Images Made from Thousands of Tiny Images

[wallacemann]

I'm looking for examples of and tools/techniques for creating those images that are made up of thousands of tiny images. I'm sorry, I don't even know what to call them. Often people create images of faces this way. Instead of the image being made up of independent pixels, the composite image is built up from thousands of little regions, each region itself being a tiny image of appropriate color and brightness.

Can someone point me to some examples? Or tell me what they are called so I can search for examples?

Must they be created manually? Or are there tools to help?

Many thanks,
Wallace

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[dkf10425]

Google "photo mosaic".

[Universal Polymath]

There are programs you can download to generate them for you - You upload the "main image" - the one that you want the smaller images to comprise. Then you upload all of the other photos that you want to make up all those "smaller regions".

There are some other options as well - You can choose how large you want each picture to appear, how many rows, columns, etc.

Then, the program generates it automatically, and applies the appropriate brightness and color to each picture.

[wallacemann]

Excellent. Thanks! Those are very helpful. I'm on my way.
Wallace

[Alpha]

You'd be well-served to study up on David Hockney.

Most photographers think that the rules of perspective are built into the very nature of photography, that it is not possible to change it at all. For me, it was a long process realizing that this does not have to be the case.

Here are two of his more famous photo montages. Pearblossom Highway is one of my favorites:

http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/...2574&handle=li

http://www.enseignement.polytechniqu...berg-paris.jpg

[Universal Polymath]

Photo montages are a bit different from photo-mosaics, yes. But it's worth studying up on Hockney anyway, just for how awesome he is.

Pearblossom Hwy. is definitely one of my favorites. I also love the ones he did with Polaroids:
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/H/h...raves.jpg.html
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/H/h...asmin.jpg.html

Really cool stuff!