dice for a seeded, repeatable starting point, then fine-tune each knob from there.
Frequently asked questions
What is dithering?
It is a way to suggest many shades using only two tones, by arranging the dots so the eye blends them. Error diffusion spreads the rounding error to neighbouring pixels for a natural grain, ordered dithering uses a fixed matrix for a repeating pattern.
Which algorithms are included?
Ordered: simple threshold, Bayer 2x2 to 16x16, and clustered-dot halftone with dot, line, cross and diamond screens at any angle. Noise: blue noise and seeded white noise. Error diffusion: Floyd-Steinberg, Jarvis-Judice-Ninke, Stucki, Burkes, all three Sierras, Atkinson, Stevenson-Arce, Riemersma, Ostromoukhov and Knuth dot diffusion. Every one is a genuinely distinct pattern, not a near-duplicate.
What does the Gamma / Linear switch do?
Linear converts the image to linear light before dithering and back after. That keeps the tonal distribution of gradients accurate, which matters most for smooth ramps and skies. Gamma dithers the encoded values directly, which reads brighter and is the look most older tools produce.
Is the result repeatable?
Yes. The engine is fully deterministic: the same image with the same settings and seed produces the identical file every time, and the settings travel in the URL.
Is anything uploaded?
No. The image is processed in your browser and exported locally. Nothing is uploaded.
