Changelog

✂️ End Trim Control for Line Shapes

A new End Trim slider lets you cut back the thin, faint ends of line shapes. Turn it up to remove wispy tapering tails so your lines finish more cleanly and boldly.

〰️ Smoother Line Shapes Export as Clean Curves

Smoothed line shapes now export as true Bézier curves with far fewer anchor points instead of thousands of tiny segments. Your SVG files are lighter and much easier to edit in vector tools, and previews render faster.

🔗 Merge Dots into a Single Shape on SVG Export

A new experimental SVG export option combines all your halftone dots into one unified path, similar to Illustrator's Pathfinder Unite. Powered by WebAssembly (WASM) for fast processing, it's available on supported browsers only. It applies to single-color output and isn't available for Character shapes.

🔺 Triangle Dots Restored to Correct Orientation

Triangle dots had become flipped 180°, leaving gaps on the hexagonal grid. They now render in their correct orientation so they pack tightly to fill the pattern.

🎭 Consistent Alpha Mask Offset & Corner Radius

The Alpha Mask's Offset and Corner Radius are now measured in output pixels, so they stay consistent across different canvas sizes.

🔐 Preserve Canvas Work During Google Sign-In

Previously, a browser blocking the Google sign-in popup could discard unsaved canvas work. Now that work stays intact, and a clear message explains how to allow popups for the site and try again. The sign-in window also opens centered over the current window.

🔄 Load Error Prevention

We've added a mechanism on the backend that avoids load errors even when your browser is still using an older cached version of the app. This takes effect from future deployments onward, so if you hit a load error at this point, force-reload the page while holding the Shift key.

🎯 Range Markers on Expanding Sliders

Sliders that expand beyond their focused everyday range now make that visible at a glance: a small dot marks the edge of the focused range, and an arrow hint at the slider's end shows it grows to the full range when you drag past it.

📱 Smoother Touch Dragging

Dragging a slider thumb on touch devices no longer drops out when your finger drifts up or down.

🎚️ Precision Sliders

Parameter sliders now open in a finer, focused range for everyday adjustments and automatically expand to the full range when you drag beyond the boundary. Affected sliders include Dot Size, Line Width, Displacement Amount, Grid Spacing, Stretch Amount, and Blur Radius.

✂️ Mask Settings Remembered

Alpha Mask settings — threshold, offset, roughness, and corner radius — are now preserved when you remove and re-add a mask. Parameters only reset when you press the Reset button.

🌐 Japanese Toolbar Labels

Toolbar labels for Snapshots and Swatches are now abbreviated in Japanese to fit the toolbar layout more cleanly.

✂️ Alpha Mask

Apply a shape mask to your halftone output. Load a PNG with a transparent background and the halftone effect will be clipped to the subject's silhouette — perfect for creating stamps. The mask is rendered as clean Bézier curves and is fully supported in SVG output. Adjust threshold, offset, roughness, and corner radius to fine-tune the mask edge.

📋 Paste Image from Clipboard

The Load button is now a dropdown menu with two options: Select File and Paste from Clipboard. Copy an image anywhere on your device and paste it directly into Halftone Maker — perfect for combining with the object extraction feature available on some smartphones.

🖼️ Consistent Canvas Layout on Desktop

Download and Copy buttons have moved to the bottom of the canvas on desktop, matching the mobile and tablet layout and creating a more natural flow.

🧪 Trial Mode

Try Halftone Maker's Pro features — including SVG and high-resolution PNG export — without signing up. Free users can access it from the pricing page.

🎛️ Unified Download & Copy Bar

Download and Copy buttons are now combined into a single action bar displayed directly on the canvas, making Copy accessible on mobile and tablet.

✨ Smoother Line Shapes

Line halftone curves are now rendered with significantly smoother edges, especially at high export resolutions. Curves near sharp corners are more stable, and wide lines no longer develop fill-collapse or butterfly artifacts.

🎨 Gradient Fix When Using Source Image Colors

Fixed a bug where gradients in Line and Ring halftone mode rendered as a solid flat color when using source image colors. Colors now flow correctly across the full length of each line.

