Welcome to the Pointillizer! This interactive tool lets you apply the artistic technique of pointillism to visualize and experience images and video in playful, dynamic ways.
- Upload an image or video, or select an example dataset.
- Your image will start pointillizing automatically. Use the top menu to
pause
,
reset
, or
resolve
the image.
- Adjust the animation speed, dot size, and other settings in the settings menu.
- Use the frame view menu to save images or video frames and compare them side-by-side.
- Try using keyboard shortcuts like
space to play/pause,
r to reset the canvas, or
i to resolve the image.
All your data stays local on your device. Nothing is uploaded or stored externally.
Watch Demonstration Video
The Pointillizer is an open-source project built with Svelte and p5.js licensed under GNU GPLv3, developed by Ben Rydal Shapiro, Deborah Silvis, Edwin Zhao, and others with support from the National Science Foundation. Special thanks to Dan Shiffman and the p5.js community for inspiration. Sample image data from Photography Project UK; rights remain with original creators. If using Pointillizer in your research, kindly reference:
Shapiro, B.R., Silvis, D., & Hall, R. (forthcoming). Visualization as Theory and Experience: Interactive Qualitative Data Visualization for the Learning Sciences. Journal of the Learning Sciences.