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Gather hundreds of independently steered birds into a clear butterfly or your own bright silhouette. Agents begin with separation, alignment and cohesion steering. A timed attraction gradually assigns them to sampled silhouette positions, while each small bird keeps its own velocity and wing motion. The final silhouette comes from a preset or a thresholded local image. Reuse supplied assets or quote new media through PopNow.

Uses PopNow for
Images · Music & voice
Needs
Python 3 · FFmpeg

Generation is optional when you have suitable input material.

v1.0.0 · Updated Oct 25, 2026 · 6.7 MB · Use it for personal and client work; please don't resell or share the package.

What you get

  1. An editable 8-second 720p sample and local MP4 renderer, silent.

  2. Group steering, silhouette sampling and the timed transition are already coordinated. You can change the target without placing or keyframing hundreds of birds individually.

  3. A six-frame contact sheet, render receipt and input self-check.

Good for

  • Short identity reveals from simple owned silhouettes
  • Nature-inspired motion pieces with an explicit gathering action

Not for

  • The birds are stylized 2D agents. A target image is thresholded, so fine details may disappear; the workflow does not recognize subjects or guarantee that every silhouette remains readable.

How it works

Includes a local renderer

  1. Choose the material

    Use the procedural butterfly, manta or spiral, or provide a local target_image with a bright silhouette on a dark background.

  2. Shape the motion

    Edit the documented project controls, then validate the exact settings. Bird count from 180 to 650 changes the number of independently steered agents.

  3. Render and review

    Export locally to MP4, inspect the contact sheet and watch the whole film. Check that the final outline and its negative spaces are readable, and that the flock has time to settle before the film ends.

How the workflow runs

How Flocking Silhouette Reveal works

Agents begin with separation, alignment and cohesion steering. A timed attraction gradually assigns them to sampled silhouette positions, while each small bird keeps its own velocity and wing motion. The final silhouette comes from a preset or a thresholded local image.

What's inside the skill

What you can change

  • Bird count from 180 to 650 changes the number of independently steered agents.
  • Formation selects butterfly, manta or spiral; target_image overrides these presets.
  • Formation_at from 0.25 to 0.7 controls when target steering begins.
  • Separation from 0.4 to 2 and the seed change the initial flock behavior.

What to review before delivery

  • The local self-check compares three frame samples after a meaningful input change and rejects its documented invalid case.
  • Output protection rejects overlap with input files and preserves existing sidecars unless overwrite is explicit.
  • Check that the final outline and its negative spaces are readable, and that the flock has time to settle before the film ends. This final visual review is manual.

See the package files

These are selected working files from this edition, with their actual role. The complete download also contains instructions and applicable license notices.

  • The task-specific motion mechanism and supported inputs.

    scripts/scene.py

  • Protected MP4 export, contact sheet and hash receipt.

    scripts/runtime.py

  • Editable settings used by the supplied sample.

    examples/project.json

  • Actual changed-frame, invalid-input and output-protection checks.

    scripts/selftest.py

  • Input ranges, material placement and honest limits.

    references/inputs.md

Why use this skill

Start with this package

Group steering, silhouette sampling and the timed transition are already coordinated. You can change the target without placing or keyframing hundreds of birds individually.

What PopNow adds

Use PopNow for the missing Images, Music & voice in this workflow. Keep adequate material you already own, then bring new assets back into the editing and assembly steps described here.

Compare the options

A prompt, your own skill, or this workflow?

Start with a prompt

Your agent can create from a plain request. The brief, visual rules, asset choices, output format and review process still need to be established for that project.

Write your own skill

You choose and maintain the reusable instructions, defaults, file structure and checks. This is useful when your process needs different rules or integrations.

A workflow created for PopNow

This workflow was built for PopNow. Its source files, included dependencies and applicable notices are part of the package; the scope described below belongs to this edition.

Guide reviewed Oct 25, 2026

What will this cost?

The preset silhouettes and birds render locally. An original custom silhouette or optional soundtrack can be quoted through PopNow when the user lacks it. Reuse an adequate owned mask instead of generating another one.

Generation is optional when you have suitable input material. Free skill. New media is quoted before it runs.

The skill package

Free to install under your account's download allowance. The package license covers your own and client work; redistribution is excluded.

Existing assets and local work

Reusing suitable assets, editing files and running local assembly do not call a PopNow generation model. Your computer and any required runtime still do the work.

New AI images, clips or sound

Quoted for the actual model, inputs, count, duration and resolution. Extra alternatives, revisions or optional enhancement passes can add generation requests.

Your agent and hosting

Any subscription, hosted computer, deployment or other provider fee belongs to that service. Installing this skill does not include those services.

Check the cost of your version first

Your assistant can inspect the available models and quote the exact request first. You choose which optional passes to include and approve spending before generation.

Ask your assistant

  • Use the PopNow skill "Flocking Silhouette Reveal" for my project. List the inputs you can reuse, quote only the missing media, show the quoted total and flag any unpriced steps. Separate optional enhancements, and wait for my approval before starting anything paid.

How PopNow billing works

Connections using a PopNow API key, including API-key MCP connections, spend from the separate API balance in USD. A ChatGPT or Claude connection authorized through OAuth spends website credits. These balances are separate; the quote shown by your connection is the approval basis.

Download allowances and current account conditions apply. A free package does not mean unlimited free generation.

See model ratesAPI USD balanceWebsite credit packs

How to use it

You say

  • Use the PopNow skill "Flocking Silhouette Reveal" (flocking-silhouette-reveal) for this: Render the supplied 8-second example. Make a second version with formation set to "spiral". Show the changed motion and quote any missing media before generation.

Then try

  • Show how the changed setting affects the actual motion.

  • Keep my adequate source material and prepare an optional soundtrack quote.

What to have ready

  • Use the procedural butterfly, manta or spiral, or provide a local target_image with a bright silhouette on a dark background.
  • Python 3, Pillow, NumPy, FFmpeg and ffprobe
  • The project controls listed in the input contract

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Questions

Can I provide my own silhouette?

Yes. A local target_image is center-cropped, sampled from pixels brighter than the threshold and used as target positions. Supply a simple bright shape on dark and inspect its negative spaces.

Are the birds just a pre-rendered overlay?

No. Their positions and velocities are calculated from steering rules before target attraction brings them into formation.

Why is my detailed target hard to read?

The target must fit a finite number of small birds. Simplify thin lines, increase contrast or use a larger bird count within the supported range.

What is already packaged in Flocking Silhouette Reveal?

The task-specific motion mechanism and supported inputs. Protected MP4 export, contact sheet and hash receipt. Editable settings used by the supplied sample. Actual changed-frame, invalid-input and output-protection checks. Input ranges, material placement and honest limits.

Which parts of Flocking Silhouette Reveal can add a charge?

The preset silhouettes and birds render locally. An original custom silhouette or optional soundtrack can be quoted through PopNow when the user lacks it. Reuse an adequate owned mask instead of generating another one. Connections using a PopNow API key, including API-key MCP connections, spend from the separate API balance in USD. A ChatGPT or Claude connection authorized through OAuth spends website credits. These balances are separate; the quote shown by your connection is the approval basis.

How does Flocking Silhouette Reveal differ from writing a prompt or my own skill?

Group steering, silhouette sampling and the timed transition are already coordinated. You can change the target without placing or keyframing hundreds of birds individually.