Can AI Generate a Seamless Wallpaper Pattern?

Pattern Contest. Hmm, I thought how about making a pattern that could be used as wallpaper so it's seamless when combined? But what pattern should I chose.

So I like irony and thought how about making a pattern that can never repeat ... repeat. That's right, I said it - a repeatable non-repeating pattern.

By now you guessed it, I made wallpaper out of various images of Pi(es) so they could repeat. Actually, I first tried AI to see if it could make it and you can see those results in Step 1.

But I settled on the doing it the (almost) old fashion way and used a graphics tool to help with steps AI taught me how to use. Well, happily, it turned out much better and easier than trying to get AI to create by itself. (Really, did I just make AI sound something like a human?) Anyway best of all, I was able to customize and adapt to create any wallpaper-able pattern.

BTW, for those math nerds who thought I really made Pi repeat, here is a link of a world record showing 22.4 Trillion digits of pie with no repeatable pattern. Wonder if AI can find a repeatable pattern in PI? (No, I won’t ask that to AI now… that will be our trick when it tries to take us over… we’ll call it Pi-minator!)

Of course you need bunch of pictures of Pies - just google for that

AI Image generator -- I used ChatGPT

Canva graphics design tool

ChatGPT almost got it right but when the image was tiled to create a seamless wallpaper, there were some issues. See yellow highlights where there were seam issues.

Below is an example of my prompt interaction with GPT. I tried many times but no luck- maybe you can do better.

ME> Please make me an image with several different colorful real pies in such a way that I can tile them horizontally and vertically to create a seamless wallpaper pattern.

GPT> Here's the pie-themed seamless wallpaper pattern you requested. You can use this design for stitching together to create a continuous and seamless wallpaper. Let me know if you'd like any adjustments!

ME> This isn’t quite right, the edges are not aligning and there are seam issues.

GPT> I see! Let me adjust the design to ensure the pies' edges align perfectly when repeated. I'll recreate the pattern with improved symmetry so the adjoining sides match seamlessly.

ME> This still is not correct since when the image is copied and placed around the first image the objects are not aligned and matching with the corresponding objects at the bottom and top regions.

GPT> I understand now. The issue likely comes from improper symmetry where the objects don't align exactly on the edges. I'll make sure the design properly wraps around so the pies on the edges line up correctly when repeated both horizontally and vertically. Let me recreate the pattern with precise edge matching.

Well since I wasn't successful with GPT making the images I thought I'd ask GPT what would be the best tool for me to use to make it manually. Below are the steps GPT suggest.

To make a seamless wallpaper image using Canva, follow these steps:

Create a new design: Start by creating a new design in Canva. Choose a custom size that is large enough for your desired wallpaper.

Upload your images: Upload the images you want to use for your wallpaper. You can use your own images or Canva's stock photos.

Arrange your images: Arrange your images on the canvas in a way that you like. You can resize, rotate, and flip the images to get the desired effect.

Add elements: Add any additional elements you want to your wallpaper, such as text, shapes, or icons.

Create a seamless pattern: To create a seamless pattern, you will need to duplicate your design and arrange it so that it seamlessly repeats. You can use Canva's grid tools to help you align the images correctly.

Export your wallpaper: Once you are satisfied with your wallpaper, export it as a high-resolution image file. You can choose from a variety of file formats, such as JPG, PNG, or PDF.

Here are some additional tips for creating a seamless wallpaper image using Canva:

1. Use high-resolution images: This will ensure that your wallpaper looks sharp and clear.
2. Choose a simple background: A simple background will help your images stand out.
3. Use a consistent color palette: This will help your wallpaper look cohesive.
4. Test your wallpaper: Once you have finished creating your wallpaper, test it on your device to make sure it looks good.

To make sure Canva would work, I did a quick test and took a view pies and place them around the edges of a canvas so I could see if they would align seamlessly when the pattern repeated.

Canva has a cool feature that shows when an image is exactly split in half. Then you can replicate it directly opposite to the other side by pressing ALT and shift to copy the image and move it to the opposite side. The border of the canvas shows colored lines when you have the image exactly position to split in half. You can watch the video to see this in action.

I then exported the Canva file and then copied to see if the image would tile seamlessly. See the 2nd video.

It was perfect!!!

For the final image, I just googled a bunch of Pie and Pi images and placed them around the canvas and used the step above to make sure the edge pieces match up seamlessly when tiled to create wallpaper.

So now you have it and it's much easier. I have to tip my hat to GPT for the suggested approach and frankly much more fulfilling to do it myself versus GPT doing everything.

Now it's your turn to try it!