For this week’s copy task, I tried using Python to write code that generates static images. But after changing the code a few times, I still couldn’t get the look I wanted. So, I decided to build a website instead. I updated the site several times, and finally, I managed to copy the original poster in a web format.
At the beginning, I used ‘Terminal’ and ‘IDLE’ to write my code. I installed a plugin called ‘Pillow’ to create the images. I used the ‘Arial’ font and wrote some code for random colors to mimic the colorful look of the poster. To get that wavy, distorted text effect, I added ‘sine wave’ instructions to the code. I set the amplitude, frequency, and range, and then I got my first output.
But the words in the image are impossible to read. Also, the resolution and colors don’t really match the original poster.
I fixed these issues by lowering the frequency to make the text readable. I also changed the font to fix the missing punctuation marks. However, this created a new problem: the letters looked too perfect. Every line of text curved in exactly the same way, so it looked like noodles. Also, because the text was centered, some words were broken apart, and others were cut off at the edge of the image.
So, I kept adjusting the distortion. I used ‘dynamic calculation’ to control the weight and height of the words. This fixed the line breaks and made sure all the text stayed inside the frame. I also made sure each word had its own color. But the new images had the same old problem: they were completely unreadable again.
That is when I tried a different approach. I started building a website that can distort fonts. After you type in the text, you can adjust the distortion, weight, size, height, and color.
In my second update, I added animations. The words can float up and down or rotate. I also added support for exporting the files as PNG or GIF in different resolutions. But even then, I still hadn’t achieved that specific distorted look for the fonts.
The third time, I finally matched the style of the original poster using a ‘liquid distortion’ effect. I used ‘SVG Filters’ to stretch and twist the pixels. This is actually a core technology used to create CAPTCHAs.
In the final output, I refined the animation features even more and added more randomness to the movement.
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