Transparent halftone PNG & overlay maker
Create a transparent halftone PNG overlay or texture from any image or gradient — any ink color, any dot size — ready to drop into Canva, Photoshop or Procreate.
Tone: contrast, dot gain, min / max dot
Halftone PNG overlay halftones: what to know
A halftone overlay is a texture of dots on a transparent background that you lay over a design for a print-like, retro or comic finish. Instead of searching stock sites for "halftone png transparent", make your own from any photo or gradient: you control the dot shape, size, angle and color, and there is no watermark or licence to worry about.
Transparent background is on, so only the dots are exported. Pick any ink color, or use white dots on transparent for overlays on dark designs. Set the blend mode of the overlay layer to Multiply or Overlay in Canva, Photoshop, Procreate or Figma.
Tip: for a gradient-fade overlay, open a simple black-to-white gradient image. The dots will shrink smoothly from solid to nothing across the frame.
Black dots
Red lines
Blue crossesRecommended settings
- Use a gradient image for a classic fade-out dot texture
- White ink + transparent for dark designs
- Line shape gives an engraving-style texture
- Export at 2× your design size for sharp results
How to make a halftone
- Add an image. Click Upload image, drag a file onto the preview or paste with Ctrl/⌘+V. Photos, logos and gradients all work; transparent PNGs keep their transparency.
- Choose shape and size. Pick dot, line, square, diamond or cross, then set the cell size (dot spacing) and screen angle — or switch to CMYK for four color separations.
- Tune the tones. Open Tone to adjust contrast, dot gain and the minimum and maximum printable dot for screen printing, DTF or engraving.
- Download. Choose the output width and click Download PNG, or SVG for vector dots. Tick Transparent background to export only the ink.
FAQ
How do I make a halftone for halftone png overlay?
A halftone overlay is a texture of dots on a transparent background that you lay over a design for a print-like, retro or comic finish. Instead of searching stock sites for "halftone png transparent", make your own from any photo or gradient: you control the dot shape, size, angle and color, and there is no watermark or licence to worry about.
Can I export a vector SVG halftone?
Yes. Click SVG to download every dot, line, square, diamond or cross as a vector path. Each ink is a single compound path in a rotated group, so it opens cleanly in Illustrator, Inkscape, Affinity Designer, Figma, Cricut Design Space and LightBurn.
What cell size should I use?
Cell size is the distance between dots in pixels. At 300 DPI output, cell size = 300 ÷ LPI: 6–7 px is about 45–50 LPI (screen printing on 230 mesh), 10 px is 30 LPI, and 16 px and up gives a bold pop-art look.
What are the standard CMYK halftone angles?
Cyan 15°, magenta 75°, yellow 0° and black 45°. The three strong inks are 30° apart, which produces a small rosette instead of a visible moiré; yellow is placed on the remaining angle because its moiré is the least noticeable.