7 generation modes
Luminance Contours, Eikonal Contours, Flow Streamlines, Weighted Stipple, TSP Continuous Line, Cross Hatch, and Subject Wire — each with its own artistic character.
Image-to-Contour Art Studio
Marching≈Waves Turn any image into flowing contour artwork.
Upload an image and watch it transform into elegant contour lines, streamlines, stipple patterns, TSP art, or cross-hatching. Free and runs entirely in your browser.
Open the toolFree • No registration • No installation
What you can do with Marching Waves
No image editing experience needed. Just drop in a photo and explore the artistic possibilities.
Adaptive contours
Edge guidance, adaptive density, and smoothness controls. Fine-tune how contours follow image features.
Color & style controls
Adjust line color, invert the output, and set detail levels. Full creative control over the final look.
Luminance + Eikonal modes
Choose direct luminance contours for speed or Eikonal equation contours for adaptive, flow-aware line art.
SVG export for plotters
Export clean vector paths as SVG — ready for pen plotters and alternative plotting software (Axidraw, Inkscape, LightBurn, etc.).
GPU + worker pool
WebGPU accelerates preprocessing, gradients, and the Eikonal solver (with automatic CPU fallback); Web Workers keep the UI responsive.
Generation modes
Each mode produces a distinct artistic effect from the same source image.
Marching Contours
Uses the Eikonal Equation to generate elevation-style contour lines. Ideal for topographical maps, flowing forms, and line art.
Flow Streamlines
Follows the gradient flow of the image. Creates stream-like patterns that trace the direction of edges and features.
Weighted Stipple
Density-based stippling: more dots in darker areas. Creates a hand-stippled, pointillist effect.
TSP Art (Continuous Line)
Joins all contour segments into a single continuous path, like a traveling salesman tour. One unbroken line.
Cross Hatch
Overlapping sets of parallel lines at controlled angles. Density maps to image brightness for a sketch-like appearance.
Subject Wire
A local visual heuristic distills the focal subject, structural axis, and salient relationships into sparse black wire paths instead of tracing the background.
Three steps to create
It takes seconds to go from image to artwork.
Load an image
Drop any image onto the upload area, click to browse, or use the sample pattern to see what's possible.
Choose your mode & settings
Pick from 7 generation modes, adjust level step, line width, adaptive settings, and style options.
Generate & export
Click Generate, watch the contour lines form in real time, and export as SVG for use in your projects.
Use cases
Contour-based artwork fits many creative and professional contexts.
Poster & print design
Wall art & decor
Logo & brand elements
Data visualization aesthetics
Website background graphics
Generative art collections
Social media visuals
Pattern design & textiles
Frequently asked questions
What is Marching Waves?
A free browser-based tool that converts images into contour-based artwork using Marching Squares and the Eikonal Equation. Upload any image and choose from seven distinct artistic styles.
Is it free? Do I need to sign up?
Completely free. No registration, no installation, no data uploads to servers. Everything runs locally in your browser.
What image formats are supported?
Any image file your browser can display — JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, and more. Drag and drop or click to select.
Can I export my results?
Yes. Export as SVG for vector editing in design tools like Illustrator or Inkscape.
Does it work on mobile?
The interface is responsive and works on mobile and tablet browsers. Processing performance depends on device capabilities.
What is the Eikonal Equation?
It's a partial differential equation that models wavefront propagation. Marching Waves uses it to solve distance maps on images, creating smooth contour paths that follow image features.
What is Subject Wire?
Subject Wire runs locally in the browser. It uses saliency, connected regions, principal structure, and image flow to create sparse conceptual lines. It is intentionally heuristic, not semantic object or pose recognition.