{"id":349245,"date":"2021-10-06T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-06T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/what-is-dithering-in-computer-graphics\/"},"modified":"2021-10-06T22:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-10-06T19:00:00","slug":"what-is-dithering-in-computer-graphics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-dithering-in-computer-graphics\/","title":{"rendered":"#What Is Dithering in Computer Graphics?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2d8c6235047\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2d8c6235047\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-dithering-in-computer-graphics\/#How_Dithering_Works_in_Computer_Graphics\" >How Dithering Works in Computer Graphics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-dithering-in-computer-graphics\/#Dithering_Saves_Disk_Space_Avoids_Banding\" >Dithering Saves Disk Space, Avoids Banding<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-dithering-in-computer-graphics\/#Dithering_as_a_Stylistic_Choice\" >Dithering as a Stylistic Choice<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#What Is Dithering in Computer Graphics?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-747260\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/yellow-pink-dithering.png?width=398&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 400w, https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/yellow-pink-dithering.png?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, 400w, 1200w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/yellow-pink-dithering.png?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Yellow and pink dithering pixel art\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-vector\/pixel-art-dithering-background-pink-yellow-758433877\"> PixelChoice\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You might have come across the word \u201cdithering\u201d when using a graphics or image editing tool. Despite the funny name, dithering plays an important role in ensuring images <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ear correctly onscreen and in designing retro gaming art.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Dithering_Works_in_Computer_Graphics\"><\/span>How Dithering Works in Computer Graphics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Dithering is a term used to describe the strategic application of noise to an image. It has traditionally been used to improve the appearance of images where the output is limited to a particular color range.<\/p>\n<p>For example, a 1-bit image is monochrome and capable of only using a palette of two colors: black and white. Dithering can be employed to create the appearance of multiple shades by varying the distance between dots. You might perceive multiple shades of grey in the image below, but the only colors present are black and white:<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-746243\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/dither_it_sample_photo_650.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Example of Dithering\" width=\"650\" height=\"487\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Tim Brookes<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This form of dithering has its roots in the print medium, particularly <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>papers and early comic books. Because publishers were limited by the number of colors they could print, dithering was used to expand the perceived range, add texture to an image, and produce better-looking comic s<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>s and photographs.<\/p>\n<p>As printers became more sophisticated, dithering became a more powerful tool. With more colors to work with, reproducing full-color photographs became more commonplace. Even today some papers still use dithering in their printing process, a phenomenon you can clearly see if you get close enough.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dithering_Saves_Disk_Space_Avoids_Banding\"><\/span>Dithering Saves Disk Space, Avoids Banding<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>With the advent of the world wide web, dithering became a valuable tool for cutting down on file sizes. In the early days of the web, dial-up speeds made data transfer a painful affair.Because a photo can have thousands or millions of colors, limiting which colors can be displayed can dramatically cut the file size.<\/p>\n<p>By combining available colors in a restricted color space, dithering can convincingly reproduce a detailed image at a fraction of the file size. The image below contains only 256 colors, with the dithering pattern visible in the magnified portion of the image:<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-746247\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-05-at-15.26.52.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Dithered Image to 256 Colors\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Tim Brookes<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Animated GIFs depended on dithering to cut down on file size. An animated GIF is effectively many images (frames) in a container, displayed one after the other. Dithering can be used to reduce the weight of these frames, though image quality takes a hit.<\/p>\n<p>Dithering is also used to avoid color banding caused by a restrictive color palette. For example, if your sky has 16 shades of blue but your palette can only display 2, there will be a harsh \u201cband\u201d of color as one shade moves to the next. Dithering can be used to create gradients by varying the distance between these shades, as you can see below:<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-747274\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/pixel-dithering-purple-blue.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Example of dithering blue and purple colors\" width=\"650\" height=\"372\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-vector\/pixel-art-dithering-background-blue-purple-759363247\">PixelChoice\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There are many different algorithms used to dither images, with the most popular being the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Floyd%E2%80%93Steinberg_dithering\">Floyd-Steinberg algorithm<\/a>. You can upload your own images and experiment with restricted colors, different algorithms, and see how dithering works for yourself using the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ditherit.com\">Dither it!<\/a> web application.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dithering_as_a_Stylistic_Choice\"><\/span>Dithering as a Stylistic Choice<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While modern internet connections have reduced the need for techniques like dithering, the look is often desired for its retro aesthetic. Notable <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gamasutra.com\/view\/news\/260368\/Lucas_Pope_and_the_rise_of_the_1bit_ditherpunk_aesthetic.php\">examples of what has become known as \u201cDither-punk\u201d<\/a> include <em>Return of the Obra Dinn<\/em> and <em>Rogue Invader<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Return of the Obra Dinn - Available Now\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ILolesm8kFY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re drawn to the retro look of these <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>s, learning how to enjoy retro games with emulators as well as the legal minefield that accompanies the pastime is a great place to start.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to Set Up RetroArch, The Ultimate All-In-One Retro Games Emulator<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/745906\/what-is-dithering-in-computer-graphics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#What Is Dithering in Computer Graphics?&#8221; PixelChoice\/Shutterstock.com You might have come across the word \u201cdithering\u201d when using a graphics or image editing tool. Despite the funny name, dithering plays an important role in ensuring images appear correctly onscreen and in designing retro gaming art. How Dithering Works in Computer Graphics Dithering is a term used&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":349246,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/yellow-pink-dithering.png?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-349245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=349245"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349245\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/349246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=349245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=349245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=349245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}