The short answer
Why use Dithering?
When you already know the look you want, opening a full photo editor is overkill. One slider gets you there, and you can stop before the detail disappears.
Dithering first builds a palette of 2 to 64 colors from your image, 8 by default, then spreads the rounding error onto neighboring pixels so the eye blends the dots back into smoother tones. Because the palette comes from the picture, a sunset keeps its oranges even at 8 colors.
The method changes the texture. Floyd–Steinberg gives a fine, even grain. Atkinson spreads only part of the error, which keeps highlights and shadows cleaner, the look of early Macintosh graphics. Stucki and Sierra spread it wider for a smoother result. None skips the diffusion and leaves flat areas of color.
Dither patterns are exactly the fine detail that JPEG smears, so keep the PNG. Set Colours to 2 for a one-bit look, and avoid resizing the result afterwards, since scaling blurs the dots into gray.
Where Dithering fits
Retro game art
Give a title screen or sprite the limited-palette look of 8-bit and 16-bit games.
Few-tone displays
Prepare a picture for an e-ink screen or a printer that shows only a handful of tones.
Small palettes
Cut a graphic down to 16 colors while the dots keep its gradients readable.
Start to finish
How to use Dithering
- 01Tap Choose image, drop the file on the box, or paste a picture from your clipboard.
- 02Set Colours (2 to 64, default 8) and pick a Dithering method: Floyd–Steinberg, Atkinson, Stucki, Sierra, or None.
- 03Tap Apply changes, then Download result to keep the PNG with every dot intact.
What to expect from Dithering
| Check | What it means here |
|---|---|
| Supported input | JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP, SVG and browser-supported AVIF images |
| Main controls | Colours, from 2 to 64 with 8 to start, and a dithering method |
| Output | A PNG image with the effect applied |
| Working limit | 50 MB and 50 megapixels per image |
Dithering tips
- Colours at 2 gives a two-tone image, with both tones taken from your photo.
- Atkinson keeps highlights and shadows cleaner than Floyd–Steinberg, at the cost of some mid-tone detail.
- Do not shrink the download afterwards; scaling blends the dots into flat gray.
- Converting the result to JPEG smears the dot pattern, so share the PNG.
Dithering FAQ
Something missing? Ask us.
How is Dithering different from Posterize?
Does Dithering upload my file?
Is Dithering free to use?
Why did Dithering fail or look wrong?
Related tools
More in Filters & Effects.