Jigsaw puzzle effect- big one, I mean really big

[creativeThinking]

Hi photoshop masters! I came here because, if you do not know is it possible, no one will know. Is it possible to create picture with 1000 000 jigsaw puzzle (yes, one million)? And is it possible "cut" every puzzle and create 1000 000 jpeg (one puzzle-one jpeg)? How difficult is this task? What is easiest way to do that..

P.s. similar question, but it is about flash, but, maybe someone here can tell me... Is it easier to create this in photoshop or in (for example) flash animation? And, if I decide to use flash, I still need to create 1000 000 jpegs or?

[Steve]

Maybe this can get you started, maybe not.
In CS3 you can go to Filter|Texture|Texturizer then next to Texture: there's a selection box, next to that there's a little icon to click on to load new textures.
Click on it and navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS3\Presets\Textures

That path will vary quite a bit depending on your 32 or 64bit OS, Windows or Mac, but basically your going to Presets\Textures.
Chose Puzzle.psd as you texture.

I don't know if Textures install in CS4, they don't in CS5.
You can get them here along with some other tools that were dropped from the CS5 installation disk.

Adobe - Photoshop : For Windows : Photoshop CS5 Optional Plugins : Thank You
Adobe - Photoshop : For Macintosh : Photoshop CS5 Optional Plug-Ins (Mac)

[Hoogle]

I believe in photoshop cs4 and higher it is actually in your layer styles pallet as far as doing it like you requested you would need 1 hell of a size image you are talking bil board size and resolution a powerful computer to process it and about 2 years of spare time as the layer stles or textures are just a style and dont actually cut up the image. However there is a plug in Alien skin do but it is retired now called xenofex that does cut the actual image up and lets you choose the size of the pieces rotation and gaps etc but I really do not think it has the processing power to do that size or resolution. I do not know about flash probably is possible but saving as a jpeg could be hard. If I was to do it in Adobe products I would slice the image into lots of different images which could cause a problem with puzzle pieces interlocing when all put back together again as each image would render a straight edge. Then import your psd into After effects and use a plugin that is particle based. set a group of custom shaped particles by importing an image of a black puzzle piece on a white background and that will define your particle shape. So once you have done all this which is the easy part you have to apply the particle explosion to your image with very low velocity and animate it with your image out of your composition and slowly coming into your composition 1 piece at a time and yet by the time the next piec comes in the previous piec has to have left the frame all together. In render settings export the video as a png sequence that way the rendered product will only be 1 puzzle piece per png so ultimately after setting the particle amount to 1000 000 you will have 1000 000 pngs However the chances are before you get to 50,000 your computer would have crashed unless your using a high spec machine and I mean high spec and about 4-5 days of rendering time you should get 1000 000 tiny puzzle pieces that will make your puzzle. And that is theoretically possible practically probably not.

[Steve]

It seems you're right, it is in the styles pallet.
Unfortunately you have no control over the scaling size or relief.

[creativeThinking]

Uh, I knew it is almost impossible, but I hoped.... ,
So, lets say I want create big picture and divide it in 1000 000 pieces (not neccesery puzzles), in a way that every piece is "independent", for example, that I can animate every piece in flash... Or, for example, divide picture in 1000 000 pixels, and every pixels is independent....
I need a program that divide picture into small parts (puzzles, pixels...) and, allows me to copy any pixell I want (for example pixel number 78 900), and to paste it to empty "layout" of the same picture on exactly sam place (78 900). So I can "build" image pixel by pixel

I do not know did you got the point, my English is not that good, so I cannot explain properly..

[Hoogle]

So maybe something like this could get you started Dissolve image effect using the AS3 - Actionscript - Flash tutorials - FlashFridge.com I really have not had anyone wanting to break a picture into 1000,000 pieces I think however your doing it will require some powerful equipment unless of course you will be doing a sand effect with each pixel then that should be easy to do. You could create that in after effects I believe and render the video as an swf file However I cant see a way of you having control of every pixel or part of an image.

[SCTRWD]

Well, It's been a long time since I programmed Flash. I did not use Flash editor(neither Macromedia nor Adobe) itself, though. I wrote my own programs to build swf files, used Transform framework actually, to make movies of some process at my workplace.

But, still, just a thought: isn't it possible to just show the whole image with the mask AKA "clipping layer" applied? And to program just the change to this clipping layer?

P.S. Flash player really sucks when the number of shapes/layers/objects grows too much, believe me But there are always some workarounds... I think Action Script can do just what you want. Just that I wouldn't even try to make each puzzle piece a separate object - it won't work in the long run

[Paul MR]

I have just tried creating a path of the jigsaw then selecting one subpath (1 JigSaw Piece) and yes it is possible but it took 50 seconds to select just one jigsaw piece due to the number points. So this approch would require a mainframe computer to get the speed required.

[creativeThinking]

Today I tried do that on some "primitive" level, and I got "positive" results. First, I opened one picture, and jigsaw puzzle in new layer, then I made jigsaw puzzle picture (like Steve in post before), then, I saved just empty jigsaw puzzle layer as jpeg. Then, I opened that jpeg, and from first picture (where I had two layers: one of "normal" picture, and second one with jigsaw puzzle alone) i selected just one puzzle (with magic wand tool), before that I positioned myself in second layer (jigsaw puzzle), and then, I positioned myself in first layer (normal picture) and copied that selection, then I switch to jpeg picture of empty jigsaw puzzle and paste in place puzzle that I just copied , and it matches great. I tried this with only 60 puzzle, and I know this "concept" is primitive, but maybe someone get better idea after this....



So, now, I can add whichever puzzle I want...