What to try
- Compare Uniform and Gaussian distributions.
- For Gaussian, vary mean and standard deviation; draw a new seed and restore seed 42.
What to look for: The histogram counts the displayed samples. Narrow deviation concentrates brightness, while extreme Gaussian samples are clipped to 0 or 1. Restoring the seed reproduces the same draws.
How it works
The Lab’s white-noise generator uses a uniform value distribution for independent cells. The Gaussian generator concentrates values around a mean according to a standard deviation. Both are seeded, so the same settings and dimensions reproduce the same realization.
Cell size controls the spatial footprint of each draw. A larger size repeats a value over a bigger area, making a mosaic rather than fine grain. Mapping low and high values to colors changes the appearance without changing which random draws occurred.
Use it in the Lab
Use noise as a starting material for thresholding, blur, morphology or grain-like layers. For coherent shapes rather than independent values, use Perlin or another spatially correlated field.
Limits & distinctions
The output is bounded to the display range, so extreme Gaussian values are clipped. A uniform distribution and a white spectrum are different concepts even though both apply to this independent uniform generator.
Sources & references
Guide updated