What tools have you found useful to convert images to 1-bit bitmaps?
I've used Photoshop’s Diffusion Dither option to switch greyscale files to bitmaps but the results can sometimes be a bit hit and miss. What do you guys use?
Converting to 1-bit
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Do you have a creative streak? Post your OFFIMG photos here.
Images MUST be in Windows-NT .bmp format at a resolution of 400x240 pixels and 1-bit colour depth or they will not be displayed by the DM42. Images that do not meet this requirement will be removed from the forum

- BestofTimes
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Converting to 1-bit
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Re: Converting to 1-bit
I use GIMP for WindowsBestofTimes wrote: ↑Mon Dec 02, 2019 8:57 pmWhat tools have you found useful to convert images to 1-bit bitmaps?
I've used Photoshop’s Diffusion Dither option to switch greyscale files to bitmaps but the results can sometimes be a bit hit and miss. What do you guys use?
Tom L
My father was a man of the cloth. He was a tailor.
DM42 SN: 00025 (Beta)
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My father was a man of the cloth. He was a tailor.
DM42 SN: 00025 (Beta)
SN: 00221 (Shipping)
Re: Converting to 1-bit
Photoshop for initial cropping and then a python script I wrote for the mono conversion and final dithering.
I always loved the way Atkinson dithering looked. It reminds me of being a kid and playing on the classic Macs at my dad’s work. So I implemented it for myself when I got a DM42. Fun learning project.
My code is here for anybody who wants it:
https://github.com/tgray/hyperdither
I always loved the way Atkinson dithering looked. It reminds me of being a kid and playing on the classic Macs at my dad’s work. So I implemented it for myself when I got a DM42. Fun learning project.
My code is here for anybody who wants it:
https://github.com/tgray/hyperdither
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Re: Converting to 1-bit
I like the pgmtopbm tool from the Netpbm suite. The Netpbm suite is extremely old-school, it's a bunch of command-line tools, but well worth the time to familiarize yourself with.
- BestofTimes
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- Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2018 1:17 pm
- Location: Edinburgh
- Contact:
Re: Converting to 1-bit
I found the best results in an old copy of Paint Shop Pro at work using these settings.


HP-15C, HP-16C, HP-42s, HP-48GX. And now DM42!