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Sphere dithered with AtkinsonThe same sphere before ditheringSourceDithered

08Error diffusion

Atkinson

Creates crisp, retro-style dot patterns. Uses fewer diffusion pixels, resulting in a distinct stippled appearance.

Author
Bill Atkinson (Apple)
Year
1984
Complexity
low
Processing cost
2 / 5
Use Atkinson in the editorAll algorithms

How it works

Each pixel is rounded to black or white and the rounding error is pushed onto the neighbors still to be processed. Organic and detailed.

Error diffusion weights, as a fraction of 8, by position relative to the current pixel
Current pixel1/81/8
1/81/81/8
1/8
  • The error of the current pixel is spread over 6 neighbors that haven’t been processed yet.
  • Only 6/8 of the error is carried forward — the rest is dropped, which keeps highlights and shadows crisp.
  • Every row is scanned left to right.