⚡ Memory Optimization

All grid types (Square, Hex, Radial, Line, and Ring) now reuse internal data when rebuilding the grid, preventing excessive memory consumption and keeping the real-time preview responsive when adjusting grid parameters.

〰️ Line Style

A new Line render mode connects halftone points into smooth flowing lines using Catmull-Rom splines. Works with Square, Hex, and Radial grids, as well as the new Line and Ring grid types. Line thickness varies with image brightness, and SVG export is fully supported.

〰️ Line & Ring Grid Types

Two new grid types optimized for Line mode: Line arranges points in parallel rows for straight flowing lines, and Ring arranges points in concentric circles for a bulls-eye effect.

🔘 Line Mode Toolbar Buttons

New toolbar buttons let you switch to a line halftone look in one click — simultaneously setting the style to Line and the grid to either Line or Ring.

🔢 Line Count Display

In Line mode, the counter badge now shows the number of rendered lines instead of dots. Use this to gauge SVG complexity and estimate plotter or CNC machining time before exporting.

🎚️ Level Mask

The Level Mask control (formerly Output Range) has moved from the Dot settings to the Sampling panel, and now works in both Dot and Line modes. Use it to render only dots or lines within a specific brightness range.

🎨 4 New Dithering Algorithms

Atkinson, Stucki, Jarvis–Judice–Ninke, and Riemersma dithering algorithms are now available in the Quantization settings.

🗂️ Dithering List Grouped by Grid Compatibility

The dithering algorithm selector is now organized into groups based on which grid types each algorithm supports.

🎛️ Parameter Panel Spacing Adjustments

Spacing and slider sizes in the parameter panels have been fine-tuned for a tighter, more polished layout.

💳 Plan Changes Now via Link.com

Changing or upgrading your subscription plan is now processed through Link.com checkout. Monthly subscribers upgrading to an annual plan receive prorated credit for unused days of the current billing period.

📢 Early User Plan Notice

If you are on an early-user exclusive pricing plan, an informational notice now appears on the Account > Subscription tab explaining that current pricing will apply upon re-subscribing or changing plans.

✂️ Brightness Clamp in Simple Mode

The brightness clamp (range) slider is now available in Simple mode, not just Advanced mode, giving all users direct control over the output brightness range.

⚡ Region Merging Section Highlight Fix

The Region Merging section heading no longer shows a 'changed' highlight when the feature is disabled.

🔄 Subscription & License Refresh Together

Refreshing your account status now updates both your subscription and license information at the same time.

📱 iOS Safe Area for Mobile Controls

The bottom control toolbar on iPhone and iPad now correctly respects the safe area, so it no longer overlaps with the home indicator bar.

🇮🇱 Hebrew Language Support

Halftone Maker is now available in Hebrew (עברית). The interface fully supports right-to-left (RTL) layout, so the entire app mirrors correctly for Hebrew users.

🇮🇳 Hindi Language Support

Halftone Maker is now available in Hindi (हिन्दी). You can switch to Hindi from the language switcher.

💳 Subscription Info in Account Menu

You can now see your current plan, billing period, and renewal status directly in the account menu. Paid plan members also get a quick link to manage their subscription.

🎨 Studio Artwork Info Now Localized

The artwork card in the Studio now displays artist profile descriptions in your language.

🔄 Subscription Status Always Current

Your subscription status in the navbar now updates automatically after completing a purchase and syncs across browser tabs — no manual refresh needed.

🇸🇦 Arabic Language Support

Halftone Maker is now available in Arabic (العربية). The interface fully supports right-to-left (RTL) layout, so the entire app — including sliders, toolbars, and dialogs — mirrors correctly for Arabic users.

🔤 Improved Arabic Typography

The Arabic interface now uses the Cairo font, which offers cleaner and more legible Arabic text rendering throughout the app.

👤 Account & Contact Pages Now Fully Translated

Your account settings — including billing, subscription, profile, and all dialogs — as well as the contact page are now fully translated into all supported languages.