HDTR image generator
Capturing time in a single image—this tool generates High Dynamic Time Range (HDTR) images by compositing a sequence of photos taken over time. It supports both daily sequences (e.g., sunrise to sunset) and yearly sequences (e.g., seasonal changes) and arranges them into a structured strip-based layout. Inspired from Eirik Solheim’s project and code implemented using the tutorial from Martin Krzywinski’s blog.
The script processes a folder of images, extracts timestamps from filenames, and stitches them together while allowing customization of:
- Strip arrangement direction (left-to-right, top-to-bottom, etc.)
- Blending options (spatial and temporal smoothing between images)
- Strip width distributions (uniform, sine wave, Gaussian)
- Time labels with configurable intervals
- Directional indicators to visualize the sequence flow
Written in Python, the script uses Pillow for image manipulation and NumPy for numerical operations. The output is a single image that visually represents the time-based transformation of a scene.
Check out the code on GitHub and generate your own HDTR images with just a few commands!