CGA-style dithering: black, cyan, magenta and white with Bayer 8 × 8
Four colors that should not work together, and somehow do: black, electric cyan, hot magenta and white, the signature of CGA-style PC graphics from the 1980s. Because the palette has no reds, greens or skin tones, the preset leans on Bayer 8 × 8, the finest ordered matrix in the tool, to mix cyan and magenta pixels into believable purples and greys. Pixel size is 3 and Contrast is eased to 10 so the mixing has midtones to work with.
Make it yours
Make the pattern more visible
Bayer 8 × 8 is subtle at this size. Switch Algorithm to Bayer 2 × 2 for a coarse checkerboard that shouts retro, or raise Pixel size from 3 to 5 so the cyan and magenta cells are easy to see.
Commit to the two brights
This palette rewards strong shapes and punishes subtle color. Pick high-contrast sources and set Saturation to around 40, so colored areas land on cyan or magenta and do not dissolve into a grey mix.
FAQ
What colors are in the CGA-style palette?
Four: black, bright cyan, bright magenta and white. Everything else in your image is approximated by mixing those with an ordered dither, so a red jacket becomes magenta with black, and foliage turns into cyan and black. That harsh translation is the appeal. The palette is a stylistic reference to early PC graphics and is not tied to any vendor.
How it works
Upload an image
Add a PNG, JPG or WebP up to 20 MB or pick a sample photo, then keep its own shape or crop it to 1:1, 4:5, 3:2, 16:9 or 9:16.
Choose a mode
Dither with 14 algorithms and 13 palettes, Shapes with dots, squares, lines, crosses and diamonds, or Photo art with 18 pixel and print styles from LED matrix to stained glass.
Style and use it
Set pixel size and contrast, add scanlines, bloom, grain or a vignette, then sign in with a free UX Pilot account to use it on the canvas or export it.