Whorl App Feature Overview
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One of my favorite visual design apps these days is whorl. Mostly because the graphics it generates are strikingly simple and beautiful; also because I am always on the hunt for visual design assets and this is a very useful tool that allows me to produce a lot very quickly. This is short and easy guide to familiarize you to the app.
One thing you will hear me say all the time is: "push the button and see what happens". By that I mean art and design is a discovery process; pressing buttons just to see what happens will return great surprises. This practice allows creators to discover new styles and themes.
You can get the app here. The free version is perfect for exploring the app's potential; it has limited styles and shapes to choose from but the combinations are still limitless. Paying users get more options and they can also save the images without the watermark. Before I started paying, I cut the watermark out of the images with my iPhone photos crop tool.
Below is the UI when you first open the app. The top bar has basic visual elements: Style, Shape, Color and Photo. When selected, it opens a menu of respective visual options. To the right of those elements is the live play button which plays a video of the object changing. The far button allows you to share.
The area in the center will be referred to as either the Object or the Work area. This is because the visual can look like a central object or a pattern depending on the pattern option in the lower left hand corner of the UI.
Notice the white dot indicating the style selection; they indicate what visual element. The menu that opens below styles indicates what styles are selectable. The below images are examples of just some of the styles.
Notice that white icon below the styles. If it has those circular recycling arrows, you can change that style to the same one but with a different qualities. Keep an eye out for those icons, they will allow you to shuffle that selection's option.
To change shape, select the Shape to open the menu of shapes.
Some shape selections come with a white icon that warps the visual. There are more shaping icons in the bottom left if you want to add more. Alternatively, you can put them back.
Now let's look at color. By default, the background color is a gradient. The gradient colors are set by the bottom color palette. Changing the colors from the bottom will change both the background color and the color of the object.
To make the background monotone select a color from the top color palette.
You are then free to change the color of the object with the bottom palette without changing the color of the object.
The final main visual feature allows photos to be blended into the object. Stay tuned for a more detailed post on how to use it. But for now, see how the size of the images can be changed by pinching or spreading fingers.
I'll do a deeper dive into all the features and I'll kick off some tutorials that demo how to make specific things such as logos with the app. But don't wait up, grab whorl from the app store and play with it today.
When you are happy with an image, save it, use it in something else, share it.
For inspiration, check out my store, I sell some of the designs I made!!
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Note: Some articles may contain affiliate links to products or services I use in my own business or enjoy in my creative practice. I plug 'em to help and inspire others and also to keep my own lights on ; )