Ice Cream Man -test images

 

Working on some test images for a new paint animation for the WMF song 'Ice Cream Man'.  All generative paint strategy stuff in Studio Artist V5.5.  I setup the generative strategy, Studio Artist V5.5 then does all the work to create the output imagery.

Generative Abstraction Color Washes

 

A few generative abstract color wash canvases.  Of course the joke is that all of the Studio Artist V5.5 output images shown here were generated from a source folder of mug shot photos.  Not that you would ever know by looking at these.  Once again proving the point that idiots who rag about the use of a representational source photo are missing the whole point.

Generative Glow

 

First pitch from gallery show hits a solid base run during Studio Artist V5.5 stress testing.  I'm running Mutate Factory Paint as the generative technique.  I also dialed in maximum smart generative variability in the paint generative preferences.

Fun with Automated Testing

 Continuing the automated testing in Studio Artist V5.5.  All of these were generated with a curated source image folder and random factory PASeq presets.  The randomized symmetry effects are generated by gallery show mangling the source image prior to running the PASeq technique.

Megalomaniac

 

Working with MSG mutation in a gallery show session in Studio Artist V5.5.  Running V5.5 on 4 different machines here for extreme stress testing.  The new generative stuff really works the internal parameter space much more aggressively than normal old school people manually editing it.

MSG Brush Load Exp

 

More experiments with generative paint effects in Studio Artist V5.5.  This one is using generative MSG brush load features.  In combination with additional generative image folder brushes. So it's always mutating new paint preset son the fly as you work.

MSG BrushLoad Generative Paint

 

Automated painting using a generative strategy in gallery show in Studio Artist V5.5. The generative paint option selected automatically generates MSG BrushLoad paint presets while mutating off of both the paint and MSG preset collections.  

My guess is that MSG BrushLoad is a little explored corner of Studio Artist that has pretty unlimited potential (since you are auto-loading an algorithmically generated modular image processing effect for each paint nib). But now you can access it using generative options without needing to understand the gory details of how it is programmed in the Editor.

MSG Test3

 

Grabbed this during more continuous swap evolution of MSG processor based effects in Studio Artist V5.5.

Some output from endless stress testing

 

I'm running Studio Artist V5.5 torture tests on 4 different machines here at the moment. If i notice something interesting popping up i press the Grab button in the new Gallery Show Toolbar.  

Gallery show in combination with the new generative features lets us stress test the application in ways that weren't previously possible when you were only working with sets of hand built presets.  Because let's face it, if you are hand building presets you are going to actively avoid problem parameter settings (perhaps sub-consciously, perhaps on purpose).  But some of the generative options are more than happy to pile them on.  Windows seems to be more sensitive than the mac to this kind of stuff.

MSG brush load (a particularly garish example show above) is a good example. My guess is that no one used this feature of the paint synthesizer unless they grabbed a hand built paint preset we made that used it.  But now you can just turn on one of the generative paint strategy options in gallery show that cranks out endless automatically generated variations of it.  And i do mean endless.

So this is generating live MSG modular image processing effects within each individual paint nib being applied to the canvas from the paint synthesizer.  And the fan starts to really pump on my imac as the processor is seriously put to work.  And our memory allocation and deallocation routines are seriously put through the ringer.

MSG Test2

 

Running some serious abuse testing of the Evolution Editor in the Studio Artist V5.5 windows build.  Grabbed this during one of the sessions and dragged it into the canvas to save.

MSG Evolution Generative Paint Animation

 

Started with the previous MSG Evolution Generative Animation post's PASeq. Used the Vectorizer to auto-convert the MSG canvas output to a paint animation based on embedded bezier paths derived from the Vectorizer processing the MSG output canvas.  We will get this to a single menu command operation, but it involves some manual key-framing right now.  I'll finish that up after Studio Artist V5.5 gets out the door, since we're in feature lockdown right now to finish the initial release.

I also tried another experiment where i generated bezier paths directly from the MSG action step keyframes using the appropriate Path Generate menu command. The issue is that the MSG preset is hybrid raster-vector, so only the vector processor operations generate bezier paths.  And they all stack, so you see things drawn that might be covered over by raster image processing operations in the final image

MSG Test

 

This one seems to have a certain early 90's industrial music aura to it.  I was using the continuous swap evolution feature in the MSG Evolution editor in Studio Artist V5.5.  I get the feeling most people are unaware of it, but it's pretty cool. You can start it up and then watch it go as it creates ever increasing diversity by swapping processors in the MSG presets associated with the individual MSG preview cells.

