GeneticFX Studio has two potential classes of more serious user, either you can use the system as a tool to develop image processing effects or as a platform to explore procedural genotypic models.

It is not actually an image that is being evolved when you use GeneticFX, rather a mathematical expression, the result of evaluating the expression being the image. The expression or Genotype is constructed from nested procedural operations, some are simple mathematical operations, others are procedures to generate patterns, distort colours, warp images, etc. You can take any genotype and hook any of its procedures, so instead of performing its normal function, it imports a graphics file. The final rendered genetic image is then the result of the genetic operations on the imported image.

For example, here on the left is a photo of some miscreant, on the right is an evolved image.

When we process the photo with the genotype two example results are: (click on them for a bigger picture)

These two different images are the result of hooking the genotype in two different places. If you click on the image thumbnails above you will notice the genotype expression beneath the larger view of the image.

You can use this facility to evolve genotypes which effect imported images in new and interesting ways. Essentially you are evolving new algorithmic image processing functions without having to concern yourself with either the mathematical concepts underlying the effect or the actual programming implementation of the effect.

The system can evolve effects which you will recognise, such as simple image blurring, sharpening or embossing. But that is the tip of the iceberg, there are a limitless number of effects to explore.

Once you have evolved an image processing effect you want to keep and use on other images you can simply save the genotype. Genotypes are saved as small text files, which can be reloaded into GeneticFX Studio at any time and used to process images.