dirty-pixel-particles

name	dirty-pixel-particles
description	generate dirty-pixel gif art from uploaded images with real particle breakup, region-aware motion, and readable silhouettes. use when the user asks to make gif art, animated pixel art, dirty pixel particles, glitch pixel loops, mascot/icon gif loops, or to re-render an image as particle animation rather than a literal redraw.

Dirty Pixel Particles

Use this skill to turn an input image into dirty-pixel GIF art that actually feels particulate. Preserve the subject enough to read, but do not treat a near-literal redraw as the goal.

Default workflow

1. Use scripts/generate_dirty_pixel_particles.py.
2. Choose a semantic preset:
   • character for mascots, people, animals, icons, and objects with accessories.
   • creature for animal-like forms with appendages.
   • totem for stacked or vertical objects.
   • orb for circular emblems, planets, halos, and abstract blobs.
3. Default to --mode particle.
4. Add --strict-landmarks only when the user explicitly wants stronger likeness retention.
5. Use --strict-acceptance when the user complains about quality, readability, or previous results.
6. Return the accepted GIF plus a brief note on what preset, mode, and strictness were used.

Required anti-failure rules

• Do not collapse the subject into an unreadable cloud, but allow meaningful breakup and drift.
• Always keep a subject anchor layer, then add breakup, edge shedding, and free particle drift on top.
• Animate semantic regions differently so the head/body/mount/accessories do not collapse into one blob.
• Use landmark pinning only when stronger likeness retention is needed.
• Allow whole-form thinning in particle mode; reserve full-body preservation for readable mode.
• Run the acceptance check. A render should be rejected or re-run if paused frames lose contour readability, landmark visibility, region coverage, or drift far outside the silhouette.

Command examples

python scripts/generate_dirty_pixel_particles.py input.png output.gif --preset character --mode particle --palette source --frames 36 --size 768 --block 3

python scripts/generate_dirty_pixel_particles.py input.png output.gif --preset character --mode readable --palette source --strict-landmarks --strict-acceptance --frames 36 --size 768 --block 3

Palette options:

• source: preserve source colors and readability.
• white-blue: cold signal/static look.
• red-orange: heat/noise look.
• acid: neon glitch look.
• mono: grayscale dirty-pixel look.

See references/rendering_rules.md for quality rules.