MSG Evolution Generative Animation Test

 

Generative abstract animation auto-created from the contents of the MSG Evolution editor in Studio Artist V5.5.  This kind of thing works best if you stick to a given processor chain architecture for the evolution cells.  I tried one after a swap evolve edit session, and ended up with a processor hung trying to generate the world's longest Hilbert curve.

Paint Animation Slit Scan Painting

 

I started with a generative keyframe paint animation like some of the previous posts.  I then loaded that as the source movie in Studio Artist V5.5 and used a Temporal Slit Scan effect to create a static painting that captures the inherent movement in the paint animation.

Generative Keyframe Paint Animation 2

 

Another generative paint animation that works off of embedded bezier paint action steps spread out on the PASeq timeline as keyframes.  All of that scaffolding is automatically created by Studio Artist V5.5.

Generative Keyframe Paint Animation

 

Working on getting generative keyframe animation tuned up in Studio Artist V5.5.  This was all done automatically from a set of Transition Context keyframes.

More IpOp Bez Embed Paint Animation

 

Another paint animation test run using auto-generated bezier path paint animation tied to a set of source keyframes.  We need a better Split option for normalizing the region count between different keyframes. I used Recyle, but random shuffled before and after in this run, then distance sorted that. The drop shadow on the vector paint works well with this set of source images.

IpOp Bez Path Embed to AutoPaint Animation

 

Similar to the last post, but using an Ip OP effect that generates bezier paths instead of the Vectorizer. A series of different embedded bezier path sketches are tied to a set of hand picked Transition Context keyframes.  They point to a set of previous gallery show output images.  After the timeline is expanded by a factor of 20, the sketch paint interpolates smooth movement between the different keyframes.  This is all done using new features in Studio Artist V5.5.

Vectorizer Bez Path Embed to AutoPaint Animation

 

This started with 8 different TransitionContext action step keyframes. I then auto-generated a matching set of action paint keyframes that embedded Vectorizer processing as pre-computed bezier paths.  Each action paint keyframe paints in the embedded bezier paths associated with the matching Transition Context output image.

Because they are embedded bezier action steps, the individual paint strokes interpolation smoothly when the keyframes are spread out in the PASeq timeline.  Creating the test animation above with one key-framed paint action step in a PASeq (plus a few sparkles (ip ops at low mix for finishing)

Modulating the Style Image via Transition Context

 

I modified the Transition Context so that it can use the Style as a destination for routing. So you can keyframe Style Transitions using it.  This one is using that to modulate a simple paint synthesizer preset that incorporates Style Modulation into it's automatic drawing parameters. We are watching a static source image get painted in as the Style gets transformed.

Synthetik Style Transfer

 

Yes you saw it here first.  The Load Style features in Studio Artist V5.5 are creeping into the paint synthesizer. Crawling in like a creeping vine. It's kind of like watching the birth of a monster.  How to tame the wild beast.

Rainy Day Self-Animating Presets

 

These were generated working with a Gallery Show option Studio Artist V5.5 that lets's you live mutate DaulMode Paint presets to create self-animating effects that incorporate live paint and a live dual option (image processing effect or equivalent).

Wild Animation Test

 

I'm using Transition Context action step keyframes to generate a transition modulated source based on successive previous gallery show output images.  Painting that in using a DualMode Paint action step. The Vectorizer is the dual op. Added some 'bake it' ip op effects at the end of the PASeq.

Load Style Gallery Show Tests

 

Working with the new Load Style feature in Studio Artist V5.5.

Both of these are using the Vectorizer only.  Obviously we need new SmartEdit commands for the Vectorizer to let you dial in what is going on with Style modulation.

Transition Animation Test

 

You can route the  Studio Artist V5.5 Transition Context output now to the Canvas or the Source. I then built an embedded bezier paint that interpolates.  The bezier paths were auto-generated by the Vectorizer.  Obviously we want this whole pathway to animation to become more procedural and generative.

Here's the same thing with the keyframes index normalized and distance sorted.  Note the smoothness and consistent number of bezier paths interpolating in this second Studio Artist V5.5 Action :Animate render.

Load Style Experiments - New Frontiers in Style Transfer

 

Some of the first experiments using the new 'Load Style' option in Studio Artist V5.5. A unique Studio Artist take on the whole notion of 'style transfer'. Based on our internal human visual modeling features.  Early days, early days. But still quite fascinating. 

Just vectorizer output, nothing else.  It's interesting how the Vectorizer is turning into it's own kind of idiosyncratic visual synthesizer in V5.5.  A cool alternative to the paint synthesizer if you want to use it that way.  The Vectorizer has come a long way since it's early 'let's take a raster image and make it vector' beginnings.  It's a full on art synthesis engine at this point in it's own right.