VFX Atlas
M 032 / 18301 Edge & Featuresalgorithm output

Gaussian Pyramid

edge & features

Typeface · K2D

Atlas demonstration: the free source photo and the computed Gaussian Pyramid. A sepia-toned photograph captures a classic courtyard complete with a central fountain and arched colonnades. The multiscale representation clearly demonstrates how the architectural lines and water spray soften into basic geometry across five levels of reduction.
Atlas demonstration: the free source photo and the computed Gaussian Pyramid. A sepia-toned photograph captures a classic courtyard complete with a central fountain and arched colonnades. The multiscale representation clearly demonstrates how the architectural lines and water spray soften into basic geometry across five levels of reduction.Image: Unknown author · Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons), processed for the AtlasView source ↗

Prompt

Transform this image into a Gaussian Pyramid visualization with one large base photograph and a neatly arranged sequence of progressively smaller copies. Increase smooth Gaussian softness at each reduced level, letting fine textures disappear while broad shapes and colors remain. Within every level, keep the original subject and composition.

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

Identify

You see a sequence of smaller images, with fine details fading while broad shapes remain.

Principle

Each new level applies Gaussian blur1 to the previous image, then uses downsampling2 to reduce its width and height. Blurring before reduction helps prevent false patterns caused by undersampling.

Try it out

Vary the number of levels and watch when fine textures disappear.

Classification

Calculated image processing result.

Further examples · 9 images

Gaussian Pyramid, applied to “Cape Coral, United States (Unsplash pMhS-1SzOEc)”
02 Gaussian Pyramid, applied to “Cape Coral, United States (Unsplash pMhS-1SzOEc)”A woman wearing glasses and a large, colorful straw hat looks directly into the camera. The recursive reduction process illustrates the transformation of the hat's woven texture into smooth concentric circles of color.Alex Harvey alexharvey (photo); processed for the Atlas · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Gaussian Pyramid, applied to “Awoken Deer (Unsplash)”
03 Gaussian Pyramid, applied to “Awoken Deer (Unsplash)”A deer rests in a forest setting, silhouetted by the warm light filtering through the trees. As the resolution decreases, the sharp points of the antlers and the animal's profile merge into the ambient light and dark tones of the background.Max Smith maxsmith (photo); processed for the Atlas · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Gaussian Pyramid, applied to “Vintage european car (Unsplash)”
04 Gaussian Pyramid, applied to “Vintage european car (Unsplash)”A vintage car is parked on a city street in front of an ornate European building. The progressive blurring and resizing show the intricate grille and headlights transitioning into simplified dark and light patches.Jonas Lavoie-Levesque jll (photo); processed for the Atlas · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Gaussian Pyramid, applied to “Underground Subway (Unsplash)”
05 Gaussian Pyramid, applied to “Underground Subway (Unsplash)”This photo captures a blue subway car parked within a station carved into a green-hued rock cavern. The image is processed through several recursive steps of downsampling, causing the jagged textures of the cave ceiling to soften into smooth color gradients.Tatiana Lapina veila (photo); processed for the Atlas · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Gaussian Pyramid, applied to “Neon.2 (Unsplash)”
06 Gaussian Pyramid, applied to “Neon.2 (Unsplash)”A photographer is silhouetted against a vibrant red neon sign displaying the words 'buy' and 'sell'. Through successive reductions in resolution, the sharp edges of the neon tubes bleed together while the larger silhouette of the man remains distinct.Matthew Sleeper mjsleeper (photo); processed for the Atlas · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Gaussian Pyramid, applied to “Buzzing Bee (Unsplash)”
07 Gaussian Pyramid, applied to “Buzzing Bee (Unsplash)”The photograph depicts a small wasp resting on the surface of a bright green leaf. As the scale decreases across the sequence, the fine hairs and segmented details of the insect vanish, leaving only a dark, simplified shape against the foliage.Matt Quinn matt_quinn (photo); processed for the Atlas · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Gaussian Pyramid, applied to “The entrance hall.”
08 Gaussian Pyramid, applied to “The entrance hall.”This vintage-style interior shot shows an ornate stone hallway with vaulted ceilings and a grand staircase. The intricate murals on the arches gradually dissolve into uniform gray tones as the spatial frequency is lowered through the decomposition process.Elwell, Newton W (photo); processed for the Atlas · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Gaussian Pyramid, applied to “Carved pumpkin as face (Unsplash)”
09 Gaussian Pyramid, applied to “Carved pumpkin as face (Unsplash)”Two glowing jack-o'-lanterns are set against a dark, nocturnal background. In the smaller iterations, the sharp carvings of the pumpkin faces lose their definition and appear as simple, softened orbs of orange light.Beth Teutschmann teutschmann (photo); processed for the Atlas · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Sources