uberBlend - (This changes everything)

** Please download this filter to play along...
http://www.filterforge.com/upload/for...lend.ffxml **

Say we want to make a very simple zoom-blur type effect using 7 copies of our image.




Easy. But now we want a smoother transition.

That's going to require a bit more work....

1st step:
Duplicate existing filter 7 times and plug each result into a final Multiblend.

(no more images from here on, just use your imagination)

2nd step:
Increment scale value on all lower 42 scale components.

3rd step:
Connect top image component to all lower 42 scale components. Delete 6 lower image components.

4th step:
Connect top user zoom control to all lower 42 scale components. Delete 6 bottom user controls.

Now I put this into 4 steps but we're actually talking about something like 150 manual user actions! (And this is a simplified example of the problem.)


****** Now here's a smarter solution that requires zero effort to scale indefinitely... *****

First a 6 image version of the zoom-blur effect...


Easy, now how about 100 images?

(We only had to change 5 values!

So what is going on here?

• uberBlend captures evenly spaced square sections of your image and blends them together.

• The input for uberBlend should be a matrix of smaller images, with each one showing only a small change from the other.

• The Iterations control determines how many square samples to take. Taking only from the top row, it samples from left to right.

• Mode control has similar options as regular Blend component, with the addition of an "Equal" mode which automagically blends all inputs equally.


I believe this can be executed with a script. Someone please try!

Still I think this is too awesome not to be made into an official component...

Thoughts?

==================================================================

Filter that precipitated this idea...


Curve Complexity.ffxml

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apart from the zoom blur example what other effects do you see as use for it

http://www.filterforge.com/filters/10615.html
http://www.filterforge.com/filters/10612.html
http://www.filterforge.com/filters/10608.html
http://www.filterforge.com/filters/10590.html
http://www.filterforge.com/filters/10478.html

Twisting, morphing, blurring type filters.
Also bomber effects are possible.

Identical script, this time demonstrating bomber ability...

(Yeah my programming sucks. Please fix if you can figure out what I'm trying to do.)

uberBlend Test2.ffxml

This is quite lovely. One of the little things I've always wanted in filterforge is some form of iterative / recursive structure so we can produce further complex results without having to produce huge trees of nodes. Very cool!

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As you can see under my avatar, I can't script.... But bear with me for a sec

Same here! I did the thousand monkey typing shakespear thing and it sort of worked...

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I kinda understand what you're doing in the script, but what are Mode and Samples supposed to be? As far as I can see they're not implemented, so I suppose that they stand for blend mode and itterations\steps to take from the image?

Correct (not sure if I should call it samples or iterations)

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Oh, and instead of g7, g8, b7 and b8 you have r7 and r8. Not that it matters

Yeah I messed that up, good eye!

Fixed code...

Code

function prepare() end; function get_sample(x, y)    r1, g1, b1 = get_sample_map(x,     y, SOURCE)    r2, g2, b2 = get_sample_map(x + 1, y, SOURCE)    r3, g3, b3 = get_sample_map(x + 2, y, SOURCE)    r4, g4, b4 = get_sample_map(x + 3, y, SOURCE)    r5, g5, b5 = get_sample_map(x + 4, y, SOURCE)    r6, g6, b6 = get_sample_map(x + 5, y, SOURCE)    r7, g7, b7 = get_sample_map(x + 6, y, SOURCE)    r8, g8, b8 = get_sample_map(x + 7, y, SOURCE)    r = r1 + r2 + r3 + r4 + r5 + r6 + r7 + r8    g = g1 + g2 + g3 + g4 + g5 + g6 + g7 + g8    b = b1 + b2 + b3 + b4 + b5 + b6 + b7 + b8    return r, g, b end;

Morgantao, right now the only way to add more samples is to hardcode it...

Try this connected to the original source...

