curiositech/collage-layout-expert
skills/collage-layout-expert/SKILL.md
Expert in ALL computational collage composition: photo mosaics, grid layouts, scrapbook/journal styles, magazine editorial, vision boards, mood boards, social media collages, memory walls, abstract/generative arrangements, and art-historical techniques (Hockney joiners, Dadaist photomontage, Surrealist assemblage, Rauschenberg combines). Masters edge-based assembly, Poisson blending, optimal transport color harmonization, and aesthetic optimization. Activate on 'collage', 'photo mosaic', 'grid layout', 'scrapbook', 'vision board', 'mood board', 'photo wall', 'magazine layout', 'Hockney', 'joiner', 'photomontage'. NOT for simple image editing (use native-app-designer), generating new images (use Stability AI), single photo enhancement (use photo-composition-critic), or basic image similarity search (use clip-aware-embeddings).
tools
Updated Apr 4, 2026
$ install --global
skillsauthnpx skillsauth add curiositech/windags-skills collage-layout-expertInstall this skill globally with one command. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.
Security Scan Results
3 of 9 scanners reported clean
Some scanners were skipped, did not run, or reported a non-clean status. Review each row below.
3
Scanners Passed
9
Scanners in report
Clean
TrivyContainer and dependency vulnerability scanner
95%
Clean
SemgrepStatic code analysis for vulnerabilities
95%
Clean
mcp-scan (Snyk)Model Context Protocol security validation
95%
Skipped
Snyk (dep)Open source security scanning
50%
Skipped
Socket.devSupply chain security analysis
50%
Skipped
VirusTotalMulti-engine malware detection
50%
Skipped
CrowdStrikeAdvanced threat intelligence
50%
Skipped
OSV-ScannerOpen Source Vulnerability database check
50%
Skipped
OWASP Dep-Check
50%
Last scanned: Apr 4, 2026, 1:58 PM367.6s11 files scanned
SKILL.md
- license:
- Apache-2.0
- name:
- collage-layout-expert
- description:
- Expert in ALL computational collage composition: photo mosaics, grid layouts, scrapbook/journal styles, magazine editorial, vision boards, mood boards, social media collages, memory walls, abstract/generative arrangements, and art-historical techniques (Hockney joiners, Dadaist photomontage, Surrealist assemblage, Rauschenberg combines). Masters edge-based assembly, Poisson blending, optimal transport color harmonization, and aesthetic optimization. Activate on 'collage', 'photo mosaic', 'grid layout', 'scrapbook', 'vision board', 'mood board', 'photo wall', 'magazine layout', 'Hockney', 'joiner', 'photomontage'. NOT for simple image editing (use native-app-designer), generating new images (use Stability AI), single photo enhancement (use photo-composition-critic), or basic image similarity search (use clip-aware-embeddings).
- allowed-tools:
- Read,Write,Edit,Bash,mcp__stability-ai__stability-ai-generate-image,mcp__firecrawl__firecrawl_search,WebFetch
- category:
- Design & Creative
- - skill:
- photo-composition-critic
- reason:
- Ensure aesthetic quality of result
Collage & Layout Composition Expert
Expert in ALL forms of computational collage composition - from Instagram grids to Hockney joiners, from magazine layouts to generative art.
When to Use This Skill
✅ Use for:
- Grid Collages: Instagram profiles, regular layouts, tiled compositions
- Photo Mosaics: Small images forming larger pictures
- Hockney-Style Joiners: Multi-perspective photographic assemblies
- Scrapbook/Journal: Mixed media with text, frames, embellishments
- Magazine/Editorial: Professional layouts with text integration
- Vision/Mood Boards: Inspiration collections, design references
- Memory Walls: Scattered Polaroid-style arrangements
- Social Media: Stories, carousel previews, profile grids
- Abstract/Generative: Algorithmic and procedural arrangements
- Art-Historical: Dadaist, Surrealist, Pop Art styles
❌ Do NOT use for:
- Simple image editing → native-app-designer
- Generating new images → Stability AI
- Single photo quality → photo-composition-critic
- Image similarity search → clip-aware-embeddings
- Color palette extraction → color-theory-palette-harmony-expert
Expert vs Novice Shibboleths
| Topic | Novice | Expert | |-------|--------|--------| | Layout | "Just arrange randomly" | Visual weight, balance, golden ratio | | Blending | Hard edges or simple feather | Poisson blending preserves gradients | | Color | "Match colors manually" | Optimal transport; LAB space advantages | | Composition | Fills all space | Negative space as design element | | Scale | Same size for everything | Varies scale for hierarchy | | Mosaic | "More tiles = better" | Tile size vs. recognition tradeoff | | Hockney | "Stitch seamlessly" | Imperfection IS the technique |
Decision Tree: Choosing a Style
What's the purpose?
