Primitive
Recreates an image using a set number of simple geometric shapes, one at a time.
- Stars
- 13.6k
- Forks
- 672
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Go
- Last update
- 2.3 years ago
- Type
- CLI
No commits in over a year — check for forks or alternatives before adopting.
What it is
Primitive takes a picture and rebuilds it from simple shapes such as triangles, ellipses, and rectangles. It adds one shape at a time, each chosen to reduce the difference between the result and the original, so the output looks abstract and artistic. It runs as a command-line tool written in Go, and the README also mentions a native macOS app.
- Turn a photo into a PNG or JPG made of 50 to 200 shapes
- Export the result as an SVG vector file
- Create an animated GIF showing shapes being added (requires ImageMagick)
- Run the same image several times to get different abstract versions
Great for
- Artists exploring generative or abstract image styles
- Developers who want a Go example of image optimization with hill climbing
- People who want to turn photos into vector SVG art
- Students learning how simple shapes can approximate an image
Not ideal for
- Anyone needing exact photo reproduction, since the README describes a stylized approximation
- Users who want a point-and-click tool without a terminal, unless they use the macOS app, which the README does not detail
- Very large images, since the README recommends small inputs (around 256x256px) for speed
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Go (install from golang.org)
Install primitive with Go
go get -u github.com/fogleman/primitive - 2
Run it
- Install Go using the link in the README
- Run the install command
- Run: primitive -i input.png -o output.png -n 100
- Open output.png to see the result
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use -m to pick a shape mode, such as 1 for triangles or 3 for ellipses
- Save multiple outputs at once by using -o more than once, for example PNG and SVG
- Use a %d pattern in the output filename to save each frame separately
- Use -r to set a smaller resize size for faster runs on large images
Downloads
Strengths
- Simple idea that produces distinctive, recognizable art
- Supports several shape types and multiple output formats including SVG
- Permissively licensed under MIT
Trade-offs
- Output is an artistic approximation, not a faithful copy
- Large inputs run slowly; the README advises resizing to small images
- README does not document the macOS app's features or requirements
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| primitive (this) | 13.6k | CLI | intermediate | 2.3 years ago | Artists exploring generative or abstract image styles |
| Pixelorama | 10.9k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | Pixel artists making sprites or tiles for games |
| renderdoc | 11.3k | App | intermediate | 6 days ago | Graphics programmers debugging their own Vulkan, D3D11, D3D12, or OpenGL applications |
| iced | 31.9k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | Rust developers building a desktop GUI application |
| magictools | 17.7k | Curated list | beginner | 5 days ago | Indie game developers looking for sprites, textures, icons, or 3D models |
| DearPyGui | 15.7k | Library | beginner | 18 days ago | Python developers who want a desktop GUI for a script or internal tool |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.