Image Synth by Skybase

Here is part 1 of the Loops video

Regretably, there is NO part2 for the awesome and very useful and interesting Loop video tutorial that is very helpful and useful is a great pity that he could not make the second part or any other additional videos, as it would be really very helpful and useful fr om a great expert like him and he knows very well how to make tutorial videos

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TheBeat wrote: And I've seen the video on your Image Synth (done 6 years ago).

What Image Synth Video? do you have a link for it?

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TheBeat wrote: Is it possible to get that filter?

IF it is not available wh ere the video is, then probably is not available, although really I do not know, have to see the video first to know what is about

I haven't posted the filter and I won't release the original.

A few reasons:

1. Everybody can end up making what I make. I made that filter as a side-branding project for myself. I made a website called RGBland which consequently became a self-published book. My main intent wasn't for profit, I just wanted a thing that generated a gajillion patterns with style. You can see my efforts below.

https://www.skybase.xyz/tumblr-feed

Overall, whether it'd be for learning purposes or not I just prefer not to have the same content generated elsewhere.

2. The library makes it free-to-sell the output on any website. Shutterstock, Adobe stock, Envato has a bunch of authors who seem to just smash that next-variant button to generate a bunch of variations to sell high-quality on markets. It's 100% legal, I just find it morally questionable as an artist. Yeah sure I may have helped a few pockets with extra cash but I'm the one who spent a few hundred hours on some of the things I made, all put out for free.

What I can say though is that I think I can make a lite-version of sorts just for this community. But I'm also going on the "no-promises" thing since I really don't know when I'll get to it. Most of this is just based on feeling.

Just a little bit of variance makes some cool patterns. Of course do it with style, not just "I'll shove every node I can imagine". Here's an example using a profile gradient and kaleidoscope. Randomize the Kaleidoscope or the profile gradient = you get more patterns.

A few minutes of noodling around and playing with a bunch of nodes can get you this. Again, all same principle.

If I publish work that's compelling in any way I hope that others will exploit it and copy it, if my license allows it. I disagree that it's unethical if the license is open and the knowledge public: nobody and nothing in the license expressed any wish otherwise.

And besides just legal argument, imitation is the sincerest admiration; if I develop a useful algorithm or collection of components, ethically I never consider that the algorithm "belongs" to me; I found a way to do something and if it liberates others to create things more easily, I think that's great.

Moreover, with virtually infinite possibilities if a filter is done well, what is there to lose? There is more than enough "pie" for everyone; you can point to the other slices and boast that you helped that exist; this can in turn advertise your own work.

After seeing these filter previews I was hoping I could toy with it; I'm disappointed I can't.

I'll probably want to look for filters others have created with these principles, and if I find none, contrive and publish my own. It's too cool to pigeonhole with a silly mirage of "mine."

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And besides just legal argument, imitation is the sincerest admiration; if I develop a useful algorithm or collection of components, ethically I never consider that the algorithm "belongs" to me; I found a way to do something and if it liberates others to create things more easily, I think that's great.

That was me about 10 years ago. That spirit of sharing info and getting ideas all over the place was my thing. Then I lost it when I began working in the industry.

The reality sucks. I have to charge $50 to 60 an hour for my work. A lot of it goes to paying my life (medical bills, water, gas, electricity, loans, internet, phone line, a roof over my head), software, hardware etc. It's expensive to live for what I do. Even side projects need to be accounted for in my schedule since I'm constantly doing something in trying to keep my head out the water. I have to value work or I'm otherwise I'm going to miss payments. Reality sucks doesn't it?

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Moreover, with virtually infinite possibilities if a filter is done well, what is there to lose?

"Infinite possibilities" based on parameters that have been carefully tweaked and tinkered to make sure it outputs something useful, meaningful, and beautiful. It's really not that "infinite". A great filter is carefully adjusted so you get what you want and the more complex the filter, the more time it takes to carefully adjust it.

Yes you lose time.

The thing I need to separate here is intent of its creation. I consider a lot of my personal filters to be "art" and that its output is a consequence of its creation. I never intended the public to have what I made. RGBLAND is the same, it's my artwork and I never thought about sharing the source generator with the rest of the universe. In its own right, RGBLAND is the artwork in itself. It's just not a thing where I can dump it on a public forum and hope that everybody will use it with fairness, education, and understanding in mind.

