Sepia Head Transitions

 

Working with Gallery Show in Studio Artist using the Color Gradient Mapping Sepia effect described in one of yesterdays posts for start and end cycle processing along with random parameter mutation of random Ip Op effects as the main technique.  I'm using 2 source data augmentation techniques that work with face detection in different ways.

Facial Smoothing with Color Gradient Mapping

 

You can use the Color Gradient Map Ip Op effect to generate a really interesting 'smooth render' effect for facial images. Kind of a smooth sepia effect in this particular case. I auto generate the color gradient from the source image and then luminance sort (not map) in this example.  Using the sort rather than the map option mucks with the tone range in an interesting way.

Bezier Facial Feature Detection Tracking Test 1

 

Using the Path : Generate paths : from Src Facial Features menu command to auto-generate a single bezier path based off of the facial features of the source movie. Used Mondo Simplify IpOp with 50% Mix for the backing.

So i'm auto-masking the Mondo Simplify IpOp in this second one.

I added a second Mondo Simplify IpOp action step at the beginning of the PASeq to process the previous output frame to smooth out the trail buildup over time.

Dynamic Brush with Facial Feature Point Smart Start

 

Default paint synthesizer Regionize Dynamic Brush QuickEdit with Smart Start in Path Start set to FaceFeaturePoint.

Facial Feature Point Detector Bug is fixed

 Dumb bug in the facial feature point detector is fixed now in V5.5.3. So we'll be doing one more build before the feature freeze for the release.  Glad it is working again, since it is very useful, and can be accessed all of the place (where ever the other face detect options are).

Portrait Virus Revisited

Time to visit a different virus. Long time Studio Artist user and acclaimed digital artist Michael Wright has been creating his daily self-contemplative portrait virus paintings using Studio Artist since 2010.

Here's a link to an old Studio Artist news post from 2010 where Michael was demoing live video capture and automatic painting in Studio Artist associated with his portrait virus project at Siggraph in LA. Gentler times for sure.

Here is another link to an experiment i did years ago using his daily portrait virus imagery as the source for additional stack filtering experiments in Studio Artist. And of course that was expanded into the Portrait Virus Mutations project. Which i should probably do some update posts on using the more complete set of portraits posted over the last ten years on his portrait virus site.

I grabbed the source image for todays post from Michael's January 29, 2020 post on his portrait virus blog. I then quickly built a dynamic brush paint preset on the fly in Studio Artist V5 and knocked out a re-paint of his painting to include in this post.

Ominously that 1/29/20 date is his last post this year. He hasn't taken this much of a break in his daily posting since he started back in 2010. So i am somewhat worried and will be checking in with him to make sure he is ok. Stay safe Michael. Stay safe everyone.

Kimmel Reveals All

Jimmy Kimmel reveals he is actually Zondor, from the planet Meglanon. I mean, it's the same source image used in this post, just a screen capture of his current show. Used a magical MSG preset to generate this from a very normal looking source photo. Pressed Action. And it was done.

I actually like Kimmel's show better in the new format. Broadcast from his living room with the opening credits drawn by his kids. It is sincere and heartfelt, something we need more of these days. Search for Kimmel on youtube, latest nightly episodes are there.  You can watch it using a Roku on your tv, that's how we watch it here.

Same for Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers late night shows. The opening of Seth Meyers show was great, because all of the band members are playing the intro together using Zoom while still social distancing in their collective individual apartments. The internet as it was conceived to be used.

Red

Auto-mutated dynamic brush paint synthesizer effect.

Ekman Faces

Playing around with a folder of Ekman faces (which are supposed to define perceptual axis for different emotional states).

Mr Bubble

Vectorizer gallery show overlay experiment.

Thinking

More gallery show experiments using adaptive source masking in conjunction with repeated cycles of auto-randomized vectorizer effects.

TSP Paint

Used a path start regionization start generator to generate a set of points. I then used on the traveling salesman problem solver sort options to resort the start points. The brush size is adaptively modulated based on local color range. Interesting new approach to building up a painting effect in one action step.

TSP Sketch

Simple vector sketch effect derived from solving traveling salesman problem. The points used to define the sketch are derived from path start regionization in the paint synthesizer.

Bubblers

Grabbed both of these during a gallery show run using an auto-randomizing vectorizer technique.

Two different takes on abstraction via vector bubble ellipses.

Newsroom

Reminded me of a reporter sitting in a news room. Or maybe a hard boiled detective working on the case. Directed auto-mutation of a paint preset while working with gallery show to make it use a randomized dynamic brush regionization setting.

Vector Subdivision

Vectorizer shape technique preset processing a facial image. I like the way the abstraction of the facial features plays out in this one.

Raoul

Working off a the current search return gallery show technique. Using 2 different gallery paint preset directed mutation modifiers. So it's always mutating a randomly selected search return into a modified randomized dynamic brush presets for each gallery show cycle.

Lego Man

Is artistic representation a form of visual compression. Easy to say in this particular example, but i think you can extend that thought to more sophisticated work as well.

Old Friend Waiting

Hammering on endlessly running automated self mutating gallery show cycles to hunt down some 64 bit bugs. Grabbed this one as it flashed by during the testing cycles.

Puzzle Face

Screen grab of self mutating image operation testing via the associated gallery show technique. Some source palette mapping incorporated into this as well.