What Is Dithering?
Dithering in pixel art explained: checkerboard blending, when it adds texture and depth, when it turns sprites into noise, and modern alternatives.
Quick answer
Dithering is a checkerboard pattern that fakes an intermediate color between two palette steps. It shines on large surfaces (skies, water) at low color counts — and usually hurts small sprites, where clusters read as noise.
How dithering works
A 50% checkerboard of color A and color B visually averages into a tone between them — the same trick print and retro hardware used with fixed palettes. In pixel art it survives as a style device: texture on big surfaces, gradients without extra palette entries.
| Density | Pattern | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | 1 of 4 pixels | Hint of blending |
| 50% | Checkerboard | Even mid tone |
| 75% | 3 of 4 pixels | Nearly solid B |
When to dither — and when not to
- Do: skies, water, large ground planes — big areas where texture adds depth.
- Do: retro hardware styles where the palette is tiny and the screen is small.
- Don't: characters and items under 32×32 — dithering fragments the silhouette into noise.
- Don't: on shading boundaries at small sizes — a clean 1px edge beats a fuzzy blend.
The modern alternative is hue shifting plus a longer ramp: spend palette colors on smooth steps instead of blending pixels. Reserve dithering for deliberate texture, and apply it in bands that follow the form — random-checker dithering across a whole sprite is the fastest way to make it look dirty.
Put it to work
Common mistakes
- Dithering across an entire sprite uniformly — it flattens form instead of showing it.
- Checkerboarding at 16×16 where each 'blend region' is only a few pixels.
- Using dithering to hide a ramp that's one step too short — add the step instead.
Related
Pixel Art Color Palette Guide
How to build a pixel art palette: how many colors you need, hue shifting instead of darkening, and how to keep every color pulling its weight.
OpenGuidePixel Art Shading Guide
Pixel art shading that reads: one light direction, connected shadow clusters, selective outlines and highlights placed where they tell a story.
OpenFAQ
Is dithering required for 'authentic' retro pixel art?
No — it was a hardware workaround. Modern pixel art uses it selectively as texture; many acclaimed games use none at all.