[Blacknight]

Some recent interest in framing - I've always been a big fan of it myself - has caused me to think of posting this "technique" on framing multiple objects that I came up with while playing around. The plus of it is its uniqueness - the negative is the predictability.

Here's the steps.
1. Clouds, with grey and white, to taste.
2. Add noise, gaussian, monochromatic.
3. Median (I used 12) to taste.
4. Maximum (I used 23) to taste.

Either leave it grey to go with anything, or colorize it to contrast with HUE/SAT. Go to levels and slide the middle slider to the right, or play with it in Curves.

Drop in images sized to fit. That's the drawback. But it is unique, huh! Maybe someone can refine it further to make it more predictable as to outcome...


A sample adjusted slightly from above with greater Maximum settings follows:

[Blacknight]

A colorized version - Got to playing with how to make it more predictable. No luck yet, but it's fun trying!

[DannyRaphael]

BK:

This is a very unique approach. I replicated your steps... now that I have the results, a couple questions:

Are you saying that image size and placement within the generated BG is a function of the the results of the filters? How so?

Were the images you used previously framed, and did you do something to those frames against the generated backdrop?

Does the negative you see in predictability come from the recognition factor once done, doing another collage the same way would be redundant?

Thanks for opening my eyes to this possibility. I feel like I'm on the verge of another educational moment!

~Danny~

[Blacknight]

The images I "framed" were resized to fit the frame(s). Increasing the number in the Maximum box (after adjusting it darker with Levels) will increase the "frame" size(s). The noise step in the 4 step proceedure seems to make little or no difference in the end result, so that cam be eliminated if need be. If it turns out too dark, do an inverse and adjust again with Maximum. Still playing with ideas as to initial "image", as the steps that seem to do the "frames" are the Maximum and Median.

The negative I see in predictability is not knowing what the end result will be when starting. If I wanted 5 frames, for instance, or only three. If I wanted them in a particular position, for instance. THAT I have found no way of controlling, but then again, no two are the same - like snowflakes!

[Blacknight]

I'm having way too much fun, and it's way too late to be doing this, but...

Sometimes the "frames" dictate what should be put into them. This one looked like the sea. Fish pix would have been better, but these are just to show what fun this can be.