Our partners in Sungei Wang have moved out and been replaced by an exciting new concept called Honeycomb.

Honeycomb provides retail rental services for customers like Photofractals, allowing us to rent a space with them to sell and advertise our products and services.

We’re very excited about this and hope you will come visit us at our new home (which is the same location as our old home but a completely new concept)!

Its been a while since we’ve updated the blog but theres a few new things we wanted to let everyone know about.

First of all, photofractals have for some time now been available at a number of prominent locations throughout Malaysia and overseas through a network of partner stores. Whether you purchase a photofractal directly from us or through one of our partners, the quality of your photofractal is the same as we process and produce all orders ourselves. So look out for photofractals near you – the number of locations is increasing steadily every year. Of course, we’re always happy to get feedback and requests from you directly, so if there is anything that our partners have trouble answering for you, please do contact us or drop by to say hi!

Another exciting development is that gift certificate codes are now available for you to give to your friends and loved ones! Photofractals make perfect gifts, but sometimes you may not have enough photos of your friends/loved ones to make the photofractals yourself, so gift certificates make it really easy. Just purchase the photofractal as normal and let us know (via email or comment box if ordering online, or phone/in person if not) that its a gift and we’ll send you a certificate code which you can give to your intended recipient. The recipient can then come along at any time with his or her own photos, give us the code and we’ll handle the rest, they won’t even know how much the gift costs (unless of course they specifically enquire about prices).

Soon we’ll have actual printed gift certificates for purchase too, we’ll update you as soon as this becomes available.

Until next time, have a great day and thanks for preserving your memories with Photofractals.

The Photofractals Team

Just a quick update to show you guys the new college banner on display in some of the major colleges in the country. We offer special prices to students in those schools but orders must be placed through the school for the offers to apply.

Today’s post will recap on the results of the Merdeka project, which we’ve mentioned in a few posts before. The whole process was pretty intense for us, involving many world’s firsts, but the results were very satisfying.

In previous posts we talked about the launch process and all the related activity. Other than the grand launch and numerous roadshows, promotions were also held at many schools throughout the country, and leaflets were distributed far and wide.

Today we’ll talk about the actual making of the flag, as well as the end results.

Now one thing that most people realise in principle but dont actually realise, is that a 40 foot by 60 foot flag is BIG. It’s really really BIG! Now think about needing to make the flag from tiny portrait photos less than a square inch in size and we’re talking about processing a huge number of photos!

So unlike our normal photofractals, we needed to formulate special processes in order to process the gigantic high resolution image to be used in the merdeka flag. It required considerable ingenuity on the part of our designers, backed up with an incredible amount of computing power and memory to do it, and even then a considerable amount of time was required, but finally it was done.

The second problem that we had was how it was intended to be used – carried and hung up one entire side of the Merdeka Stadium, with all of the front and most of the back side of the flag open to the elements. That meant that the flag would have to be light weight and weather resistant. Most importantly it would have to be secured extremely well — a 40 x 60 foot flag catches a huge amount of wind generating forces enough to pull down any normal scaffolding.

The third problem we had was actually printing the flag once the design work had been completed. Whilst large posters covering the sides of buildings are fairly common, these are generally very low resolution images — they look good from a distance but not up close. This was obviously not possible in the case of the merdeka flag, as we needed the tiny individual cell pictures to be of high enough resolution to see clearly. Therefore special printing techniques and materials were needed to produce the desired effect.

We didn’t have much time to put everything together, but after a few sleepless weeks everything finally fell into place. And voila, this is result.

So how big is a 40 foot by 60 foot flag? It was so big that the largest printers could only print a small section of it.

We partially unrolled the flag here while checking it. To get an idea of the size check out the guy standing at the far end of the flag.

Here’s a close up of one section of the flag. You can see how many individual cells there are even in this small section.

So at the appointed time we trucked it over to the stadium. This is where we were to set it up.

Installing the flag took a team of almost 10 people half a day. The moment the flag was unfurled was pretty exciting.

Seeing the huge flag up there made all the hard work worth while. Immediately we started getting crowds of people coming up to admire the flag and check out all the individual cell pictures.

Side banners were placed on either side of the flag, showing all the charities and sponsors involved in the project, and of course Photofractals!

Here’s a video of the flag before we properly secured it, flying partially free in the wind.

A video of the flag before it was secured

It took an incredible number of cast iron weights and cables to firmly secure the flag, but we wanted to be very sure that it was safe and secure.

And here’s the final product!

All in all, the project was a great learning experience for us, and a chance to contribute something to the disadvantaged children of Malaysia. We also took great pride in being part of the official 50th Merdeka day celebrations, with the Prime Minister and many other top officials as well as the general public in attendance.

We look forward to many more interesting projects like this one, but in the meantime we’re looking forward to getting back to producing normal sized photofractals for normal sized people!

