Free tool

Blueprint Effect

A grid in cyanotype blue, screened over the image the way light falls on a blueprint.

Looked after by Sponge, a sponge.

A blueprint is a contact print: the paper is coated in iron salts, the drawing is laid over it, and everything the light reaches turns Prussian blue. The lines stay white because the drawing shielded them.

So the blend here is Screen rather than Multiply — the only look in the set that lightens. The grid adds light to the image instead of ink, which is what puts it on a technical page rather than a printed one.

What this look is made of: Grid at 18px spacing with a 1px line, in cyanotype blue, screen blended at 55%. Every one of those is a control below, so this is a starting point rather than a filter.

Choose an image

Drop an image or click to upload

JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, SVG, BMP

or try one of ours:

Looks

Base Color
#0a0a0a

Add Layer

How it works

  1. 1Add an imageJPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, SVG or BMP.
  2. 2Press a lookNine of them. Each sets the pattern, the colour, the blend and the opacity at once.
  3. 3Layer a backgroundStack patterns with their own colour and opacity.
  4. 4ExportPNG or JPEG, at 1x, 2x or 3x.

Questions

Why is this one screened instead of multiplied?
Because a blueprint is made of light, not ink. The blue is where the light got through, so the pattern has to add brightness rather than subtract it. Multiply would give you a blue grid pressed into a photograph, which reads as graph paper laid on top.
What grid size looks right?
Wide. Technical drawing grids are generous — 15 to 25 pixels at typical image sizes — because they are there to measure against rather than to texture. A tight grid reads as mesh.
Does it work on a light image?
Less well, since screen blending has little room to lighten an already bright picture. Darken the image first, or drop a dark background layer behind it, and the grid will come up properly.

Other looks in this tool

Newsprint EffectRisograph FilterFilm Grain OverlayEtching EffectLaid Paper TextureCRT ScanlinesScreen Print EffectPhotocopy EffectAll nine, one editor →
Add texture and depth to any image

Nine named looks — newsprint, risograph, etching, film grain, CRT — each one press. Underneath them are thirteen hand-made patterns, five blend modes, and every parameter the look set, still yours to move. Everything runs in your browser, so your images never leave your device.

13 texture presets

Crosshatch, Woven, Linen, Halftone, Diagonal, Dot Grid, Scanlines, Noise, Fabric, Herringbone, Checker and Grid.

Background layers

Stack pattern layers with their own colour, opacity and visibility.

High-quality export

2x resolution as PNG or JPEG, for social, print and client work.

This tool is looked after by Sponge.Soaks up every texture it meets. Squishy, and delighted about it.

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