DSC — Designer’s Side Chick – Companion app for palette-based dithering and color control

Summary: DSC is a companion tool designed to enhance existing design workflows by providing precise control over dithering, palettes, and print-ready color constraints. It processes raster images with real-time previews and supports palette locking and dot-based output, making it suitable for print workflows.

What it does

DSC enables designers to open and process raster images with adjustable zoom, pan, and live preview updates. It offers multiple dithering modes, including grayscale, RGB, and indexed palette-based dithering, with customizable strength and grayscale/color levels. The tool includes various ordered dithering presets and error diffusion algorithms, plus advanced options for custom diffusion kernels and error spread control.

Who it's for

It is intended for designers, printers, and makers who require detailed control over dithering patterns, color palettes, and repeatable output within their existing design software workflows.

Why it matters

DSC addresses the lack of fine control over dithering and palette management in mainstream design tools, enabling consistent, print-ready color workflows without replacing primary design software.