- What is a stencil art effect and which photos work best?
- A stencil effect converts a photo to a two-tone (black and white) silhouette, mimicking spray-paint stencils. Photos with strong subject-background contrast work best — portraits with plain backgrounds, bold logos, animals against sky, or high-contrast product shots. Low-contrast or very busy photos may need threshold adjustment to isolate the subject cleanly.
- What is the difference between Stencil, Linocut, and Paper Cut styles?
- Stencil is a pure binary (2-tone) threshold: every pixel is either your "light" or "dark" color. Linocut mimics a woodblock or lino print by posterizing the image into 2–6 discrete tonal bands and adding a diagonal hatching grain texture, producing the hand-carved look of relief printing. Paper Cut applies the same threshold as Stencil but then renders a visible filled-silhouette outline using a stroke pass, giving the layered paper-craft aesthetic.
- How do I get the best threshold setting?
- Start at the default (128) and drag the Threshold slider while watching the preview. A lower threshold keeps more of the image dark (shows more detail in shadows); a higher threshold keeps more of the image light (simplifies to bold shapes). For portraits, values between 100–160 usually yield clean results. Use the Contrast slider to punch up edge definition before thresholding, especially on low-contrast photos.
- Is my photo uploaded anywhere?
- No. All processing is done with the HTML5 Canvas API directly in your browser. Your image data never leaves your device and no server receives it. You can even disconnect from the internet after the page loads and the tool will still work.
- Can I use the output commercially?
- The converted artwork is a derivative of your original photo, so the usual copyright rules apply: if you own the original photo (or it is in the public domain / licensed appropriately), you may freely use the output. The converter tool itself adds no additional restrictions — it is a pure image transformation applied locally.