Calligram Creator

Calligrams are collections of words that make up a picture. To put it another way, they are displayed in such a way that their layout builds an image usually related to the meaning of the text itself. While there are various online generators on the Internet and tutorials for creating calligrams, you might prefer an offline solution to help you turn regular photos into calligrams. If so, Calligram Creator is one of the tools you can choose.

Upon launch, you are greeted by a tab-based interface that features a Mac OSX-specific theme. While all the options are fairly intuitive, you will notice that there is no load button to add the source image. To do so, you have to navigate to the Admin tab, create a new event in the 'Event log' tab, then go to the 'Files and Folders' tab, select the location of the initial source picture file, and load it. You can also change the default text file to use words from, the list of fonts, the color profiles, and so on.

There are various other settings in the 'Admin' tab, but this issue will be covered later in this text. Going back to creating a calligram, you can configure the paper orientation (landscape or portrait), adjust the outline and the filling strength, and change the color palette. The preview does not automatically update, so you will have to press the 'Create calligram' button everytime a change is made.

Calligram Creator also allows you to take snapshots and use them as input, or connect a webcam to your PC and use it as a video source.

There are various customization options you can experiment with. Calligram Creator allows you to set the size of the output and the paper, modify the number of words to use and their font and style, change the background color and the distance between words. Logograms can also be created, and similar parameters are available in this case as well.

Calligrams can be added various templates with different borders and cartoon icons to make them more appealing to the younger audience. Unfortunately, there is no option to add new icons, symbols, or frames, so you will have to settle for the default modest collection of templates.

With Calligram Creator anyone can create a high-resolution calligram image and save it locally, print it on paper, or send it via email. What's more, the application enables you to design the layout of the email, and customize the printing preferences.

While the application manages to do its job and help you create compelling calligram images, some users might find it a bit difficult to use at first. Luckily, there is detailed documentation to get you started and help you get accustomed to using Calligram Creator.