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August 21, 2021How to Create a Fractal Mirror Effect in Affinity Photo
September 3, 2021Create a Dot Pixel Effect
In this tutorial, we’ll create a dot pixel effect in Affinity Photo. This effect turns images into pixels. It creates graphical 8-bit looking art similar to what you’d see on retro video games.
Before you begin, go to the following links to download the images used in the tutorial.
Step 1
First, go to File > Open and select the image of the woman on the stairs. Press CTRL + J to duplicate the image and turn the original picture off.
Step 2
With the duplicated image selected, go to the Filters menu. Then, go to Distort > Pixelate. Set the Quantization to 18.
Step 3
Now, go to File > New. Set the Page Width and the Page Height to 18 px. Then, set the DPI to 72.
Step 4
Grab the Flood Fill Tool from the Tools Panel and click on the document.
Step 5
Next, grab the Elliptical Marquee Tool from the Tools Panel. Press CTRL + Shift. Then, place the tool in the center and click and drag outwards to make the selection.
Step 6
Press CTRL + Shift + I to invert the selection. Then, go to the Edit menu. Select Fill with Secondary Color. Press CTRL + D to deselect.
Step 7
With the current layer still selected, go to the Layer menu and select New Pattern Layer from Selection.
Step 8
Copy the pattern layer and paste it onto the other document.
Step 9
In the Layers Panel, set the Blend Mode to Divide and lower the Opacity to 80%. Other Blend Modes you can use are Multiply, Color Burn, Linear Burn, Darker Color, Overlay, or Soft Light.
Now let’s create a dot pixel effect on a landscape image.
Step 1
Go to File > Open and select the landscape image. Press CTRL + J to duplicate the image and turn off the original image in the Layers Panel.
Step 2
Select the duplicated layer. Go to the Filters menu. Select Distort > Pixelate. Set the Quantization to 20.
Step 3
Now, go to File > New. Set the Page Width and Page Height to 20 px. Then, set the DPI to 72.
Step 4
Grab the Flood Fill Tool from the Tools Panel and click on the document. A new layer will be added.
Step 5
Next, grab the Elliptical Marquee Tool from the Tools Panel. Press CTRL + Shift. Then, take the tool and make an elliptical selection.
Step 6
After that, press CTRL + Shift + I to invert the selection. Then, go to the Edit menu. Select Fill with Secondary Color.
Step 7
Now, go to the Layers menu and select New Pattern Layer from Selection.
Step 8
Copy the pattern layer and paste it onto the other document.
Step 9
In the Layers Panel, change the Blend Mode of the pattern to Overlay. Lower the Opacity to 35%.
Congratulations, this tutorial is complete. You’ve created a dot pixel effect in Affinity Photo. For more Affinity Photo tutorials, check out this article on how to create a halftone effect.