My Plague Year, a8

How did i make this? I start by using the Gallery Show 'Random Vectorizer-Force Overlay' Technique. I'm running single GS cycles from the new GS Toolbar. I undo if i don't like what got overlaid on top of the existing canvas (the canvas image is building up over multiple GS cycles). The source images are randomly being selected by GS from a folder of curated recent news images.

Once something builds up and looks interesting, then i keep that last source image and start adding additional overlay style image operation effects. I pick a particular effect like Color Edge or Rank Edge Filter, hit the Randomize button in the Editor, then see what it generates. If i like the output, then i adjust the Mix and maybe Composite settings for the actual  image overlay i keep. I do this for different passes until i build up enough additional detail. At that point i start into my normal finishing steps.

The frame is a cool new approach i probably did before but had forgotten about. Use Frame Partition selection to just select the border. Then feather the selection, turn on mask, set Interactive Warp Composite to Min or Darken Differential, then do some warps to build up the complex darkened border effect. Adaptively compress and you are finished.