Get Inspired with Gliftic

Have you ever been faced with a project and you just couldn't seem to get inspired? Sometimes the best thing you can do is break away from the project for a while and look to other sources for stimulating creative ideas. One way to do this is through the use of a random image generator such as Gliftic, a fun and interesting tool for developing ideas and unique graphic designs.

More of this Feature • Gliftic Screen Shots • Gliftic Example Images • More Example Images • Even More Examples

Related Resources • Gliftic Featured Download • Tile & Texture Makers

From Other Guides • Gliftic for Quilting Ideas • Gliftic for Quilting Examples

Elsewhere on the Web • Gliftic Home Page

Inspiration should come easily, and Gliftic couldn't get any simpler... all it takes is one keystroke. If you like the results, save it. If you don't, hit F7 again and you get a new image in the sequence. Do you almost like it, but not quite? Use the "tickle" button to apply a slight change and see if you like it any better. No? Tickle it again. Or, if you have an idea what you want to change about the image, you can use the one-click keystroke or on-screen controls to alter just one aspect of the image based on the three variables of form, color, and interpretation.

In my first session with Gliftic, I had hundreds of eye-pleasing, totally seamless patterns after just a couple of hours. By itself, Gliftic is sure to keep you entertained for hours; but when you think of what you can do when you combine Gliftic generated patterns with other graphics software, the possibilities are endless!

Gliftic generates images in a sequence of many different designs. You can move forward and backward through the sequence and start a new sequence from any point. In my experience, the sequence size limit varies between 100-200 images before you are required to start a new sequence. Gliftic also has options for setting the image size, anti-aliasing quality, and choosing tiling options. You can generate images that tile seamlessly or choose no tiling at all. If you prefer more control over the generated image from the start, there is a "Draw me a picture" wizard where you can choose the form, interpretation, and color scheme, and a random image will be generated based on your choices. Although you can use these options as a starting point, every image generated will be different, even if you use the same settings in the wizard.

My favorite enhancement in this version is the new breeding function which allows you to generate a new image based on the properties you select from two parent images. For example, You may have one Gliftic generated image where you really like the color scheme, but you aren't crazy about the rest of the design. You have another image that you like the design, but the colors aren't right. You can breed the two images selecting the color as one parent trait, and select form and interpretation as the other parent traits.

Here's a couple examples resulting from the breeding option. The bottom two images were generated based on the qualities of the two parent images above.

The nicest thing about Gliftic is that anyone can use it. Whether it's just for play or for generating ideas for a serious project, Gliftic is certainly worth taking for a free trial run. If you like the software, it costs about US$35 to become a registered user. Registered users can access additional forms on the Gliftic Web site. If you'd like to see more of what Gliftic 2 can do, continue on to the next page to see some example images.

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