Make this super easy bitmap effect in Illustrator!
Write your text or add an image.
Go to Appearance and add Fill and Stroke.
With Fill selected, click on the Gradient tool and add a gradient.
Go to Effects, Blur, and add Gaussian Blur.
Click on Rasterize, set the background to White, model to Bitmap, and resolution to Other.
You can disable Stroke and experiment with values and gradients to get the result you like the most.
Your bitmap is ready - and it’s super quick!