Notan Maker

What is a notan study?

Notan is a Japanese design concept meaning "light-dark harmony". In visual art, a notan study strips a composition down to just two values (pure black and pure white) to reveal whether the underlying structure is strong. If a painting holds together as a notan, it will hold together in full color. Artists use notan studies early in the planning stage to test composition, silhouettes, and the balance of light and shadow before committing to detail.

How to use this tool

1. Upload an image. Drop a photo or painting onto the canvas, or click to browse. HEIC files from iPhone are supported.
2. Adjust the threshold. Drag the Threshold slider to control where the boundary between black and white falls. Lower values push more of the image toward white; higher values toward black.
3. Soften edges with Smoothness. The Smoothness slider softens the image before converting it, which rounds off hard edges and removes noisy detail. Useful for photos with complex texture where you only want the major shapes.
4. Blend with the original. The Opacity slider fades the notan result back into the original image, so the downloaded file exactly matches what you see on screen.
5. Compare and download. Hold the "Hold to compare" button to toggle back to the original. When you're happy with the result, tap Download PNG to save a full-resolution copy.