Posterize effect (color reduction)

Reduce the number of color levels per channel to get a graphic, flat-color effect, like a screen-printed poster.

Example:
30 MB max per image

How it works

Want to give a photo a vintage poster or pop-art look, with large flat color areas instead of continuous gradients? By reducing the number of possible values per color channel (red, green, blue), the tool groups similar pixels into a few distinct tones.

How many levels should I choose?

A small number of levels (2 to 4) produces a very bold effect, close to a screen print with a few colors. Higher values (8 to 16) give a more subtle result, with still a good amount of visible detail.

Does posterizing affect transparency?

No, only the red, green and blue channels are reduced in steps. The alpha (transparency) channel of each pixel stays unchanged.

The effect is applied in your browser via our WebAssembly module — your images are never sent to a server.