From "Hello, World!" sequence From "Hello, World!" sequence From "Hello, World!" sequence

Light Pattern     Creative Commons License


Light Pattern is a programming language where one communicates with the computer through photographs instead of text.

Light Pattern, like other programming languages, is a list of rules, a grammar to communicate with a compiler. In Light Pattern, this communication happens through source code made up of photographs. Instead of using words to communicate to the machine, it uses changes in color and exposure from one image to the next. This grammar can be found here.

This piece on Kill Screen Daily serves as a great introduction to the language.

Here is an excerpt of a program that writes "Hello, World!" to the screen. The same subject was used, so that changes in color and exposure are made more clear visually:


See more Hello, World programs here

Light Patten can be used to create any simple program. The language is unusual in that it's nearly impossible to write the same program exactly the same way more than once; even when the program functions identically, the photos that make up the source code will be differenct every time a program is constructed. The programmatic recipes are strategies for pairing programs and images. They provide patterns to construct programs repeatedly, exploring the same theme with differing images.

Writing complex or lengthy Light Pattern programs can be difficult. So there is also a machine that takes the photos to write a program automatically.

Light Pattern is open to anyone to use or misuse as they see fit. All content on the site is released under Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution license. There is no non-commercial or share-alike clause, so feel free to write commercial software with Light Pattern code. :)

My Writing on Light Pattern: Press on Light Pattern:

Created by Daniel Temkin