Wednesdays on the Web: Photo Fun

Hello again and happy Wednesday! I’m here this week with two fun (and frivolous! but free!) apps to help you create and share unique photo representations (for lack of a better descriptor).

Using PicArtia’s online mosaic creator or Text-Image’s photo converter, you can re-create your photo as a traditional photo mosiac or a string of text characters. That probably doesn’t make sense, so just scroll down to see for yourself…

Click to enlarge the image

Make more sense now? 🙂 Now, I can’t say that you’ll ever truly *need* to use one of these sites to revamp a photo, but it’s fun to see how it turns out. Here’s one of my cute boy:

Click to enlarge the image

Cute, eh? But both of these apps seem to work best with images that have a solid-ish background and fewer intricate details (text, faces, etc), like this beautiful picture (taken by my oh-so-talented sister-in-law and, er, used without explicit permission… Thanks, Dusty!)

Click to enlarge the image

With PicArtia, you just select on of your own images (or one from the web) to be the *big* picture. Then you select one of the featured flickr albums for the app to select the smaller pictures from. Here’s a closeup of the one above: a flower mosaic made up of smaller flower pictures. Kitschy? Clever? Either way, it was easy. 🙂

After your mosiac has been created, you can either choose to download the image right away or download the image after it is emailed to you. Just a note: I received multiple emails for every mosaic I made. I’m not sure why, but it’s easy enough to delete the duplicates, so I didn’t mind too much. 🙂 You also have the option of purchasing a higher resolution print of the mosaic, if you want.

To use the Text-Image converter, you just upload your image, and select which characters you want to use to display the image (default is 01), the font size, the image width (in characters), and the background color. Click Convert and seconds later, you have an image rendered completely in HTML characters, like this rendering of one of my favorite things about summer:

mrmmssmmmsumrssmmsmmseemssersmmrmereumseumrmremusurmmmrmmrsuusrrusrsee
emsmrmmumusrsmsmmssssssmeeeumrumeummsmmmmmseummmumusmmeuureeresssrsrme
ruumemesummmseumrurrsmsmssememrmsurermermmesmmsmssrmmsurureremmrmrurss
rmmmrmmmrumuumuseeurrumsrmmmuresrrmmummrmeummeerusummrereueuemuruseese
eumeemuemummmuruummumssusumrrummurreurseueeumsemsrsmrmmrrrmmsurrmerusm
mermermmsrmumusuesmmrumseemsuuurmeemrmersermmsrmresueemsrmemrmrmmsrmsm
emsrremmresusuusmmremueueuemeuuesmmeeemmeumssmusmrrrumssmsrsmsmussrees
rrmeeerumsumseuermermmsmsmmmuessruuurrrmerrrmssemmmsesemummuumsmerrsmm
rrueussrmsmmmeuumrmumruuremmmmmumrumsmsmsurmmurmmmmumessrumsuurremmmmm
mrermsummeeemeerrsmssmemrsesmmemmururemeusmssmrusmussuurreumermmmsurmm
meummssrmeeemsrmmmmmrsesrrsmeueumemrmureesuesemusrmsmrrumruumrsmusrmmr
userseemesmursumemurssmuermmursmsmsemsrsssmmueemmmmmumemummussssruuuer
uemmmsmrerrsueusrmuuemeuemmsreumermmrmeumemmmurmmresuurremmrrmrssuumme
meesereremmsmsmmrsmemurursssurrmmrsumurrrsrmrusrmmmrueuumsreesuummumsm
smmremmmrsmeumuemsssmureumerrrrmesurrssrmmusmerrmmssmummmmummrmrmemmes
mmmmesmeremsumsmsermemeeesuremuummummsmmmsrsmrmsseurmsmrurmemrrremmeru
eummsmmmseumssususmsuuumrusmsememsrssuueeurrsrmuummmuumumsrmeeusumermm
ssumermmemmerumssmmmsureuseememeuemsrsurmmrmssrsurmumuuesmummrermsemes
emmmusssuuersmssrmsrsmemrrrmerssmuresuemmerrumumsmmsmsmrrsmmreumsumrem
mmusssrsrmrssmmrsmeremmsresummmsummssmrmemeumsmrrrsemrmmsmememrrmmerum
emmemsmueusmrusmeummsmusemmmessrmusumremuuururruemureersmsrumeemmeumur
esmmmsemrsmrumsueruusrumrmrursmsmrrrmrsmurremueesruusurremsuusueurmuse
ueursreumsmmrmmuemmeemsssummueueermrrumuemmmueuusseurmmmmrmmmmerumummm
urreumumrsuserurmussmsmmmemmrmuumsrmeeuerummmsumrsermrsererruemsmmersu
ssuemmmmemsumreuursmeuumuemeuumsrurrueurremmemruueumrrmueresreeseuemms
eurseesmreummurmsrmrmeremrssssserurememmureremesmeruueememmsmmeresmmum
usurursurmmrrsmmsmmmrrmserurseeemmrsmurmeesuusmurrmsmemsummummsmmmmumm
uusemremeruusmurrmuerserumesmeummsmmsremuuumumsmmmruemesremmeumsrmrmrr

(Try it: you can highlight the text because the “image” is just colored text, not like the text in the screenshot images above in the collages. Fun, eh? And yes, I know I’m a nerd 😉

To place the image on your website or blog, just select the View menu and then Source (for Firefox users, but it’s similar for other browsers) and then select, copy, and paste the text indicated below:

Have fun! I’d love to see your mosaics. You can upload them to the Housewife Eclectic Photo Share on flickr for everyone to share in and be inspired! See you all next week!

Lu (or Lorene if you prefer) is the mom of one squirmy boy and the wife of a singing and dancing elementary teacher. She is the proud author of this weekly Wednesdays on the Web segment here on Housewife Eclectic and spends the other days of the week blogging about books, crafts, recipes, and whatever else comes up at just Lu.