Real render from After Effects 2026: a turning marble head, half passed through DitherFactory (four algorithms switching as it turns, two colours).

Free trial

Try it free

The full effect, with a red X over the frame. Leave your email and we send you the download.

On a phone or tablet? The plug-in installs on a computer: get the link by email now and open it there later.

No time limit, no account. Buy later, paste the key and the X goes away: nothing to reinstall.

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Explore

Every algorithm, on a real image

Real renders from After Effects 2026 at Downscale 6, so the pattern reads at a glance. Pick an image, an algorithm and the colours.

Image

Algorithm

Colours

Each algorithm was rendered once at 2 and 4 grey levels and is recoloured here: for palettes ordered by brightness the result is the same as in the effect. CGA, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and Adaptive are rendered in colour.

macOS

On a Mac? Get one email when it is out

The macOS build needs real Apple hardware to build and test. We write once, when it is ready.

Why

The job it does

Dithering tools live in Photoshop: great for stills, painful for video, with batch exports and frames going back and forth. DitherFactory puts the look inside After Effects as an effect, so it renders like any other effect on your timeline.

How it works

How it works

Step 1

Apply it

Effect > Stylize > DitherFactory, on footage, a comp, a solid or an adjustment layer over everything below it.

Step 2

Pick the look

Choose the algorithm, shrink the cells with Downscale, set the colours: Mono, Grayscale, RGB, Adaptive, your own Shades or a retro palette.

Step 3

Render

It renders like any other effect, including multi-frame rendering, and the grain from Noise stays the same on every render.

Features

What's in it

  • 27 algorithms: error diffusion (Floyd-Steinberg and family, also in RGB), Bayer, halftone, screens and patterns
  • Line, Grid and Dot Screen with an angle and frequency you can keyframe; Halftone and Traces with their own Angle
  • Adaptive colours (median cut) and Shades: your own shadow, mid and highlight colours
  • Retro palettes: Game Boy, CGA, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Grayscale 4 and Sepia
  • Keyframe the look: Dither Amount, Downscale, Noise, Levels input black and white, Gamma, Colors, the Shades shadow and highlight colours, Hue and Saturation
  • Works on an adjustment layer: one effect dithers every layer below it
  • Pre-filters: Downscale for chunky retro cells, Sharpen, Blur, and Noise with a grain that stays stable from render to render
  • 8, 16 and 32 bpc projects, Smart Render and multi-frame rendering
  • Every setting is a regular After Effects parameter
  • Offline license: no account, two computers, works without internet

Questions

Before you buy

Can I try it first?

Yes: get the free trial. Without a license the effect works fully, with a red X over the frame. And within 14 days of buying, a full refund if it isn't for you.

Does it run on a Mac?

Not yet: the macOS build needs real Apple hardware to build and test. Leave your email below and we tell you once, when it's out.

Can I animate it?

Yes: Line, Grid and Dot Screen have an angle and frequency you can keyframe, so the screen turns and tightens over time. Dither Amount, Downscale, Noise, Levels input black and white, Gamma, Colors, the Shades shadow and highlight colours, Hue and Saturation take keyframes too, and it renders the same with multi-frame rendering on or off.

Where do I get the key?

By email right after you pay, together with the download link, and any time on Find my key.