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There is more than enough "pie" for everyone; you can point to the other slices and boast that you helped that exist; this can in turn advertise your own work. After seeing these filter previews I was hoping I could toy with it; I'm disappointed I can't.

My friend, I have to be very stern here, this is basically the issue: You're saying that exposure will pay my bills or that my name will be spread all over the place. That having more people use a generator I made increases the chances of me being paid off at some point. That's absolutely abhorrent and wrong. In the 10+ years of me making free filters not one has returned me hard-cash that I can use to pay my bills. Please understand that I don't work for fame or popularity or LIKES, I work for a living.

No professional works like that and it's totally insulting to designers and artists who work insane hours to deliver high-quality artistry to this world.

I'm disappointed that I had to deal with that post. Absolutely insulting.

There are two motivations for making this filter. Firstly, I wanted something that just generated a gajillion patterns. Secondly, I wanted it to make a filter that goes making surprises but predictable and not look like s**t. The point here is that each of these outputs should look designed but somewhat still random enough.

The Ultra-Lite edition isn't the original RGBland stripped down but it's entirely a new filter just working on the same exact principles I've described here. In general while it's different it's easy to just add even more on this and make your own insane node-tree spaceship creation.

You'll need to understand 4 key elements:
1. The source (A simple gradient that's manipulated by the profile gradient).
2. A randomizer - These output black and white random signals (HDR too) that's used to drive the green input parameters. This effectively removes the need for controls and keeps everything in-filter hence allowing you to just smash that Next-variant button instead of wondering what each of the darn sliders do.
3. Signal operators - Each channel R G and B signals have their own thing going. Each is randomized which results in a lot of variation but since all signals share the same exact string of operations, the result doesn't look like crap.
4. The assembly - Try swapping this with other assembly nodes for fun. I personally like RGB the most only because it gives you the most variance. The others such as HSL gives you rainbows and all sorts of other effects.

Here are some useful things:

- Make sure each signal uses the exact same flow. Reordering or throwing in something different per channel works but I tend to stick to the same tree to avoid one channel fr om looking too different from others.

- The Randomizers are capable of producing HDR output. This is because some of the parameters such as the WAVE curve generator has a section wh ere I can use a value of 4 to drive the wave type parameter.

- To avoid really noisy images avoid just adding noise on noise on noise. Use low values for parameters that can quickly go awry. i.e. Frequencies, Repeat H/V.

I did not have time to look into Yuya's RGBland filter, but just before it fell out of heaven , I had been toying with Noise Filters, splitting into separate G, G and B channels and offsetting the 3 channels, before combining. It needs more working on, especially I'd like to make something the reduce the bright multicolored results and stream them into adjustable color palettes. As soon I have something decent, I'll will post it.

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Generally these explorations should give you a more conceptual understanding of the program than something where the end-result drives your goals.

Yuya, I totally agree. It's great fun just to explore. And I learn a lot Thanks, Beat

Thanks for sharing this filter!

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My intent in creating art is only to create beautiful or interesting things, etc. The extent of any goals I have in advertising is to that end. I'm not necessarily in it for money or followers or "likes."

I'd love an idealized world where I can talk about beauty and interesting things and just live off of that. And really, I held that in my philosophy for years. To be fair it's a fantastic philosophy to hold onto. You gotta keep that somewhere even as you're doing art for a living since often times resources are what kinda connects people around.

Frankly though, the one thing that got me more upset was the fact that you wrote this:

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After seeing these filter previews I was hoping I could toy with it; I'm disappointed I can't.

I wished you tried what I suggested first and I wished you'd post some results off of your own experiments. Plus I kinda explained it in the original video as well as shown some pretty clear idea of how the filter works via screenshots. Albeit simple, it did show the core structure of the original RGBLAND.

The point here is: the filter's really really simple at its core. Expert or beginner a few hints here and there and some bit of exploration would have lead you to differing but similar results. Then it'd be just about designing those results to your liking and I could have guided you on that to make it even more fun.

I can only sincerely hope you'd try starting your own version of things here. Post some cool results. I'd love to see those than writing these lengthy responses. lol