What is this two-colour gradient called? Is there a filter for it in Photoshop?

July 23, 2004 1:48 AM

What do you call the form of gradient colour fill that uses just two colours - the new one starts as dots which get larger until they start merging while the old colour turns into dots that are getting smaller? It's a technique I associate with old newsprint.

Does anyone know if there's a photoshop filter to replicate it?
posted by twine42 to media & arts (8 comments total)

Are you thinking of halftoning?
posted by chrismear at 3:25 AM on July 23, 2004

Try creating a normal gradient in photoshop, and then go to

Filters > Pixellate > Colour Halftone

and type 4 in the first box (the size of the dots, minimum of 4). Is this what you're looking for...?

Try playing with the other 4 numbers for different colour effects.
posted by derbs at 3:28 AM on July 23, 2004

wanted to know this for a while - thanks!
posted by monkeyJuice at 3:37 AM on July 23, 2004

That's the kiddie. Thank you!
posted by twine42 at 5:53 AM on July 23, 2004

Going to Image Mode -> Duotone (I think that's what it's called) can also get you more controllable higher quality results.
posted by wackybrit at 8:10 AM on July 23, 2004

This is whatt wackybrit is getting at:
Create a regular gradient (or just use any image)

Image -> Mode -> Grayscale
then
Image -> Mode -> Bitmap

then choose Halftone Screen from the Method box, play around with the lpi, and choose your type of "dot": round, diamond, ellipse, line, square, or cross.

The higher resolution you convert to, the better the quality.
posted by Robot Johnny at 9:31 AM on July 23, 2004

Yeah, filtering works too, with the advantage over converting to bitmap of not force-flattening the image layers.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 9:59 AM on July 23, 2004

Outside the print world, this is "stipple alpha blending".
posted by majick at 10:36 AM on July 23, 2004