Designer’s Side Chick (DSC) is a companion application for designers, printers, and makers who already use a primary design tool but need precise control over dithering, palettes, dots, and color-constrained output.
DSC is not meant to replace your main design software. It is designed to support existing workflows, especially print-focused and fabrication workflows where color accuracy, repeatability, and strict color rules matter.
I’m currently offering 1,000 free trial keys valid until February 1st.
You can try DSC via the project links or join the WhatsApp group for downloads, discussion, and feedback.
Many powerful design tools offer limited control over:
- Dithering behavior
- Palette enforcement
- Print-ready color constraints
- Repeatable dot-based output
DSC was built specifically to solve those problems.
One important distinction:
DSC does not blend or compare images.
You extract a palette once (from a CMYK chart, brand colors, or swatches), then apply those color rules to other images. Every dot is generated using only the allowed colors.
This makes DSC especially useful for print, textile, and fabrication workflows.
DSC is currently in beta.
I’m actively shipping updates and refining features based on real user feedback.
I’m also developing a companion tool called The Other Chick, which will generate dithering algorithms and palettes using mathematical rules and integrate directly with DSC.
Feedback is welcome — good or bad.
Click the image to watch the demo on YouTube.
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- Open and process raster images with fast live preview
- Switchable 2D and 3D workflows
- Non-destructive workflow
- Real-time preview updates
- Adjustable zoom, pan, and canvas background
- Optional inverted pan controls
- Toggle dithering on/off at any time
- Dithering modes:
- Grayscale
- RGB
- Indexed (palette-based)
- Adjustable dithering strength (original vs dithered blend)
- Grayscale and color level control (2–256)
- Bayer 4×4, Bayer 8×8
- Clustered matrices
- Halftone patterns
- Floyd–Steinberg (normal & serpentine)
- Atkinson
- Burkes
- Sierra (full, two-row, lite)
- Stucki
- Jarvis–Judice–Ninke
- Diffusion Row / Column / 2D / Grid
- Skip Neighbors (1–3)
- Fan, ShiauFan 1, ShiauFan 2
- Custom diffusion kernel weights
- Directional error spread control
- Experimental diffusion patterns
- Performance downscaling for fast previews (full-resolution export later)
These adjustments affect only the dithering stage, not the original image:
- Sharpening
- Brightness
- Contrast
- Gamma
- Hue
- Saturation
- Individual RGB channel balance
- Dot overlay rendering on top of the image
- True halftone black & white mode
- Optional original-image visibility under dots
- Adjustable dot grid size
- Dot opacity and size limits
- Diameter strength control
- Circular
- Polygonal
- Star-like
- Adjustable edge count and inset
- Outline width and opacity control
- Click individual dots
- Override color, size, and height per dot
- Extract palettes from images
- Editable palette grid
- Enable/disable individual colors
- Indexed palette-based dithering
- Palette mapping for dots and exports
- Palette reuse across projects
- Convert dot data into height-based geometry
- Board-style 3D generation
- Adjustable board dimensions
- Height scaling controls
- Export formats:
- STL
- 3MF (multi-color capable)
Designed for CNC, laser, and 3D printing workflows.
- Export dithered images
- Export dot overlays (vector or raster)
- Export extracted palettes (JSON, CSV, ASE)
- Export 3D models (STL, 3MF, stacked 3MF)
- Preview or full-resolution export
- RGB and CMYK workflows supported
- Optional ICC profile handling
One of the core ideas behind DSC is separating color decisions from image content.
- Import an image that already contains the exact colors you want
(CMYK chart, brand palette, fabric test print, swatch sheet) - Extract a palette from that image
- Lock that palette as a color rule
- Import a completely different image
- Apply the locked palette
- Generate a dot overlay using only the allowed colors
No blending. No averaging. Each dot is mapped to the nearest allowed color.
- Extract four CMYK colors from a reference chart
- Import a full-color photograph
- Enable Indexed / Palette mode
- Generate a dot overlay using only those four colors
Result: a controlled, print-ready image that respects ink limits and produces repeatable output.
This workflow is especially useful for:
- CMYK print preparation
- Screen printing
- DTF / DTG printing
- Fabric and textile printing
- Brand color enforcement
- Ink usage control
- Consistent output across multiple images
Instead of guessing colors every time, DSC allows you to:
- Lock a palette once
- Reuse it across unlimited images
- Maintain identical dithering and dot behavior
- Achieve predictable, repeatable results
DSC doesn’t apply a filter — it forces images to obey your color rules.
Designer’s Side Chick (DSC) is currently in active beta.
During beta, DSC is distributed directly so updates and improvements can ship quickly. Because of this, macOS may show a security message the first time you open the app. This is normal behavior for beta software on macOS.
If macOS blocks the app on first launch:
- Open System Settings
- Go to Privacy & Security
- Scroll down to Security
- You’ll see a message that DSC was blocked
- Click Open Anyway
- Confirm when prompted
After this one-time approval, DSC will open normally.
macOS applies extra checks to apps that are still in beta or distributed outside the App Store. DSC does not install background services, system extensions, or hidden processes.
This beta approach allows:
- Faster updates
- Direct user feedback
- Rapid iteration on experimental tools
PS:
If you’d like to help test Designer’s Side Chick (DSC), feel free to message me on Instagram.
I’m sharing beta access with people who genuinely work with design, print, color, or fabrication workflows and are interested in giving real feedback. To keep things smooth and useful for everyone:
- Beta keys are shared with real, active accounts
- Profiles with some history or creative/work-related context are preferred
- This helps make sure DSC is tested by people who will actually use it
If that sounds like you, I’d love to hear what you’re working on and how you’d like to use DSC.
Thanks for helping shape the project