I think it is a good idea and personally prefer to think of the ‘dots’ having density and intensity.
It could mean, if such an approach is do-able, that the dots can be very dense to less dense, very intense to less intense. In other words there are two variables across the filled area.
What would be even more interesting is if the ‘dots’ could be noise, colour or any sorta thing.
What would be even, even, more more interesting is if the ‘dot’ could be user defined and every instance of dots merely a clone of the original.
Hum
How about a layer with evenly spread noise with a gradient mask?
Thanks for the suggestion 🙂 But what I’m really after is for the distribution/diffusion of the dots to change.
Explore the half tone filter.
I was thinking along more general terms.
For example, should the notions of density/intensity have some consequence why can’t the ‘dots’ be sampled bits of image, Gaussian Blur applied to the sample dots resulting in gradiated GB across an image?
Immediate application: fog effects that apply opacity and blur that are gradiated to the edge of a fog effect?
Or maybe more?
Sharpen at one side of the filter, GB at the other with a smooth transition between both?
Or maybe sharpen through GB to sharpen?
chrisjbirchall — Thanks for the suggestion 🙂
The halftone filter changes the colour (and size?) of the dots, not the distribution. It’s also not random or gaussian noise; each dot has a fixed regular placement, which is not what I’m after here. Nor can I see any way to use the halftone filter as a step toward the effect I’m after. I did play with the idea of using it as the basis for a mask on top of a layer of noise, but that will not give the smooth distribution I’m after because of the fixed dot positions.
I really hope I don’t sound ungrateful or unresponsive. I really do appreciate your help 🙂
deebs — interesting ideas! I’d like to see some of them in action… I’m after something very specific here though. Any other ideas you’ve got would be gratefully accepted 🙂
The only thing that springs to mind is to make it a live effect so it (somehow) utilises all the partnership that CPU(s) and video card(s) can afford it.
I am speaking hypothetically and don’t realy know if ane of the above is do-able (it ought to be though)
The halftone filter changes the colour (and size?) of the dots,
Make the gradient B&W, convert to bitmap mode (use the stochastic option) convert back to greyscale
Cybernetic Nomad – thanks for the suggestion 🙂 That won’t change the fixed position and distribution of the dots though, which is chiefly what I’m after.
Cybernetic Nomad, please excuse my ignorance, I didn’t understand bitmap mode properly and I realize now that you’d actually given me the solution. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! This is precisely what I wanted 🙂
John R Nielsen, thanks for explaining the solution further, and for the demonstration, which convinced me to explore CN’s solution again 🙂
And thank you to everyone who contributed to this, I really appreciate your help and comments