Code

function prepare() end; function get_sample(x, y)    r1, g1, b1 = get_sample_map(x,     y, SOURCE)    r2, g2, b2 = get_sample_map(x + 1, y, SOURCE)    r3, g3, b3 = get_sample_map(x + 2, y, SOURCE)    r4, g4, b4 = get_sample_map(x + 3, y, SOURCE)    r5, g5, b5 = get_sample_map(x + 4, y, SOURCE)    r6, g6, b6 = get_sample_map(x + 5, y, SOURCE)    r7, g7, b7 = get_sample_map(x + 6, y, SOURCE)    r8, g8, b8 = get_sample_map(x + 7, y, SOURCE)    r9, g9, b9 = get_sample_map(x + 4, y, SOURCE)    r10, g10, b10 = get_sample_map(x + 5, y, SOURCE)    r11, g11, b11 = get_sample_map(x + 6, y, SOURCE)    r12, g12, b12 = get_sample_map(x + 7, y, SOURCE)    r = r1 + r2 + r3 + r4 + r5 + r6 + r7 + r8 + r9 + r10 + r11 + r12    g = g1 + g2 + g3 + g4 + g5 + g6 + g7 + g8 + g9 + g10 + g11 + g12    b = b1 + b2 + b3 + b4 + b5 + b6 + b7 + b8 + b9 + b10 + b11 + b12    return r, g, b end;

Here's our 12 sample bomber...



Note that FF's Bomber component maxes at 25. uberBlend laughs at this limitation.

oops, cut & paste fails me once again!

This is why I need some kind of loop or function that lets you choose how many samples you want...

Code

function prepare() end; function get_sample(x, y)    r1, g1, b1 = get_sample_map(x,     y, SOURCE)    r2, g2, b2 = get_sample_map(x + 1, y, SOURCE)    r3, g3, b3 = get_sample_map(x + 2, y, SOURCE)    r4, g4, b4 = get_sample_map(x + 3, y, SOURCE)    r5, g5, b5 = get_sample_map(x + 4, y, SOURCE)    r6, g6, b6 = get_sample_map(x + 5, y, SOURCE)    r7, g7, b7 = get_sample_map(x + 6, y, SOURCE)    r8, g8, b8 = get_sample_map(x + 7, y, SOURCE)    r9, g9, b9 = get_sample_map(x + 8, y, SOURCE)    r10, g10, b10 = get_sample_map(x + 9, y, SOURCE)    r11, g11, b11 = get_sample_map(x + 10, y, SOURCE)    r12, g12, b12 = get_sample_map(x + 11, y, SOURCE)    r = r1 + r2 + r3 + r4 + r5 + r6 + r7 + r8 + r9 + r10 + r11 + r12    g = g1 + g2 + g3 + g4 + g5 + g6 + g7 + g8 + g9 + g10 + g11 + g12    b = b1 + b2 + b3 + b4 + b5 + b6 + b7 + b8 + b9 + b10 + b11 + b12    return r, g, b end;

Doesn't work right. Even with sample set at 1...

Problem is

i = i - 1

FF doesn't like this

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And got the same result... What makes you say it's i = i - 1?

Good question. Please ignore that comment.

Haven't ever scripted in FF, but I think you're both looking for this:

Code
function prepare() end; function get_sample(x, y)    r = 0    g = 0    b = 0    i = 0    count = 12    while ( i < count ) do       ri, gi, bi = get_sample_map(x + i, y, SOURCE)       r = r + ri       g = g + gi       b = b + bi       i = i + 1    end;    return r, g, b end;

I'm guessing you could probably move "count = 12" to the prepare() function.

Can anyone point me to how this is different from what I did?

had a bit of fun with your test filters, you guys are progressing, look forward to the final version to play with, I can't script either so can't really help

Bit niftier...

uberBlend ZOOM 2!.ffxml

Warp speed!

Love this firework ! Hoping you'll find the receipe.

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Uberzev wrote: The fact that works?

I was begging for this, wasn't I
Lemme rephrase the question: Where did I go wrong with my script?

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Next step is to get alpha working along with a "normal" blend mode

I know the LUA script API has at least 2 blend modes built into it.
All the rest can be done with math mambo jumbo, that I'm not gonna pretend to understand

Wait this does work for non-square ratios? (although it seems a simple fix) just wondering.

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(Morgantao) Can anyone point me to how this is different from what I did?

It's all in exactly when the running totals get reset to zero. In the original code, I guessed (correctly, apparently) that prepare() gets executed only once, while get_sample(...) gets called once per pixel.

So by having the r = 0, etc in prepare(), the total started at zero and for every single pixel, it accumulated a running sum.

My version sets the total back to zero for each pixel, so the sum at the end of get_sample(...) is the sum of the twelve values.

Cheers!

Ok so about that Normal+Alpha blend mode. Anyone who codes it gets a free copy of FF Pro courtesy of moi.

Ah nice to see some new scripters emerge You can use the build in blend functions of FF3: http://www.filterforge.com/features/v...t-api.html

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By Normal+Alpha blend you mean the same as a multiblend with more than 7 layers, correct?

Yup