AuthorTopic: Question(s) about dithering  (Read 13536 times)

Offline Joe

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Question(s) about dithering

on: March 23, 2010, 04:45:39 pm
I've always wondered this.  Does all of the dithering in a piece have to fit on the same grid to work effectively?  As in, if I have a 50% patch of red and yellow on the bottom-left corner, would it be more subtle if the yellow conformed to the same exact grid as say a 50% yellow and green dither in the top-right corner?

Basically what I'm asking is if it matters, and how much better would it look.  If I'm not being clear, I can definitely expound on this.
« Last Edit: March 25, 2010, 09:33:37 pm by Joe »

Offline 1ucas

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Re: Question about dithering

Reply #1 on: March 23, 2010, 05:26:52 pm
Interesting question. I don't think it really matters unless the dithered boundaries actually meet.

« Last Edit: March 23, 2010, 06:12:16 pm by 1ucas »

Offline Joe

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Re: Question about dithering

Reply #2 on: March 23, 2010, 05:44:47 pm
Hm.  I suppose there isn't really a way to prove it.  But when I rapidly switch my eyes back and forth between the top two squares, the one on the left just seems(obviously at the pixel level it is) misaligned, and the set on the right seem to match better.

Offline Rawsushi

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Re: Question about dithering

Reply #3 on: March 23, 2010, 05:53:17 pm
I want to respond, but I'm not sure I get the question.

Is the idea that you want to combine two 50/50 dithers specifically?
I certainly don't believe that all dithering needs to adhere to a grid.

« Last Edit: March 23, 2010, 06:02:37 pm by Rawsushi »

Offline Joe

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Re: Question about dithering

Reply #4 on: March 23, 2010, 06:06:09 pm
No, nothing in specific.  Just imagine a color you're using in a particular piece.  What I'm asking is, wherever you place that color in the piece, if you dither with it, is it a more effective dither if it conforms with the same grid over the entire piece, or does it not matter and it's more effective to dither the particular section accordingly with no regards to the dither as a whole.  I use 50% dither as an example because(and correct me if I'm wrong) I consider it to be the basic form from which the other patterns (25%, 75%, etc) are built off of.

Offline ndchristie

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Re: Question about dithering

Reply #5 on: March 24, 2010, 01:46:01 am
dithering and other visual technicques are a "see first formulate second" thing.  In general you will be able to see the difference between which is or is not more subtle, and as other have identitied this only matters at the edges of dithering regions, not across a piece.
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Offline Jad

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Re: Question about dithering

Reply #6 on: March 24, 2010, 11:14:16 am
The eye is very good at spotting patterns in things, but is also prone to misinterpreting patterns and can often be swayed by optical illusions.

So nah, I don't think the eye is good enough to be able to imagine the whole dither spectrum across a piece.

When 50% dither patterns touch, though, it can be important to think in a system of 'dark color grid' and 'bright color grid'

if I remember it right, in the old 'LET'S COME UP WITH TECHNIQUES AND NAMES FOR THEM' days they called this "interlaced dithering" and Peppermint Pig was hot at it O:

Does anyone have any art from him saved anywhere? Can't find anything ):
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Offline Rawsushi

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Re: Question about dithering

Reply #7 on: March 24, 2010, 12:55:28 pm
At the risk of being completely wrong, was it something like this? I wasn't around at the time. D:

Offline Jad

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Re: Question about dithering

Reply #8 on: March 24, 2010, 03:48:41 pm
OH MY GOD THE YELLOW CHANGES COLOR COMPLETELY SUCH A SMOOTH GRADIENT

THE HELL!! PIXEL MAGIC
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Offline Gil

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Re: Question about dithering

Reply #9 on: March 24, 2010, 04:14:30 pm
At the risk of being completely wrong, was it something like this? I wasn't around at the time. D:

No, not at all, I'll try to make an example of interlaced dithering later tonight. Pep used it in skintones a lot.