Effects / Halftone

Halftone Mono

Mono Halftone simulates single-ink newspaper and print halftone patterns. Variable-sized dots on a regular grid create the illusion of continuous tone from just one ink color. This is the classic newspaper photo look.

halftone-monoFree

Effect ID: halftone-mono

Example Configuration

halftone-mono.json

{
  "effectId": "halftone-mono",
  "monoHalftone": {
    "colorBack": "#f2f1e8",
    "colorFront": "#2b2b2b",
    "originalColors": false,
    "gridType": "square",
    "dotType": "circle",
    "inverted": false,
    "size": 0.5,
    "radius": 0.5,
    "contrast": 1,
    "spread": 0.1,
    "grainMixer": 0,
    "grainOverlay": 0
  }
}

Settings

Property	Type	Default	Description
`colorBack`	string	#f2f1e8	Paper color (hex)
`colorFront`	string	#2b2b2b	Ink color (hex)
`originalColors`	boolean	false	Use original image colors vs two-tone
`gridType`	string	square	Grid type ("square" or "hex")
`dotType`	string	circle	Dot shape (circle, square, diamond, triangle, line)
`size`	number	0.5	Dot size (0-1)
`radius`	number	0.5	Angle (0-2, maps to 0-90 degrees)
`contrast`	number	1	Contrast (0-2)
`spread`	number	0.1	Dot gain/ink bleed (0-1)

Dot Types

circle

Circle

Classic round halftone dots

square

Square

Square pattern

diamond

Diamond

Diamond/rotated square pattern

triangle

Triangle

Triangular dots

line

Line

Parallel line pattern

Screen Angle

The screen angle determines the rotation of the halftone grid:

45° - Standard print angle (least visible pattern)
0° - Horizontal/vertical grid (more visible)
15° - Common newspaper angle
75° - Alternate standard for some print processes

How It Works

Traditional halftone printing works by varying dot size to simulate continuous tone:

Bright areas → small or no dots
Dark areas → large dots that nearly touch
Mid-tones → medium-sized dots
The eye blends the dots into smooth gradients at normal viewing distance

API Usage

render-request.json

POST /api/v1/render
{
  "state": {
    "canvas": {
      "aspectRatio": "16:9",
      "backgroundColor": "#1a1a1a"
    },
    "layers": [...],
    "selectedLayerId": null,
    "effect": {
      "effectId": "halftone-mono",
      "enabled": true,
      "monoHalftone": {
        "colorBack": "#f2f1e8",
        "colorFront": "#2b2b2b",
        "originalColors": false,
        "gridType": "square",
        "dotType": "circle",
        "size": 0.5,
        "radius": 0.5,
        "contrast": 1,
        "spread": 0.1
      }
    }
  },
  "format": "png",
  "width": 1920,
  "height": 1080
}

Tips

Use 45° angle for classic newspaper look
Larger dot sizes create more stylized, pop-art effects
Try colored ink on colored paper for duotone effects
Line shape creates interesting engraving-style effects