KaleidEfex is a complex app with a variety of capabilities You can:
- crop and rotate any image
- create 2 or 4 way symmetry
- flip the image horizontally and vertically
- apply a variety of effects to any part of your image
- create kaleidoscopic versions of your image
The image on the right was cropped and set to 4-way symmetry. Do you know what the original was?
It will work with any image but the quality of the end result will depend on the quality and content of the original.
The selection and preparation of images are almost certainly the most important factors in producing fabulous results.
Selection
Almost any image will work but images with the following features will invariably work well:
- images with clear lines or shapes
- images with good colour and/or tonal contrast
- images with sharp, detailed texture
- images which are predominantly monochrome
- for kaleidoscopes based on rectangles, darker images usually work better
Images which are ‘cluttered’ or where the colour is very varied and complex tend not to work so well.
Image Size
Many images produced by KaleidEfex will be larger than your original image. In some cases, they might be more than 4 times the size depending on the settings you use. Larger images will take longer to process and it may be worth downsizing your image before running the scripts. If you want to print an image, use the biggest size you can and go for coffee!
Preparation
There are many ways to increase the likelihood of a successful image.
Before running the script you might consider:
- Downsizing your image if it is very big.
- Copying and pasting content and moving it around. This usually works best with a very large feather.
- Lightening, darkening or changing the contrast of your image.
- Changing hue and saturation.
- etc etc etc!
Workflow
There is no fixed way to work through the script. You can complete it in any order you like and there is no need to use all the functions every time. However, it is usually helpful to crop your image before you do anything else. If you are working with symmetry, it allows you to set the precise area to be mirrored. The crop can be rotated which can make for some interesting results!
Interface
KaleidEfex is used via a window containing the controls for taking actions or setting values. The main window has two main sections.
Tabs
There are 3 dialogues, which appear as tabs at the top of the interface window. They are:
- Transform: controls for crop, symmetry and flipping
- Effects: controls for applying effects
- Kaleidoscope: controls for creating kaleidoscopes
Click the name of the tab you want to work with.
Save and Action Group
Two rows of buttons at the bottom of the window are always available. They are:
- Duplicate creates a new, identical document. This is useful if you wish to combine different results.
- the Save section offers 3 filetypes. PNG files are useful if your image has areas of transparency.
- Rerun resets the image and the script to the point the script was executed. Use this if you wish to undo a crop. Beware – it undoes everything else too!
- Reset/Finish resets the image and exits the script.
- Keep/Finish leaves the image in a finished form and exits the script.
- Close/Finish closes the active document and exits the script.
Tabs
Crop/Rotation
Crop Image
Click this to crop your original image:
- Drag the handles to resize.
- Drag from inside the crop to move.
- Rotate the crop
Click the tick √ or press Enter when you are happy with your crop.
Where symmetry is concerned, this is the single most important step. You can set the crop very precisely and it’s often useful to rotate your crop so that you get more interesting symmetry. Rotation can also be useful with triangle symmetry as you can line up the area you wish to mirror.
NB: If you have symmetry enabled, you can crop to include some or all of the mirrored image. Be aware that selecting the whole image will give a result which is 2 or 4 times bigger.
Rotate Clockwise / Reset Rotation
This rotates the entire image by 90º. This changes the orientation from landscape to portrait or vice versa. Restore resets the orientation.
Only one rotation is required as, with flipping, you can do it every which way.
Symmetry
There are 4 options which are self-explanatory:
- No symmetry
- 2-way Horizontal symmetry
- 2-way Vertical symmetry
- 4-way symmetry
Flip
You can flip horizontally, vertically or both at the same time.
Aspect Ratio
Force Square will force any image into a square format.
Restore Aspect Ratio returns to the original.
This section will be greyed out if you are working with a square image.
Example
This is simple 4-way symmetry based on a rotated crop of the original.
Slide the slider left to see the ‘Before’ and right to see the ‘After’ version.
These are the controls which allow you to set the parameters for effects. Experimentation is recommended!
Effects Scope
If you wish the effect to be applied with Symmetry, then it is only the top left half or quadrant which is relevant. The effect will be applied symmetrically.
If you select Whole Image, the effect will be applied to the whole image. If, at some later point, you apply an effect with symmetry, it will overwrite this edit.
Selection
Choose whether you will apply an effect using a rectangular or elliptical selection.
