luminance map · png · live · local

Apply a duotone gradient to any image

Map your photo's luminance to a gradient between two custom colours — a Spotify-style cover effect that runs in your browser.

Duotone Generator
Source
—
no file
Output
—
PNG
Shadow
#1d3557
low
Highlight
#f1faee
high
Shadow:Highlight:
input · image

image/* · runs locally · nothing uploaded

output · preview
Preview appears here
Quick Start

How it works

Pick an image, tune the options, then download the result. Everything runs in your browser.

  1. 01

    Pick an image

    Photos with clear shadows and highlights work best.

    Files stay in memory as an HTMLImageElement — the original bytes are never uploaded, and EXIF metadata is preserved until you explicitly transform it.

    uploadcanvaslocaldecode
    input · bytesimage · loaded
    portrait.jpg
    loaded · decodedcanvas · ready
  2. 02

    Choose two colours

    Shadow maps to the darkest pixels; highlight to the brightest.

    Encoder quality is exposed where the format supports it — JPEG and WebP get a 0–1 quality slider; PNG is lossless. Options re-render the canvas immediately.

    colouroptionslive previewencoderquality
    pair · tunableshadow + hi · live
    #1d3557 ↔ #f1faee
    options applied · liveencoder · live
  3. 03

    Watch it remap

    Each pixel's luminance becomes a position along the gradient.

    Pixel work runs on the Canvas 2D context — drawImage resamples with the browser’s bilinear filter and getImageData/putImageData back per-pixel passes.

    maprenderCanvas 2Dpreviewpx-perfect
    lerp · resampledrec601 · px-perfect
    y = 0.299r + 0.587g + 0.114b
    preview · livepx-perfect
  4. 04

    Download

    Grab the PNG with full transparency preserved.

    Downloads ship via a hidden anchor with an object URL — no server round-trip, and the file on disk is untouched. The output filename inherits a sensible suffix.

    exportdownloadblobclient-sideobject URL
    ok · blobready · saved
    photo-duotone.png
    shipped · ready to shipsuccess
Pro tips

Browser-only image work that scales

Convert with quality control

JPEG/WebP let you pick a 0–1 quality. Default 0.92 is a good compromise of size and visible quality.

PNG isn’t free

Use PNG only for transparency or sharp edges. For photos, WebP is smaller at the same perceived quality.

Strip EXIF for privacy

Photo EXIF often contains GPS, camera model, and timestamps. Strip before sharing public uploads.

Watch the colour profile

Convert to sRGB before web export. Wide-gamut images render oversaturated in non-managed browsers.

AVIF when it’s available

AVIF beats WebP on size at the same quality. Detect support via <picture> with fallbacks.

Lazy-load below the fold

Add loading="lazy" on <img>. The browser handles scheduling — no IntersectionObserver needed.

Use Cases

When to use this tool

Common workflows it speeds up.

Album / podcast covers

Spotify-style duotones in two clicks. Decoded into a Canvas 2D context — original bytes never leave the tab, so you can process customer-uploaded photos, internal screenshots, or sensitive diagrams without privacy concerns.

px-perfect

Editorial mood

Unify hero photography across a feature. Encoders expose quality 0–1 where the format supports it (JPEG, WebP); PNG and AVIF stay perceptually lossless. Pick 0.85 for web, 0.95 for archival, 0.7 for thumbnails.

quality-tunable

Brand colour overlay

Tint stock photos in your palette. Pair with the EXIF Stripper before sharing user-uploaded photos publicly. Camera serial numbers, GPS coordinates, and timestamps often hide in image metadata and leak more than the picture itself.

format-aware

Section dividers

Use as a tinted backdrop behind text. Output preserves colour profile (sRGB) so it renders consistently across browsers, monitors, and print pipelines. Wide-gamut workflows can opt into Display P3 for modern Apple devices.

EXIF-safe

Quick mockups

Faster than reaching for Photoshop. Re-runs only on option changes, never on window resize, so the canvas stays responsive on large images. drawImage uses the browser's bilinear filter for fast resampling.

client-side

Social posts

Cohesive Instagram or LinkedIn feeds. Downloads as .png, .jpg, .webp, or .avif with the correct MIME so editors apply native handling on save. The filename inherits a sensible suffix derived from the input.

compression-ready
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Rec. 601: y = 0.299·R + 0.587·G + 0.114·B. Works well for natural images.
Yes — the alpha channel is preserved unchanged.
Pick more contrasting colours, or start with a higher-contrast source photo.
Yes — just swap the two pickers. The mapping is symmetric.
No. The duotone map runs locally in your browser — nothing leaves the device.
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