VFX Atlas
M 129 / 18306 Space & Opticsalgorithm output

Wave Displacement

spatial warps & optics

Typeface · DynaPuff

Real-world algorithm demonstration, applied to a NASA portrait.
Real-world algorithm demonstration, applied to a NASA portrait.Image: NASA / Eileen Collins · scikit-image (public domain)View source ↗

Prompt

Apply Wave Displacement, bending the photograph with smooth periodic horizontal and vertical ripples. Turn straight contours into repeating sinusoidal curves, gently compressing and stretching nearby textures in alternating bands. Preserve the existing palette, surface detail, and lighting without adding water or reflections. Keep the original subject and composition.

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

Identify

Straight contours are bent like water waves.

Principle

Image coordinates1 receive periodic x and y offsets.

Try it out

Change the wavelength2.

Classification

Calculated image processing result.

Further examples · 9 images

RainCaptcha ExtrudeRenderer
02 RainCaptcha ExtrudeRendererA text string is distorted by a sinusoidal displacement. The originally straight baselines and character strokes are bent into periodic waves, demonstrating a common application of the digital displacement technique.Me · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Watch the Water - Flickr - dvs
03 Watch the Water - Flickr - dvsA pocket watch is depicted with its lower half distorted by a ripple pattern. The straight lines of the watch hands and numerals are bent into periodic waves, simulating digital wave displacement.dvs · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Roses. Water ripples filter. (15075157879)
04 Roses. Water ripples filter. (15075157879)A rose image modified by a circular wave filter. The digital effect applies periodic offsets to the pixel coordinates, creating concentric ripples that bend the underlying straight contours of the flower petals.Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Water ripples. Rose "Nelson girls" (29903106702)
05 Water ripples. Rose "Nelson girls" (29903106702)This image shows a rose with a high-frequency water ripple filter applied. The periodic x and y offsets are clearly visible as tight concentric rings distorting the source image pixels.Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wave Displacement, applied to “JA1271 crossing the Otaki River”
06 Wave Displacement, applied to “JA1271 crossing the Otaki River”A steam locomotive and its red carriages are distorted into a continuous sine wave. The landscape and smoke plumes follow this periodic vertical displacement across the frame.Karora (photo); processed for the Atlas · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Wave Displacement, applied to “Stockholm Schärengarten”
07 Wave Displacement, applied to “Stockholm Schärengarten”A coastal house and its reflection in the water are bent with a large wavelength. The straight edges of the building and the shoreline show clear sinusoidal oscillation.Christof46 (photo); processed for the Atlas · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wave Displacement, applied to “Patio de los Arrayanes detail Alhambra Granada Spain”
08 Wave Displacement, applied to “Patio de los Arrayanes detail Alhambra Granada Spain”The architectural detail of the Alhambra is transformed by a dense, repeating wave pattern. Both horizontal and vertical lines are warped into rhythmic, alternating curves.Jebulon (photo); processed for the Atlas · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wave Displacement, applied to “Front view of a stream with a tree as vanishing point, mountains and mist in the”
09 Wave Displacement, applied to “Front view of a stream with a tree as vanishing point, mountains and mist in the”A landscape featuring a stream and mountains is modified by a wide wave displacement. The horizon and the path of the water are bent into smooth, periodic hills.Basile Morin (photo); processed for the Atlas · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons