Evolutionary Image Transition and Painting Using Random Walks

Abstract

We present a study demonstrating how random walk algorithms can be used for evolutionary image transition. We design different mutation operators based on uniform and biased random walks and study how their combination with a baseline mutation operator can lead to interesting image transition processes in terms of visual effects and artistic features. Using feature-based analysis we investigate the evolutionary image transition behaviour with respect to different features and evaluate the images constructed during the image transition process. Afterwards, we investigate how modifications of our biased random walk approaches can be used for evolutionary image painting. We introduce an evolutionary image painting approach whose underlying biased random walk can be controlled by a parameter influencing the bias of the random walk and thereby creating different artistic painting effects.

Designing Color Symmetry in Stigmergic Art

“…Modifying the source images with the aim of creating visual art that resembles known pictures or paintings but also provides a reinterpretation has also been a topic in bio-inspired generative art. For example, see the modification of source images from the history of art by stochastic hillclimbers, plant propagation algorithms, simulated annealing, or particle swarms [31,32], as well as image transitions by random walks [5,23,33]. In the experiments reported here, two well-known painting by Johannes Vermeer were used: Girl with a Pearl Earring (1665) and View of Delft (1661).…”

“…In a first step, the colors in these images were modified using color permutations similar to Equations ( 4) and (5). In addition to the functions given above, the color maps An initial experiment shows color symmetry imposed by triangular section of the rectangular source image, see Figure 6.…”

“…The members of the swarm coordinate themselves by indirect communication, for instance by deposing and collecting visual, olfactory or tactile markers. This paradigm has been used as a computational framework for generating swarm art, see for example [3][4][5]7,18,19,28,29].…”

“…Bio-inspired generative art is a field in evolutionary computation dealing with employing algorithmic ideas and templates observed in nature for creating artworks [3][4][5]. As symmetry is both an important aesthetic concept in art and an organizational principle in biological entities, it follows rather naturally that different forms and meanings of symmetry matter to bio-inspired generative art, see e.g., [6][7][8][9] for explicitly addressing the topic.…”

“…Stigmergy is a principle of self-organization in nature, particularly in swarms, see e.g., [7,[18][19][20][21][22] for applications in bio-inspired generative art. Similarly to previous works that used Kandinsky's art as an inspiration of generative art [5,23,24], some of the examples of color symmetry shown in this paper adopt some design elements from the color study shown in Figure 1a.…”