Effect
There are 5 effects you can use: Pinch, Spherize, Twirl, Wave and Zigzag. Each effect has separate default values and these are updated as you change them.
Choose the effect you wish to apply from the dropdown list.
Example
The original image is of a dead pine tree on a small island in a Scottish Highlands loch. It has had 4-way symmetry applied. Then the Spherize filter was used with zero feather to create the circular area in the centre. The spherical effect was enhanced with a ‘Bevel and Emboss’ layer style.
Ridges
This sets the number of ridges if you use the Zigzag effect. It is greyed out if any other effect is selected.
Effects Amount
This refers to the strength of the effect. Some effects work best with small values (Twirl, Wave, Zigzag), whereas others are generally better with large values (Pinch, Spherize).
Feather
The amount of graduated transparency which is applied to the edges of a selection. It can help to blend the effect with surrounding area.
Apply Effect
This is the Go button! When you click, a selection will appear. You can resize this, move it anywhere or rotate it. Try holding down CTRL and drag one of the handles. It will move independently of the others, allowing more complex shapes to be created.
Click the tick √ or press Enter when you are happy with your selection.
Example
This is 2-way horizontal symmetry with added Twirl and Spherize effects..
Slide the slider left to see the ‘Before’ and right to see the ‘After’ version.
This tab contains the controls for creating kaleidoscopic images.
Kaleidoscope Type
Choose between an algorithm based on mirrored triangles or mirrored rectangles.
Number of Mirrors
The number of times, the original mirror will be duplicated. This value is common to both methods.
Refresh On/Off
This determines whether the image is updated as each mirror is added, or only when it is complete. It is MUCH faster with Refresh off. This function is also available with both methods.
Triangle Symmetry Type
This method is based on a triangular selection. There are 3 different ways the kaleidoscope can be created.
- Normal: you make a triangular selection. The script copies this and flips it to form a symmetrical kite shape. This is what will be mirrored.
- Flipped: As Normal, except the triangle is flipped in the opposite direction creating a different symmetry.
- None: only the triangle you first select is mirrored. This means that one side of the mirror isn’t symmetrical.
Star Effect: This creates a star-shaped kaleidoscope. The star will be more pronounced if the selected triangle is near the bottom of your image.
These options will be greyed out if you have chosen Rectangle.
Kaleidoscope Examples
Stargate
Created using the rectangle method.
Star Glass
Created using the triangle method.
Rectangle Mirror Rotation
In this mode, the entire image is copied and mirrored. The resulting layers are blended using the Lighten mode.
There are 3 algorithms used:
- Centre: the mirrors are rotated around the centre of the image.
- External Angles x 2: The image is rotated with its centre point around the circumference. It doubles the size of the angle as more mirrors are required.
- External Mirrors x 2: As the previous option, but the angle stays the same and the number of mirrors is doubled.
The end result creates a composite of all the mirrored layers and also preserves the layers in a layer group. This allows you to try out different blend modes if you wish. Most won’t work very well!
These buttons will be greyed out if you have chosen Triangle.
Create Kaleidoscope
If you have selected the Rectangle method, the kaleidoscope, no further intervention is needed and the kaleidoscope is created immediately.
- You can move the triangle anywhere within the image area.
- You can also resize the triangle. It is VERY important that you press the SHIFT key before you drag any of the handles. This will preserve the correct proportions of the selection. You can resize it disproportionately but this will create some very strange results.
- You should NOT rotate the triangle or it gets very ugly!
Click the tick √ or press Enter when you are happy with your selection. The kaleidoscope will be created. If you accept the change, you will not be able to carry out any further actions other than those on the Save and Action rows.
Sunflowers
The original shows where the triangle was moved before creating the kaleidoscope. (Look for the small square handles at the top left.)
Afterwards
When you arrive at a result you like, you can save it or press Keep and Finish. In most cases this will leave you with a single layer containing your edited image. The two kaleidoscopic methods are saved differently.
- Rectangle method: A black background layer is added. A group containing all the mirror layers is included (opacity is turned off). A composite layer is also created.
- Triangle method: A black background layer is added. A composite of all the mirrors is included (opacity is turned off). A 3rd layer which crops the image to give a perfect circle is also included. This function is somewhat dubious with certain numbers of mirrors. It can be safely ignored!
The final result isn’t necessarily what the script produces. You can continue editing as you wish. Combining elements from different results can be interesting.