Create a 10-panel recursive visual-discovery image with an AI image generator

What you’ll get

You will create a single image containing 10 smaller panels. Each panel will be a zoomed-in view of a specific rectangular area from the panel immediately before it, creating a visual journey of discovery. This technique uses an AI image generator’s ability to interpret complex instructions to produce a unique, recursive artwork, perfect for creative projects or generating engaging social media content.

Tools you need

• Microsoft Copilot (freemium): An AI assistant that includes an image generator powered by DALL-E 3, allowing you to create images from text descriptions.

Steps

1. Open the AI image generator: Go to Microsoft Copilot in your web browser or app.

   You should see the chat interface ready for your input.

2. Paste the recursive image prompt: Copy the entire prompt below and paste it into the chat box.

   Create ONE finished 10-panel recursive visual-discovery image. This is a one-prompt visual experiment. Execute the entire sequence yourself from beginning to end. Do not ask me to choose a crop, approve a frame, or make intermediate decisions. STARTING IMAGE RULE If I provide an image with this prompt, that supplied image is the IMMUTABLE Panel 1. Do not regenerate it. Do not reinterpret it. Do not change poses. Do not move objects. Do not add objects. Do not alter architecture. Do not change perspective. Do not change lighting. Do not replace characters. Do not improve or redesign its composition. Panel 1 is evidence and ground truth. If no image is supplied, create Panel 1 yourself from a complete creative blank slate. After Panel 1 exists, you control the exploration path, discoveries, apparent scale changes, and final Easter egg. I should NOT know where the journey is going. Create one large scientific/contact-sheet-style image containing exactly 10 sequential panels. The central experience must be: “I can actually see where THAT came from.” ──────────────────────── THE CORE RECURSIVE RULE ──────────────────────── Every panel must be a genuine visual descendant of a rectangular region visibly contained in the panel immediately before it. This is the most important requirement. Panel 2 must come from Panel 1. Panel 3 must come from Panel 2. Panel 4 must come from Panel 3. Panel 5 must come from Panel 4. Panel 6 must come from Panel 5. Panel 7 must come from Panel 6. Panel…

   The AI will start processing your request and generate the image. This might take a minute or two.

3. Review the generated image: Once the image appears, examine the 10 panels.

   You should see a single image with 10 distinct panels, where each panel appears to zoom into a part of the previous one, following the recursive rule. The final panel might reveal a small, unexpected detail (the “Easter egg”).

Original source

This creative visual experiment was shared by Reddit user /u/NVDA808 on the platform Reddit, demonstrating a unique way to use AI image generators for recursive art.

Notes & variations

Other freemium AI image generators like Ideogram (ideogram.ai) or Leonardo.ai also offer free tiers that could be used for this workflow, though results may vary. A common pitfall is that the AI might struggle to maintain perfect visual continuity or the recursive rule across all 10 panels. If the result isn’t quite right, try regenerating the image or slightly rephrasing parts of the prompt to emphasize the ‘zoom-in’ aspect. To get better results, you can add a starting theme or subject to the prompt, for example, ‘Create ONE finished 10-panel recursive visual-discovery image, starting with a bustling market scene in Lagos…’ This gives the AI a clearer initial direction.