What Is Dithering? How It Affects Cross Stitch Pattern Quality

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When I first added dithering options to Stitch Pattern Maker, I wasn't sure how many users would actually pay attention to them. Turns out it matters more than I expected — the choice between Floyd and None can make the same photo look like a completely different pattern. Here's what dithering actually does, and when each option is worth using.

What is dithering?

Dithering is a technique for simulating more colors than are actually available in a palette.

Say you want to show a smooth gradient from red to white, but you don't have a pink thread in the middle. By alternating red and white dots in a pattern, the eye blends them together and perceives pink. That's dithering.

In cross stitch, each square can only hold one color. Dithering is how gradients become possible.

The four dithering modes

None

Pure color quantization — each pixel maps directly to its nearest DMC color, no blending.

• ✅ Clean, sharp edges
• ✅ Best for logos, illustrations, character patterns
• ❌ Gradients come out blocky

Floyd–Steinberg (Floyd)

Error diffusion — quantization errors spread to neighboring pixels, creating smooth transitions.

• ✅ Most natural-looking gradients
• ✅ Best for portraits, pets, nature photos
• ⚠️ Can make patterns look busier up close

Atkinson

Narrower error diffusion range than Floyd. Preserves bright areas better.

• ✅ Bright, high-contrast images benefit most
• ✅ Good for photos with light backgrounds
• ⚠️ Darker areas rendered less smoothly than Floyd

Ordered

Uses a fixed dot matrix pattern rather than error diffusion.

• ✅ Creates a regular dot pattern — pixel art aesthetic
• ✅ Works for artistic or stylized effects
• ❌ Tends to look unnatural for photographic subjects

Where the difference shows

The biggest visible difference between dithering modes appears at color boundary zones — facial contours, sky/cloud edges, fur texture. Floyd handles these best for photographic subjects. None is cleaner for graphic, flat-color images.

Subject	Recommended dithering
Portrait / pet	Floyd
Landscape / nature	Floyd or Atkinson
Logo / icon	None
Floral / bright background	Atkinson
Pixel art / stylized	Ordered

Which should you pick?

If you're unsure, start with Floyd. It's the most forgiving across the widest range of photos.

💡 Dithering only applies when render quality is set to Balanced or HQ. Fast mode disables dithering entirely.

Dithering and color count interact

The fewer colors you use, the more dithering has to compensate. At 20 colors, Floyd dithering is working hard to bridge large gaps between available shades. At 60 colors, those gaps are smaller and dithering has less to do.

Practical takeaway:

• Low color count (20–30) + Floyd → maximizes gradient smoothness
• High color count (60+) + None → precise color matching without visual noise

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Dithering is the setting that controls the "feel" of your pattern — whether it looks sharp and graphic or soft and photographic. Worth experimenting with on the same photo before committing to a final version.

👉 Compare dithering options live