Halftone For Linux

When thinking about a utility for image compression or image conversion, the first thought most probably isn't that it's very fun to use, right? Well, in the case of Halftone, this may very well be true.

Ok, at this point you're probably wondering, what the hell are we talking about? How can an app that can reduce the file size of images and pictures (while still being able to convert them) be fun?

Halftone is a straightforward and stylish Libadwaita application for lossy image compression. What makes Halftone stand out from all other apps of this sort is the fact that it uses quantization and dithering techniques for its compression work.

In short, Halftone is capable of providing your images with that pixel art-like style look and feel once they're compressed and converted. This brings us to Halftone's advantages as this app can reduce the size of images, can convert them to a plethora of formats, as well as give them that unique pixel-art look.

Before anything else, let's explain what dithering is. Dithering is an old-school technique (used by old systems that had limited color range) to more accurately display graphics (that contained higher amounts of colors than what the device in question could handle). Think of early Macintosh computers or Nintendo Game Boy devices.

Halftone provides you with three dither algorithms: Floyd-Steinberg algorithm (the classic one), as well as Riemersma algorithm, and Bayer algorithm ("ordered" dither algorithm, also used in Game Boys). In terms of conversion formats, Halftone provides support for the following formats: AVIF, BMP, GIF, HEIC, HEIF, JPG, JXL, PNG, TIFF, and WEBP.

Last but not least, another great feature is the live preview that allows you to get a clear and instant idea of how your images will look.

Halftone is definitely not the most feature-packed or "professional" image compression and conversion tool out there. Nevertheless, it's a well-designed app that boasts a very stylish GUI, as well as a very interesting way of using dithering in a fun and unique manner.