Dot Image Generator: Photo to Stippling or Pointillism Art

Form patterns using dots. Pixels are replaced with visible strokes. Stippling is shading with small points. The spacing of the dots represents the intensity of the color. Pointillism art is coloring using pure colored points. The primary colors are placed beside one another to form secondary colors.

Make art in minutes that could take days or weeks to make by hand. Dot art looks amazing. The main downside is that making thousands of strokes takes a lot of time and patience. The dot art generator quickly turns a digital photo into a dot drawing or painting for you. This program can use a webcam, video or a picture. Play or pause videos using the Video checkbox.

The pictures were made with tiny circles. You can reduce the photo realism by making the points bigger, increasing the spacing between the strokes or reducing the number of colors. Using the color filters on the photo can give you better results.

Select Small, Medium or Custom to change the display size. Changing the Alpha changes how the color intensity is calculated. Decrease the intensity to lower the opacity. The Area around each pixel and the Density limit sets the density of the strokes. You can also limit the number of Shades, and Pencil sizes.

Changing the stippling style changes the contrast. While making stippling art I noticed it was hard to choose the right image. Recognizing the need for enhanced contrast, I explored innovative techniques inspired by edge detection and foreground analysis. Each style contributes to the exploration of stippling dot art, demonstrating the fusion of traditional techniques with modern image processing methods. Try out the different styles to find the best one for your image.

When randomly placing dots on the canvas, altering the pointillism style adjusts the dot placement methodology. For instance, it may pick areas to place the dots based on specific criteria such as color, intensity or color consistency within the dot's area. Sometimes you get better results when the colors in the dot area are averaged. So I added the option to use the average color by checking the Color option.

I was inspired to create this art generator after seeing handmade dot art that looked like it took a really long time to make. See what you can do with it. Try it out on different pictures and use different options. It works best with high contrast photos and images with transparent backgrounds. If you need photos to turn into art then try searching for public domain images.

Simple or modern pointillism employs individual dots. Classic pointillism employs multiple dots to represent a single color and is intended to be viewed from a distance, resulting in a non-pixelated appearance. My simplified variation of pointillism uses small clusters of four dots to represent a single color. Optical mixing occurs when colors blend together visually. While examining the image up close, you might find it beneficial to reduce its size to fully appreciate the resulting color fusion.

Exploring different methods to use four dots for representing a single color led to diverse styles. Each approach offers a unique perspective on the interplay of colors, showcasing the versatility and creative possibilities within the realm of pointillism. Enlarging the dot size and stepping back to view the artwork from a distance allows one to experience the optical mixing effect.

I added a layer canvas that allows you to layer the image or increase the intensity. Adding layers to the image can enhance depth and shading effects. Check HQ for a higher quality drawing. It works with a larger version of the image, creating finer dots and more detail but it takes longer because it is working with larger images.

Attribution is appreciated. While you are sharing your art let people know what you used to make it.

Try my app first to unleash your creativity, and when you're ready to dive deeper into the world of stippling art and discover inspiring examples, scroll down for a wealth of knowledge and inspiration.

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When you begin with a well-suited image, the dot drawing can be truly remarkable. Selecting the perfect image is a necessary step to achieve outstanding results in stippling art.

Learn How to Create Amazing Dot Art

For lots of examples and detailed instructions, visit How to Draw with Dots

Explore My Stippling Art Gallery

For more examples, check out some of my favorite creations in my Stippling Art Gallery