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Sphere dithered with Sierra LiteThe same sphere before ditheringSourceDithered

07Error diffusion

Sierra Lite

Lightweight and fast variant of Sierra, ideal for real-time applications or previews.

Author
Frank Sierra
Year
1986
Complexity
low
Processing cost
1 / 5
Use Sierra Lite 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 4, by position relative to the current pixel
Current pixel2/4
1/41/4
  • The error of the current pixel is spread over 3 neighbors that haven’t been processed yet.
  • All of the error is carried forward.
  • Rows are scanned in alternating directions (serpentine), which avoids diagonal streaks.