VFX Atlas
M 084 / 18303 Color & Quantizationalgorithm output

Decorrelation Stretch

color & quantization

Typeface · Trispace

Atlas demonstration: the free source photo and the computed Decorrelation Stretch. Looking up from a low angle, this image captures the geometric structure of a building's skylight against a gridded wall. The transformation pulls neon greens and vibrant purples out of the repeating metallic lines, creating a high-contrast psychedelic grid.
Atlas demonstration: the free source photo and the computed Decorrelation Stretch. Looking up from a low angle, this image captures the geometric structure of a building's skylight against a gridded wall. The transformation pulls neon greens and vibrant purples out of the repeating metallic lines, creating a high-contrast psychedelic grid.Image: Dhruv Deshmukh dhruvywuvy · CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons), processed for the AtlasView source ↗

Prompt

Apply a Decorrelation Stretch effect, separating previously similar colors into vivid cyan, magenta, yellow, violet, and green variations. Amplify subtle chromatic differences across muted surfaces while retaining recognizable tonal structure, fine texture, and crisp boundaries, without adding objects or geometric distortion. Keep the original subject and composition.

Paste it into LetzAI with your own image to apply the effect ↗

Identify

Muted regions separate into vivid, unusual colors, making small color differences much easier to see.

Principle

The algorithm uses principal component analysis1 to separate correlated color channels into uncorrelated components2. It rescales their variation, then transforms them back to color channels, amplifying subtle color differences.

Try it out

Compare similarly colored surfaces, and watch for noise becoming more visible as stretching increases.

Classification

Calculated image processing result.

Further examples · 9 images

Decorrelation Stretch, applied to “Mist. (Unsplash)”
02 Decorrelation Stretch, applied to “Mist. (Unsplash)”A winding road snakes through a misty mountain pass covered in sparse vegetation. The effect dramatically distinguishes the textures of the grass from the hazy atmosphere, painting the landscape in surreal layers of cyan and hot pink.Nicolas Prieto nicolasp (photo); processed for the Atlas · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Decorrelation Stretch, applied to “New York, United States (Unsplash)”
03 Decorrelation Stretch, applied to “New York, United States (Unsplash)”A night scene depicts a vibrant street food cart surrounded by customers under colorful umbrellas. The computational process has pulled neon pinks, cyans, and oranges from the shadows, creating a hyper-saturated contrast against the teal-tinted background.Roman Arkhipov lomogee (photo); processed for the Atlas · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Decorrelation Stretch, applied to “Natural Beauty (Unsplash)”
04 Decorrelation Stretch, applied to “Natural Beauty (Unsplash)”This close-up features several artichokes resting on a textured burlap surface. Subtle variations in the green leaves are expanded into a spectrum of yellow and cyan, while the neutral fabric is transformed into a rich magenta.Christine Siracusa christine_siracusa (photo); processed for the Atlas · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Decorrelation Stretch, applied to “Surfer sizing up the waves at Point Dume State Beach, Malibu (Unsplash)”
05 Decorrelation Stretch, applied to “Surfer sizing up the waves at Point Dume State Beach, Malibu (Unsplash)”A surfer stands on a rocky shore holding a board as waves wash over the stones. The water is rendered in unusual shades of violet and green, and the natural textures of the rocks are highlighted by a high-contrast palette of yellow and red.Vladimir Kudinov madbyte (photo); processed for the Atlas · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Decorrelation Stretch, applied to “Orange riverbank (Unsplash)”
06 Decorrelation Stretch, applied to “Orange riverbank (Unsplash)”A dense forest slope descends toward a river at the bottom right of the frame. The computational process separates the subtle variations in foliage into a brilliant spectrum of oranges, lime greens, and magenta.Ezra Jeffrey emcomeau (photo); processed for the Atlas · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Decorrelation Stretch, applied to “Red sunset on a mountain (Unsplash)”
07 Decorrelation Stretch, applied to “Red sunset on a mountain (Unsplash)”This landscape features a mountain range with peaks illuminated by a low sun under a wide sky. The algorithm exaggerates the temperature of the light, turning the shaded slopes deep purple and the sunlit ridges into a glowing furnace of gold.Nathan Anderson nathananderson (photo); processed for the Atlas · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Decorrelation Stretch, applied to “Nikon In The Snow (Unsplash)”
08 Decorrelation Stretch, applied to “Nikon In The Snow (Unsplash)”A hand holds a vintage camera, with the lens facing directly toward the viewer. The color manipulation reveals hidden highlights in the skin tones and glass reflections, resulting in an iridescent glow across the mechanical components.Jakob Owens jakobowens1 (photo); processed for the Atlas · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Decorrelation Stretch, applied to “Sahalie Falls (Unsplash)”
09 Decorrelation Stretch, applied to “Sahalie Falls (Unsplash)”A waterfall cascades over mossy rocks surrounded by a lush forest. The processing turns the water into a bright lavender flow and the surrounding moss into a neon green and orange tapestry.Kyle Cesmat kylecesmat (photo); processed for the Atlas · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Sources