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Amount | The number of dots in the pattern horizontally. This is based on the width of the project. Increase for a finer pattern with more dots, decrease for a coarser patern with fewer dots. Range: 0 to 500; Default: 100 |
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Strength | The sensity of the dot size to the luminance of the color in the original layer. Range: 0 to 1; Default: 0.50 |
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Angle | The angle of the dot pattern in degrees clockwise. Range: 0º to 3600º; Default: 45º |
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Phase | The phase of alternate rows of dots in the pattern. Whole numbers cause all of the dots to line up in matching columns, and fractional numbers such as 0.5 can be used to stagger the dots. Typical halftone patterns have a phase of 0.5. Range: -1000 to 1000; Default: 0.50 |
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Color 1 | The color of the dots. Use a color darker than the background for realistic results. Default: |
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Color 2 | The color of the background. Use a color lighter than the dots for realistic results. Default: |
Usage
Halftone printing is a method of creating the appearance of continuous shades by printing dots of varying sizes in a single color. This effect simulates the appearance of that printing process. It works best with image and video layers, or layers containing multiple colors or smooth gradients.
To use this effect, start by adjusting Strength until you can see the pattern of dots (if it's too high or low you'll just get a solid color), then fine tune Amount until you obtain the dot size you want.
Tip: Blur First!
The luminance sample that determines the size of a dot comes from the original color of the layer at the exact middle of the dot. This means that if the phase shifts just slightly, high frequency changes in the original color of the layer can cause a lot of "jittering" of the dot size. If this is not desired, use a weak Gaussian Blur on the layer before applying this effect.
Use Cases
- Comic Book Shading: Simulate comic book fills by applying this effect after filling the layer with a gradient.
- Print Media Look: Apply to a photo or image to make it look like it was printed in a comic book or newspaper.