Creative Coding With DCTL: Part 6

September 16, 2021

In part 6 of his ongoing series, Cullen Kelly explores how to combine two separate DCTLs for increased user functionality without adding complexity.


Series

Combining Multiple Tools Into One

Today we’re going to build on what we learned in Part 5 to create an improved tool that includes both our linear and S-curve contrast algorithms and offers the user their choice of the two. Along the way, we’ll cover:

  • Thinking and working in ‘modules’
  • Using if/then conditionals to evaluate user input and alter code behaviors accordingly
  • Declaring, passing and returning variables between functions
  • Debugging our S-curve algorithm for values above 1

Let’s get into it!

Adding Complexity Without Getting Lost

As we work our way toward building out our Filmic Contrast DCTL, it’s going to become increasingly important for us to consider not only what our code does, but how it’s structured. For example, we understand by now that we can have a DCTL whose behavior is completely contained within our main “transform” function. But after Part 5, we also know that we can create additional functions and invoke them from within the main “transform” function (or from within any other function).

But what’s the real benefit of separating our DCTL’s behavior into multiple functions? Does it allow us to do things we couldn’t accomplish with a single function?

In general: no. The key benefit of using multiple functions is to allow our script to increase in scope and complexity without becoming overly difficult to read or debug. To get a better sense of what I mean, let’s write out some pseudo-code for the tool we’re going to build today, which will apply our linear contrast formula or our s-curve contrast formula depending on the user’s selection:

  1. Input the user’s desired contrast and pivot values using sliders
  2. Input the user’s desired contrast formula using a drop-down menu
  3. Evaluate the following conditional:
    1. If the user selected S-curve contrast, apply the s-curve contrast algorithm to the input pixel using the provided parameters
    2. If the user selected linear contrast, apply linear contrast algorithm to the input pixel using the provided parameters
  4. Return the result of step 3.

The place where separate functions can really help us code this up is in step 3. The idea is that rather than spell out these contrast algorithms on the spot, we can invoke a separate well-named function that contains those algorithms. In doing so, we’ll end up with concise and easily understood code:

if (contrast_type == Linear) {

out = apply_linear_contrast(contrast, pivot);

}

if (contrast_type == S-Curve) {

out = apply_linear_contrast(contrast, pivot);

}

Observe the difference between the complexity and legibility of the above snippet with one which doesn’t use separate functions:

if (contrast_type == Linear) {

out = (in - pivot) * contrast + pivot;

} 

if (contrast_type == S-Curve) {

if (in <= pivot) {

out = _powf((in / pivot), contrast) * pivot;

}

else {

in = 1 - in;

pivot = 1 - pivot;

out = _powf((in / pivot), contrast) * pivot;

out = 1 - out;


}

}

I think we can all agree that the second snippet takes longer to read, and that its behavior is harder to follow. By relying on separate functions, we can build a DCTL that’s easier to keep our bearings in, and easier to debug. If there’s an issue or change needed with the algorithm, we can focus on its dedicated function. If there’s an issue with when and how the algorithm is being applied, we can focus the way it’s invoked with our main ” transform” function.

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Comments

Homepage Forums Creative Coding With DCTL: Part 6


  • Scott Stacy
    Guest

    Brilliant. Greatly appreciate your coding expertise to those of us with “coding dyslexia.” This will be a very useful tool. Thanks!


  • andi winter
    Guest

    brilliant


  • Simon Rabeder
    Guest

    Oh wow, really interesting so far! For some reason I get black output on input values exceeding 1.0f at the input (in debugging). It doesn’t mirror down but wrap to 0.0. Even after introducing the zero check. I’ve looked it over and tried to debug but my code seems to pretty much mirror yours math wise.


  • Jack W
    Guest

    Had the same issue! Checked Cullen’s DCTL and it had the same problem.


  • Jim Robinson
    Guest

    I have a halation set up in the group post clip and with this DCTL it breaks the image. Turn off the halation it works fine. Using regular contrast from the primary tool and it doesn’t break the image. I get a bunch of digital black garbage in the image.


  • Cullen Kelly
    Guest

    Interesting! I’m able to drive the contrast slider hard and still do things like halation without getting breakage. Does the black garbage appear in a particular tonal region, or just randomly?


  • Cullen Kelly
    Guest

    Good catch here guys! Input values which come in outside the proper domain (0-1), will indeed cause highlights to flip upside down. We can clamp our input values to that range by placing the following code in our main transform function immediately after float3 in = {p_R, p_G, p_B}:

    in.x = _clampf(in.x, 0.f, 1.f);
    in.y = _clampf(in.y, 0.f, 1.f);
    in.z = _clampf(in.z, 0.f, 1.f);


  • Jon Coy
    Member

    I was just about to test mine, so I’m glad a solution was found! Good catch there Cullen, and it makes sense why the highlights would invert like that.


    • Cullen Kelly
      Member

      Glad this helped Jon!

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