Halftone and Bitmap Effects

Halftoning breaks down the continuous tone of an image into a grid of regularly spaced cells. These cells are translated into halftone spots, which vary in size to simulate the appearance of light and shade (bigger dots appear darker; smaller dots, lighter). The technique goes back many centuries, when engravers used cross-hatching to give the impression of grey in their illustrations.

When photography came along, process cameras were used for halftoning, but now they've been superseded by digital imaging technology. The principle underlying both is the same, though - the conversion of any pixel that is grey or coloured to halftone spots.

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