ImageMagick Riso - Authentic risograph effects for your images

Resources Plugins
,
1

Hi everyone! :waving_hand:

I’m excited to share a new plugin I’ve been working on: Kirby ImageMagick Riso

This started from a discussion with @texnixe on this thread about extending ImageMagick from FocusCrop. The plugin is inspired by two things: authentic risograph printing aesthetics and reducing image file sizes. I was particularly influenced by Low-tech Magazine, which uses dithered images to drastically reduce bandwidth while maintaining visual interest.

gallery
gallery1380×2360 1.27 MB

What it does

The plugin provides easy-to-use methods for applying:

  • Authentic riso dithering with multiple patterns (orthogonal, hexagonal, circular)

  • 12 authentic risograph colors (blue, red, yellow, green, purple, orange, pink, teal, burgundy, etc.)

  • Advanced effects like posterize, grain, noise, and blur

  • Flexible combinations to create unique vintage print looks

  • Smaller file sizes - dithered images are significantly lighter than standard JPEGs

Quick examples

// Classic black and white riso 

<?= $image->risoThumb(['width' => 800, 'riso' => 'o8x8'])->url() ?> 

// Blue riso with fine pattern 

<?= $image->risoThumb(['width' => 800, 'risocolor' => 'blue'])->url() ?>

 // Vintage poster effect 

<?= $image->risoThumb([ 'width' => 800, 'posterize' => 3, 'grain' => 0.5, 'riso' => 'o4x4' ])->url() ?>

Features

  • :white_check_mark: Works with ImageMagick (no GD limitations)

  • :white_check_mark: Custom risoThumb() method that bypasses caching issues

  • :white_check_mark: 12+ dither patterns (o2x2, o4x4, o8x8, hexagonal, circular)

  • :white_check_mark: Authentic riso color palette

  • :white_check_mark: Combine effects (posterize, grain, noise, blur)

  • :white_check_mark: Responsive-friendly with srcset support

Requirements

  • Kirby 4.0+ or 5.0+

  • PHP 8.2+

  • ImageMagick 6.0+ or 7.0+ installed

Testing needed! :folded_hands:

I’ve developed this on Kirby 4 and it should work on Kirby 5 as well, but I’d really appreciate if some of you could test it on both versions to confirm compatibility before I publish it officially.

If you’re interested in testing:

  1. The plugin uses a custom risoThumb() file method

  2. It requires ImageMagick to be installed and configured

  3. Please let me know if you encounter any issues!

Happy to answer any questions or receive feedback to improve it before the official release!

Thanks to @texnixe for the initial guidance on extending ImageMagick functionality in Kirby! :raising_hands:

3 Likes
2

Hey, a Riso lover here just wanted to try it out - but repo is gone?

3

Yes, I don’t know why my account was suspended! But I put the pack back on GitLab here:
https://gitlab.com/olivier_j1/kirby-imagemagick-riso

1 Like