BP15_2009113_Web2.0-Repper

http://repper.studioludens.com/
Yea, backgrounds! Yea, “I-don’t-have-to-create-an-account!” Yea, it’s free! Yea, I don’t-have-to-download-anything! So, yeah, Repper is a great site.

We began using a video program that uses greenscreen technology last year so my classes superimpose the backgrounds that came with the “box,” but those are getting a bit stale. One of my students learned Motion which is a highly complicated program and that has helped. However, I would like for my students to be able to create their own backgrounds to use on our broadcasts or for whatever effect they are trying to achieve.

That’s where Repper comes in. You can use any image, upload any image, use one from their gallery, change one from their gallery and it’s all free. In fact, all images are covered under creative commons--just don’t try to sell any of them. The beauty is that you can simply create any type of pattern, large or small from literally anything.

The example I have here is the same image of my dog in the photo; I played around with Repper and got the attached pattern. You can see the tiny square on the original photo in the corner of where the pattern came from.

I can see this being used in an art class, although I am not an artist, there are patterns and other artistic values in this program.

It could also be used in photography to illustrate another composition technique called “repetition of pattern.”

Other ideas the site mentions is to use these as background for profiles or to make cards. They even link you to a site that you can create a custom card for someone and send it for a fee.

These patterns then can be downloaded as a .jpg file right onto your computer. And did I mention they are free and there is no registration? The only drawback, and maybe I just missed it, was I couldn’t download the entire repeated image, only the part that created the image. But hey, it sure is fun!