How to Use the Pointillizer Effect in CorelDRAW

The Pointillizer effect in CorelDRAW allows designers to convert vector objects and bitmap images into precise, customizable vector mosaics inspired by the pointillism painting technique. This guide explains how to access the Pointillizer tool, configure essential parameters like cell density, shape, and scale, and apply the effect to produce stylized vector artwork, halftone designs, and patterns.

1. Select Your Artwork

Open your document in CorelDRAW and select the vector graphic or bitmap image you want to transform. For best results, use images with strong tonal contrast, as the Pointillizer effect calculates cell size and placement based on the lightness and darkness values of the original source.

2. Open the Pointillizer Docker

With your target object selected:

  1. Navigate to the top menu bar and click Effects.
  2. Select Pointillizer from the dropdown menu to open the Pointillizer docker on the right side of your workspace.

3. Adjust the Effect Settings

The Pointillizer docker provides several controls to customize the final mosaic:

  • Density: Controls the number of dots or tiles per square inch. Higher values produce a denser pattern with smaller shapes, yielding finer detail, while lower values create a more abstract, sparse design.
  • Scale: Adjusts the maximum size of individual shapes relative to the overall pattern.
  • Screen Angle: Rotates the grid lines along which the shapes are aligned. Changing the angle alters the visual flow and prevents unwanted moirĂ© patterns.
  • Shape: Choose the base geometric shape for your cells, such as circles, squares, or custom character glyphs.
  • Method: Choose whether the cell sizes vary based on source lightness (Variable) or remain consistent across the entire composition (Uniform).
  • Merge Adjacent: Check this option if you want overlapping shapes of identical color to combine into unified vector curves, which significantly reduces the final file size and node count.
  • Keep Original: Check this box if you want to keep the original image intact underneath the newly generated vector mosaic.

4. Apply the Effect

Once you have adjusted the settings to your preference, click the Apply button at the bottom of the docker. CorelDRAW will calculate the layout and generate the vector elements. Processing time varies depending on the complexity of the source image and the density setting chosen.

5. Final Editing

Because the Pointillizer generates true vector geometry, the result is fully editable. You can ungroup the generated mosaic (Ctrl + U) to select individual dots, alter fill colors, delete unwanted background elements, or modify shapes with the Shape tool (F10).