Function Repository Resource:

TextToKaleidoscope

Source Notebook

Create a square-symmetric image from a long string of text

Contributed by: Daniel Lichtblau

ResourceFunction["TextToKaleidoscope"][str]

converts the string str into a square image with rotational and reflectional symmetries.

ResourceFunction["TextToKaleidoscope"][str,level]

converts the string str into a square image of dimensions 2level×2level.

Details and Options

ResourceFunction["TextToKaleidoscope"] uses an encoding of text characters to generate an image.
Characters become five-digit numbers in base 2, with the first two determining where to increment a pixel value (via the "Frequency Chaos Game Representation") and the last three encoding the color channels to be updated.
The dimension exponent must be a whole number in the range 2–10, and the default value is 7.
Setting SymmetrizedFalse gives an image without rotational and reflectional symmetries.
ColorScheme can be set to an integer to seed the random generator, Automatic (so a random seed will be selected automatically) or any of prebuilt schemes "K1", "K2", , "K9".

Examples

Basic Examples (1) 

Create an image from a modern English version of Beowulf:

In[1]:=
texB = ExampleData[{"Text", "BeowulfModern"}];
ResourceFunction["TextToKaleidoscope"][texB]
Out[2]=

Scope (2) 

Here are the prebuilt color schemes, as applied to Alice in Wonderland:

In[3]:=
texA = ExampleData[{"Text", "AliceInWonderland"}];
schemes = Map["K" ~~ ToString[#] &, Range[9]];
GraphicsGrid[
 Partition[
  Table[ResourceFunction["TextToKaleidoscope"][texA, 5, ColorScheme -> s], {s, schemes}], 3]]
Out[5]=

A similar but more detailed set of images is shown at pixelation level 9:

In[6]:=
GraphicsGrid[
 Partition[
  Table[ResourceFunction["TextToKaleidoscope"][texA, 9, ColorScheme -> s], {s, schemes}], 3]]
Out[6]=

Options (3) 

Here is an unsymmetrized image computed from Beowulf:

In[7]:=
ResourceFunction["TextToKaleidoscope"][texB, 8, Symmetrized -> False]
Out[7]=

TextToKaleidoscope will automatically create a random color scheme if so desired:

In[8]:=
ResourceFunction["TextToKaleidoscope"][texA, 9, ColorScheme -> Automatic]
Out[8]=

TextToKaleidoscope does not change the internal state of the random generators, so repeating the above results in the same image:

In[9]:=
ResourceFunction["TextToKaleidoscope"][texA, 9, ColorScheme -> Automatic]
Out[9]=

Explicitly change the internal random state to get a new randomized color scheme:

In[10]:=
RandomInteger[10^6];
ResourceFunction["TextToKaleidoscope"][texA, 9, ColorScheme -> Automatic]
Out[11]=

Possible Issues (3) 

By default, TextToKaleidoscope will produce very dark images if given a short text:

In[12]:=
ResourceFunction[
 "TextToKaleidoscope"]["Now is the time for all good seasons of our discontent to gather round the campfire and roast celebrities by the marsh meadows (or words to that effect)"]
Out[12]=

Using a lower pixelation value for short text can produce brighter images:

In[13]:=
ResourceFunction[
 "TextToKaleidoscope"]["Now is the time for all good seasons of our discontent to gather round the campfire and roast celebrities by the marsh meadows (or words to that effect)", 3]
Out[13]=

Images can be lightened explicitly using Lighter:

In[14]:=
Lighter[ResourceFunction["TextToKaleidoscope"][
  "Sometimes I live in the country, sometimes I live in the town, and sometimes I take a great notion, to jump in the river and drown (from 'Goodnight Irene' by Huddie Ledbetter)", 4], .9]
Out[14]=

Requirements

Wolfram Language 11.3 (March 2018) or above

Version History

  • 1.0.0 – 13 February 2019

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