Pixel By Pixel: Pixel Transformation

This week in Pixel By Pixel, we were asked to delve into the world of pixel transformation.  Put simply, taking the individual pixels in an image, and processing them to change location in the grid. The goal was a result that was "dynamic and interactive".

Part 1: Reflected Pixels
I began the exercise by subdividing both horizontal and vertical pixels by two, and reflecting the pixels to the remaining three quadrants.  The result was a program that is both entertaining and visually dynamic.  As can be seen from the images below, it allows for (particularly with facial anatomy) imagery that instinctually feels deformed or distorted.  However, it can feel pretty simplistic, along the lines of a house of mirrors.

Part 2: Banding
While experimenting with modifying the reflection algorithm, I modified the factor by which the horizontal reflector was divided.  This resulted in the banding pattern seen above.  Observing the pattern caused me think that intentional banding could create compelling imagery, based around the concepts of repetition, patterns, and blending.

Part 3: Banding Grids
I decided to pursue the banding algorithm, and to do so in both the vertical and horizontal dimensions.  I achieved the desired result by grabbing a section of pixels, and then reapplying it using modulo math.  Since the modulo resets every time its argument is reached, the algorithm would then start anew and redraw the desired band.  The result is a "banding" grid of the desired area, as can be seen above.

Part 4: Abstract Banding Grids And Resolution
While a low resolution banding grid can be more compelling in terms of subject recognition, a higher resolution grid can actually yield more unusual and abstract patterns, particularly when it comes to subject blending, and perceived appearance of the subject.

Part 5: Subject Recognition In High Resolution Banding Grids
Perhaps the most counter intuitive part about the high resolution grids is that despite their complexity and abstraction (see above), they are actually simply a grid of a repeated image.  What this means is that if great care is taken, the subject can actually still be recognized, as can be seen from the recognizable lettering in the image below.

The idea of banding grids manages to take a variable chunk of an existing screen, and repurpose it as a tool to build patterns that can be simultaneously abstracted and recognizable.  What's more, it takes a group of pixels and repurposes them on a macro level such that the group itself becomes the implementation of the pixel.  Further developments in this area might include using the mouse to move the selected band, implementing a constant-movement band that iterated across the image, or intelligently selecting bands of the implemented resolution to recreate the image itself, but in recursive bands that had in fact been sourced by the image.