Guide ยท updated 2026-10-02

Make a halftone print effect with a PNG overlay

Place a transparent halftone PNG, set it to Multiply, recolour the dots. It takes a minute and needs no plugins.

True halftone conversion turns every tone of an image into dots. That needs filters, settings and patience. A halftone overlay gets you most of the look in a minute: you lay a ready screen over your work and let it add the printed texture.

Step by step

  1. Pick a plate from the halftone collection. Gradient plates give a print-style fade, flat plates give an even screen.
  2. Place the PNG over your image or design.
  3. Set the blend mode to Multiply. The transparent areas stay clear, the dots darken what is below.
  4. To recolour the dots, add a Color Overlay layer style (Photoshop, Photopea) and pick a colour from your design.
  5. Lower the opacity for a subtle risograph feel, or keep it at 100% for a bold comic look.

Ideas

  • Duotone poster: one colour background, the radial dot plate in a second colour on top.
  • Photo edge: mask the gradient plate so dots only appear near one edge.
  • Type texture: clip the flat screen to a text layer so only the letters get dots.