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Geometry effect

Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope is a kaleidoscope and geometry effect in FRCTL, the browser VJ studio. Mirrored radial sectors around the image center.

Runs live on video, images, a camera or generated art. Stack it with any other effect, and route LFOs, envelopes or any of ten audio bands to its controls so it moves with the music.

Try Kaleidoscope free All effects

The untouched demo art: an eye inside a triangle over wavy teal, blue and peach lines — Source

The eye-in-triangle art folded into a many-sided teal and peach mandala with black corners — Kaleidoscope, default settings

What Kaleidoscope does

Cuts the frame into mirrored wedges around the centre and sweeps them into one still mandala, with black corners where the wedges run past the picture. The Mix slider picks the wedge count, snapping between 3 and 14. Mirror's Square option folds both axes into a four-way mirror box instead, and Twist winds the wedges into a spiral as they leave the centre.

Using Kaleidoscope

Where it works: Album covers and logo plates that need a centred, symmetrical mandala from any photo. It holds perfectly still, so the pattern stays readable on a big screen and only moves when you drive it.
With the music: Nothing here runs on its own clock, so every bit of motion is routing. An LFO synced to the bar on Twist winds and unwinds the spiral across a phrase, and B1 on Ripple flashes the radial rings on each kick.
Starting point: Mirror on Radial, Twist at a quarter, Ripple and Shimmer at centre, then walk the Mix slider until the wedge count suits the subject.

Controls

Ripple: Radial shimmer strength after mirroring.
Shimmer: Shimmer spatial frequency.
Lift: Overall brightness lift on the pattern.
Mirror: Radial sweeps sectors around the centre; Square folds both axes into block symmetry instead.
Twist: Winds the sectors into a spiral as they leave the centre.

Pairs well with Kaleidoscope