It’s been a while since our last update — things have been moving so fast we haven’t had time to write a new entry although plenty has happened that is worth noting down.

First up, the website is finally up, after a couple of delays to solve some technical issues, and a lot of effort by our dedicated team of developers. Its been tricky but we think its been well worth the effort getting it right. You can view the results at www.myphotofractals.com — it isn’t completely functional yet as we are still perfecting the final few things, but certainly the basic structure is live and ready for viewing. Please do let us know what you think!

Very soon the site will be fully live and ready for action.

In other news, the Merdeka flag project is also proceeding smoothly. The event launch occurred on the 10th of July with representatives from all the major media outlets in attendance.

Our sample Merdeka flag backdrop

The Stage

The Press

More Press

Children representatives

There were a couple of excellent dance performances from some deaf children, all the more impressive because they were unable to hear the music being played. With only the finger signals of their teacher as a guide, they executed their dance moves flawlessly, moving with grace and precision.

Excellent dance by deaf children.

As they are unable to hear the music, their movements rely entirely on their own sense of timing and the conducting motions of their teachers.

A final flourish, followed by…

The Finale

We were happy to receive a token of appreciation for our involvement as a sponsor of the project, and the producer of the vision flags. Here you can see (a badly taken) photo of Khai, one of our managing partners, accepting a scroll on behalf of Photofractals from the Malaysian Culture, Arts and Heritage minister, Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.

Khai receiving a scroll on behalf of Photofractals

In return we presented Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim with a rather traditional looking Photofractal of him and his wife.

Presentation of photofractal to VIPs

VIPs admiring the photofractal

There was also a cool presentation shown on how the flag would be made.

After the event, we were pleased to see how interested people were in our Photofractals, with a continuous stream of people coming to look at and take photos with our sample flag backdrop.

In other interesting Photofractal news, Astro subscribers should take a look at their August edition of the Astro Guide. The front cover is a photofractal of the flag, and one of the inner pages is an advert for the Our Vision For The Nation project (with our logo on proud display!).

Astro front cover

Advert for Vision For the Nation project

Currently, adverts for the drive are being broadcast regularly on Astro TV and its many radio stations (Hitz, Mix, Era, My, Lite, X-fresh etc) so chances are if you’re in Malaysia you may have seen or heard some of the adverts.

Efforts to collect photographs and donations are continuing rapidly (not just for the Merdeka flag, but also for the huge photofractal to be unveiled on New Years Eve), with multiple roadshows being held at Bangsar Shopping Centre, 1Utama, Sunway Pyramid, Midvalley, Alamanda Shopping Centre, Ampang MPAJ Carnival, Berjaya Times Square, The Curve etc. In addition, teams are being sent to every school in Malaysia, so if you haven’t participated yet, look out for your chance!

Here at Photofractals, we’re getting really excited about the upcoming Merdeka (Malaysian Independence Day) project we mentioned in earlier posts.

In conjunction with the Malaysian Children Hope Foundation, and 10 other NGO’s, we’re working on something a little special to celebrate Malaysia’s 50th Merdeka entitled, ‘Vision For The Nation‘.

As we all know, but too often forget, the children are our future. Too often we focus on the short term whilst neglecting what we are imparting to our future generations. The objective of the Vision For The Nation campaign is to ensure that the visions and hopes of the children will be heard by the leaders and people of Malaysian alike, as well as to raise funds for the benefit of underprivileged children.

To do this, we will be creating our greatest Photofractals yet!

Between May and December of 2007, our partners will be collecting as many photographs of children as possible. These will then be made into two gigantic Photofractals. The first of these, comprising of hundreds of thousands of children’s faces made into a Malaysian Flag, will be unveiled at the stroke of midnight on Merdeka eve, at Dataran Merdeka Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur Independence Square). Children will be asked to note down their visions for the country, which will then be presented to the nation’s leaders.

The second Photofractal (or rather set of Photofractals) will herald in the new year on the 31st of December, 2007. This Photofractal will symbolize the dawn of hope for the children whose visions have been expressed and presented to the government. The form of these Photofractals is still a secret, but will be considerably different from the first one, and just as, if not more eye catching.

Each of the Photofractals will measure at least 40 feet by 60 feet in size. This means that at the same time as we celebrate Merdeka in this special way, and raise funds for charity, we will also be setting a record in the process!

So we urge people to get involved in this exciting project — not only is it meaningful and for a good cause, but it’s fun too! Children will be able to have their images immortalized on this record breaking, milestone Photofractal that will represent the pride and visions of a nation.

