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Show HN: Photo Realistic QR-Codes

qrpicture.com

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Re: Show HN: Photo Realistic QR-Codes

#2

Post by pickledcods »

Hi HN!

Inspired by a recent HN article on QR codes [0], I decided to finally publish [1] and open-source [2] a service I created 7 years ago. I got pulled away from it by projects with higher priority and it has been catching dust and been bitrot eroding since. Now reconstructed the basics and hosted on an AWS instance I would like to share so it might inspire.

Creating a photo realistic QR requires two steps. The first is to create a 93x93 dithered monochrome image. The dithering is calculated to preserve the mandatory QR framework/timing bits and keep the data/crc bits conforming. Trying to maximize the crc bits to match the original image.

The second step is adding colour information as a 186x186 dithered layer. The colour palette is created using Spacial Colour Quantification which uses the 93x93 QR image as constraints on the available colour range.

SCQ also stabilises palettes used for animations (a service not made available through the site yet).

  [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24119124
  [1] https://www.qrpicture.com 
  [2] https://github.com/xyzzy/qrpicture

Re: Show HN: Photo Realistic QR-Codes

#3

Post by gus_massa »

I only get B&W QR. (In case it is important, I used the first photo (one with three vertical yellow bananas) https://www.google.com/search?q=banana&rlz=1C1CHBF_esAR839AR... )

> If QR does not scan, then Re-Generate with more (+1) safer settings

What does this do? Can you give a technical explanation?

I don't like when the outline is so small that it doesn't cover the horizontal o vertical part of the grid. (This is a personal opinion anyway.)

Note: Remove the two spaces before the links in your comment, so they become clickable.

Re: Show HN: Photo Realistic QR-Codes

#4

Post by pickledcods »

gus_massa wrote: post #3

I only get B&W QR. (In case it is important, I used the first photo (one with three vertical yellow bananas) https://www.google.com/search?q=banana&rlz=1C1CHBF_esAR839AR... ) > If QR does not scan, then Re-Generate with more (+1) safer settings What does this do? Can you give a technical explanation? I don't like when the outline is so small that it doesn't cover the horizontal o vertical part of the grid. (This is a…

Thanks for the example. It's the colour threshold. But with the brief number samples already posted I'm going to replace that that and generate two QR's. A low and high colour contrast.

Re: Show HN: Photo Realistic QR-Codes

#5

Post by AriaMinaei »

Slightly OT, but when migrating data between iPhones, the old iPhone displays an animated point cloud that appears to function like a QR code. You scan it with the new phone, and your data starts to migrate locally through Bluetooth.

Other than aesthetics, what are the advantages of the point cloud? Higher bandwidth?

Also, if you were to transfer 100s of megabytes of data from device A to B, using A's display and B's camera, what tech would you look into?

Re: Show HN: Photo Realistic QR-Codes

#7

Post by detaro »

pickledcods wrote: post #2

Hi HN! Inspired by a recent HN article on QR codes [0], I decided to finally publish [1] and open-source [2] a service I created 7 years ago. I got pulled away from it by projects with higher priority and it has been catching dust and been bitrot eroding since. Now reconstructed the basics and hosted on an AWS instance I would like to share so it might inspire. Creating a photo realistic QR requires two steps. The fi…

Cool idea. Sadly only the b/w example scans for me, and even that takes a while to register.

Re: Show HN: Photo Realistic QR-Codes

#8

Post by jonathanlydall »

detaro wrote: post #7
pickledcods wrote: post #2

Hi HN! Inspired by a recent HN article on QR codes [0], I decided to finally publish [1] and open-source [2] a service I created 7 years ago. I got pulled away from it by projects with higher priority and it has been catching dust and been bitrot eroding since. Now reconstructed the basics and hosted on an AWS instance I would like to share so it might inspire. Creating a photo realistic QR requires two steps. The fi…

Cool idea. Sadly only the b/w example scans for me, and even that takes a while to register.

All work on my iPhone 6S.

Re: Show HN: Photo Realistic QR-Codes

#10

Post by pickledcods »

dexen wrote: post #9

Funny how QR codes scanning pictures of people has more content, and is more engaging, than the "Pictures of People Scanning QR-codes" [1]. In all seriousness, impressive work - and very pragmatic delivery, queue system and all. ---- [1] https://picturesofpeoplescanningqrcodes.tumblr.com/

The queuing was based on 2007 metrics on load and usage. It now seems this needs updating. Preferably making if full client-side javascript.
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