: How do I attain an effect similar to the one in the photo below? I am trying to replicate the style and effect of the attached photo. The effect is a sort of graphic novel, pixelating style

@Holmes874

The pattern effect is a little tricky, it needs layers and blending modes. The effect can create an illusion of printed image altough real halftoning in color printing is totally different.

An example:


Make a low contrast copy of your image layer. Here the contrast is flattened with the curves tool:




No contrast flattening is needed, if your image is already flat enough. Test. My image had only extremes.

You can also make a layer with solid grey fill instead of flattening the contrast, but the result is different (=more mechanical, like an inserted overlay).


Goto Filters > Sketch > Halftone Pattern. That creates the dots:





Give to the pattern layer blending mode Hard light and reduce its opacity:


Blending mode soft light gives different result because it reduces the effect in light areas. The opacity can be higher. You can also add a little noise (1...2%) to the pattern to make it less regular. Here both of them are applied:

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@Radia289

It's difficult to determine with certainty, but I suspect that you are asking about the pattern of dots known as halftone.

It's a carry-over from newspaper printing, because gradients are far more expensive to print than dots of different colors. Pick up a newspaper or magazine and examine it under magnification to see them in the "real world."

I suggest that you use your favorite search engine using terms "photoshop halftone effect" and pick the link that appeals to you. It's not too astonishing to learn there are hundreds of options available to you with this particular effect.

You can change the shape of the dots (circles, squares, lines, etc.) as well as the size.

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