Tutorial 165: Generative Art

Joe Clay | Mar 1, 2019

We just got back from Keyframes Conference so we're going to explore a little bit of what we talked about there. We'll take a look at how to set up a grid that can generate imagery using master properties in a single precomp. Building the grids using StackIt, it's pretty easy to make some interesting imagery with short expressions.

Expressions

Inside of your block precomps, add a controller layer. Add a slider to it called Brightness. Then you'll have to add your own expressions to achieve whatever you're looking for. Here are some examples.

For poly shape points:

Math.floor(thisComp.layer("Controller").effect("Brightness")("Slider")%.06*100)+3;

For shape strokes:

thisComp.layer("Controller").effect("Brightness")("Slider")*7+1;

For grids (sized from width):

b = Math.floor(thisComp.layer("Controller").effect("Brightness")("Slider")*8);
if(b < 1) { b = .5 }
30/b;

Then in your main comp, also set up a controller layer. On that layer you'll need a Layer Control. Then add this to your precomp with Brightness Master Property.

l = thisComp.layer("Controller").effect("Layer Control")("Layer");
b = l.sampleImage(position,[5,5], true);
b[0];

And then duplicate your layers with either StackIt or do it manually. If you grab the project file, there is a 60x60 and a 30x30 grid already set up.