Editor
Dithering
The sixteen methods, what strength does, and custom threshold matrices.
Dithering mixes palette colours in small patterns so that, from a distance, you see colours and gradients the palette doesn't have.
Methods#
| Method | Family | Character |
|---|---|---|
| None | – | Flat areas, hard banding. Best for sprites and logos |
| Bayer 2×2, 4×4, 8×8, 16×16 | Ordered | The classic cross-hatch. Larger matrices give more tone levels |
| Clustered dot 4×4, 8×8 | Ordered | Halftone dots, like print |
| Horizontal lines | Ordered | Scan-line bands |
| Blue noise | Ordered | Even, grain-like, no visible pattern. Stable across animation frames |
| Custom matrix | Ordered | Your own threshold pattern (below) |
| Floyd–Steinberg | Error diffusion | Fine and organic; the default choice for photos |
| Atkinson | Error diffusion | Spreads only ¾ of the error: lighter, contrasty, the early-Mac look |
| Sierra Lite, Sierra | Error diffusion | Close to Floyd–Steinberg; Sierra is smoother |
| Burkes, Jarvis–Judice–Ninke, Stucki | Error diffusion | Wider kernels: smoother gradients, softer detail |
Ordered methods decide each pixel independently, so they are fast, predictable and don't flicker between video frames. Error diffusion carries each pixel's rounding error to its neighbours, which preserves detail but changes a lot from frame to frame.
D and Shift D step through common methods.
Strength#
For ordered methods, strength scales the threshold offset. At 100% the pattern spans the distance between neighbouring palette colours (the textbook amount), so the same strength means the same thing for a 2-colour and a 64-colour palette. Lower values leave flatter areas.
For error diffusion, strength is the fraction of the error passed on. 0% is the same as no dithering.
With Perceptual colour matching, ordered patterns put slightly more of the lighter colour into mid-tones than the textbook algorithm, because the boundary between two colours sits at their perceptual midpoint. Choose RGB matching under Palette for the classic tone curve. Error diffusion keeps the average tone either way.
Custom matrices#
Choose Custom matrix and type rows of numbers, up to 16 × 16:
0 8 2 10
12 4 14 6
3 11 1 9
15 7 13 5Only the order of the numbers matters: the smallest becomes the first threshold. Commas, brackets and a trailing / 16 line are accepted, so you can paste matrices from papers or other tools.