Halftone guides

Halftone guides for better dot artwork

Learn what the dots mean, how to build the effect, and which limits matter when the file leaves the browser. Every guide connects an explanation to a setting, comparison, or tool you can inspect yourself.

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Four useful starting points

Choose the question you need to answer.

Updated September 18, 2026

Uniform comic dots beside a tonal halftone portrait for visual comparison

Basics · 5 min read

What is halftone?

Learn what halftone is and how dots create shades of light and dark. Explore original diagrams, compare common techniques, and try making your own dot art.

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Charcoal round-dot halftone texture used to illustrate a Photoshop effect workflow

Workflow · 7 min read

How to make a halftone effect in Photoshop

Create a halftone effect in Photoshop with illustrated steps and tested settings. Compare the results, solve common issues, or try our free online generator.

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Blue diamond halftone screen on cream used to explain printing and line screens

Printing · 6 min read

Halftone printing: dots, screens, and practical limits

Understand halftone printing with visual examples of dots, screens, and LPI. Learn how digital previews differ from print output and what to check with a printer.

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Portrait with an applied halftone overlay used as a reproducible art example

Ideas · 6 min read

Halftone art you can actually recreate

Explore halftone art through original posters, portraits, and pattern ideas. See the settings behind each example and recreate the styles with our free tools.

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Start with the decision

A guide path for each stage of the work.

Choose whether you need to understand the image, build the effect, or prepare the destination.

Understand the image

Learn how mark size and open space produce tone before choosing a dotted technique. What is halftone?

Build the effect

Choose a layered Photoshop workflow or the faster browser generator. Photoshop workflow

Prepare the destination

Check production constraints with the printer before final output. Printing guide

How the guides are written

Advice tied to visible behavior.

The guides describe controls and files the site actually provides, and separate photo halftones from patterns, overlays, and prepared textures.

Printing advice stays within the boundary of a browser design tool and points out which production questions belong with the printer.

Put the idea to work

Choose a tool by the file you need.

Convert a photo, build a repeat, add a transparent layer, or download a prepared texture.

Halftone Maker Open generator ↗Halftone pattern: build a seamless repeat Open pattern maker ↗Halftone overlay: preview a texture on a photo Browse overlays ↗Halftone PNG: choose size and background Browse PNG files ↗