If you’d like to get your photos into these monumental Photofractals, here are some ways you can do it:

• At roadshows organized throughout the country where photographs can either be submitted or taken right there at the booth
• Through schools, kindergartens and special children’s centers throughout the country
• Electronically submitted through the official website
• Photographs and vision statements can also be sent by post to the Children Hope Foundation (address can be found on their website)

We ask for a minimum donation of RM3 for each photo submitted. Collectively, we hope that the money raised will benefit many underprivileged children in times to come through our partner organizations. In addition, if you would like to simply donate without submitting a photo, donations can be made at selected Maybank branches, and all Dome outlets, with more locations coming soon.

For the month of June, the roadshow will be hitting Bangsar Shopping Centre from the 1st to the 10th, and 1Utama Shopping Centre from the 22d to the 30th. Other upcoming roadshow locations include The Curve, Times Square, Sri KDU and many more. We hope to see you there!

Just to keep you guys up to date, the new myphotofractals.com website development is progressing nicely. We’ve just checked out the latest design iteration and its looking excellent. Hopefully you guys will agree when you see it. Since the whole thing is still under wraps, I won’t post up any screenshots yet, but we’re aiming for a fun creative look in line with the spirit of Photofractals.

In other news, we’ve got a big project coming up involving Hari Merdeka (Malaysian Independence Day)  and Children in Hope Malaysia (Yayasan Harapan Kanak Kanak Malaysia). Some of you in Kuala Lumpur may already be aware of the activity going on. It’s building up steadily as we get closer to Merdeka and we’re working frantically behind the scenes trying to get everything ready. Not only is this for a good cause, and a great way of celebrating Merdeka, but we’re also hoping to break a world record in the process, so stay tuned. We’ll be writing more about this later on.

Till next time!

As a consumer all you really need to know is explained in 5 easy steps on the photofractal homepage but for those interested, here we’ll take a closer, behind the scenes look at the actual processes involved in producing your photofractal.

Assuming that you’ve already gone through the 5 steps and we’ve received your photos, the first thing we do is to prepare your source image, which is the overall picture that you want for your photofractal. Here we’ll use the Mona Lisa as an example.

We split the source image into many different shaped cells, depending on the exact pattern and cell size chosen, such as the ones below. The full selection of patterns and cell sizes is displayed on the photofractal homepage with new options being added from time to time as we get suggestions from our customers.

Each of these many cells from the source image are then analysed individually, using a combination of digital and manual techniques, to find their average color, hue, saturation, luminance and overall composition. At the same time, each of the images (cell images) that we receive from you are analysed too, such that an extensive comparison can be performed between each cell on the source image and each cell image. Such a comparison allows us to optimally select the images that most closely match the source image at each point, and place them in the appropriate cells. This process involves the visual judgment of our image experts, as well as proprietary software algorithms to achieve a perfect blend of science and art.

Once this is done, each cell is individually tinted and blended to futher enhance the effect of the photofractal, resulting in each individual cell image being clearly visible when viewed up close, but the source image being prominently shown when viewed from a distance.

We then perform some final touch ups to the image ensuring that everything is perfect before we print out the photofractal using our state of the art, high definition printers. To best show off the photofractals for years to come, the premium synthetic papers that we use are much thicker, heavier and of higher quality than ordinary papers, which is evident from the first touch.

A layer of protective laminate is then added to each photofractal to finalise the effect and protect the photofractal, with a choice of matte (which give the photofractals a classy, oil painting type feel) or glossy (which allows the vibrant colours to show through like a photograph) finishes.

Finally, if desired, we frame the photofractals in whatever frame you choose and package the photofractal ready to be sent off or collected by the customer.

Here’s what a finished photofractal looks like, shown in a simple black frame.

And here’s one in a slightly larger frame, which looks very impressive hanging on a wall.

Put simply, Photofractals are pictures which are made up of lots of smaller pictures. Chances are you’ve seen something similar before in commercial posters or magazines. The difference here is that with our proprietary techniques and high quality printing capabilities, our team of image experts is able to custom make photofractals for individuals into a variety of cool and unique products. An example photofractal might look something like this:

This is an enlarged section taken from the bottom right section of the photofractal:

As you can see, this picture of a girl on a beach is actually made up of hundreds of smaller beach pictures (her face has been obscured on purpose). In this way you can truly capture a thousand memories in just one picture, by placing all your holiday photos in one. The actual clarity of your Photofractals can be fully customised according to individual preferences. We’ll talk about the range of customisations, products and uses for Photofractals in subsequent posts.

Our website will be arriving soon — you’ll be able to create your own custom Photofractals for any occasion and have it sent right to your (or anyone else’s) doorstep. If you need a Photofractal made now, please contact us or visit our sales gallery at:

2nd Floor, S071, Sungei Wang Plaza, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tel: 03-21421106 / 012-2097625

The website will be ready in June/July 2007, so please do bookmark us and check back regularly — we think you’ll like it!

In the meantime, this blog will introduce you to the world of Photofractals. Welcome.