- Systematic display → Grid Collage
- Artistic portrait from photos → Photo Mosaic
- Personal memories → Scrapbook or Memory Wall
- Design inspiration → Mood Board
- Professional/publication → Magazine Layout
- Social media → Social Templates
- Art project → Hockney/Dadaist/Surrealist
What's the vibe?
- Clean, modern → Grid with tight gutters
- Nostalgic, warm → Polaroid scatter, vintage frames
- Edgy, disruptive → Dadaist sharp cuts
- Dreamy, surreal → Seamless Poisson blending
- Cubist, intellectual → Hockney joiners
Core Algorithms (Summary)
| Algorithm | Use Case | Performance | |-----------|----------|-------------| | Edge-Based Assembly | Hockney joiners | 0.5s for 10 photos | | Poisson Blending | Seamless transitions | 20ms (512×512) | | Optimal Transport | Color harmonization | Real-time w/ affine approx | | Force-Directed | Organic scatter | 200ms (50 images) | | K-d Tree Matching | Photo mosaic tiles | 2s for 10k tiles |
→ See references/algorithms.md for full implementations.
Anti-Patterns to Avoid
1. Ignoring Visual Weight
What it looks like: All images same size, random placement Why it's wrong: No focal point, viewer's eye wanders aimlessly Fix: Establish 60/30/10 hierarchy with one hero image
2. Over-Saturating the Canvas
What it looks like: Every pixel filled with image content Why it's wrong: Visual claustrophobia, no breathing room Fix: Use negative space intentionally (20-30% white space minimum)
3. Linear FFT for Color Matching
What it looks like: Poor perceptual color matches Why it's wrong: RGB is not perceptually uniform Fix: Use LAB color space for matching
4. Seamless Hockney Joiners
What it looks like: Perfectly stitched panorama Why it's wrong: Misses the entire point - multiple perspectives Fix: Embrace ±2° rotation variance, 5-15% overlap, intentional gaps
5. Global Poisson Blending
What it looks like: Entire image becomes washed out Why it's wrong: Destroys local contrast, looks fake Fix: Apply locally at seams only, preserve source gradients
6. Reusing Mosaic Tiles
What it looks like: Obvious repetition patterns in mosaic Why it's wrong: Human eye detects patterns immediately Fix: Track tile usage, penalize reuse, use larger tile library
MCP Integrations
| MCP | Purpose | |-----|---------| | Stability AI | Generate backgrounds, textures, missing elements | | Firecrawl | Research techniques, algorithm papers, art history | | WebFetch | Fetch documentation, tutorials, design references |
Performance Targets
| Operation | Mac M2 | iPhone 15 Pro | |-----------|--------|---------------| | Grid layout (20 photos) | <50ms | <100ms | | Photo mosaic (10k tiles) | 2s | 5s | | Force-directed (50 images) | 200ms | 500ms | | Poisson blending (512×512) | 20ms | 50ms | | Hockney assembly (10 photos) | 0.5s | 2s |
References
→ references/collage-types.md - Grid, mosaic, scrapbook, magazine, social templates
→ references/art-historical-styles.md - Hockney, Dadaist, Surrealist, Rauschenberg
→ references/algorithms.md - Edge assembly, Poisson, optimal transport, force-directed
→ references/advanced-techniques.md - Cross-photo interactions, narrative sequences
→ references/implementation-guide.md - Metal shaders, Core ML, performance
Integrates With
- photo-composition-critic - Assess individual photos before collaging
- color-theory-palette-harmony-expert - Extract/match color palettes
- clip-aware-embeddings - Semantic grouping of images
- native-app-designer - Build collage creation UI
- metal-shader-expert - GPU-accelerated blending/effects
Remember: Great collages tell stories through arrangement. Whether grid-precise or Hockney-chaotic, the layout serves the narrative. Master both the math and the art.
Related Skills
curiositech/revisiting-interview-data-analysing-turn
data-ai
VerifiedTrustedCommunity
license: Apache-2.0 NOT for unrelated tasks outside this domain.
8SKILL.mdUpdated Jul 19, 2026
curiositech/redis-patterns-expert
development
VerifiedTrustedCommunity
Use when designing caching strategies (cache-aside, write-through, write-behind), implementing distributed locks, building rate limiters, leaderboards, real-time streams (XADD/consumer groups), pub/sub, or tuning eviction policies. Triggers: thundering-herd on cache miss, dogpile on key expiry, Redlock vs SET-NX-PX choice, sliding-window rate limiter, hot-key on a single cluster slot, big-key blowup, MULTI/EXEC across slots, KEYS in production. NOT for Redis Cluster operations/admin (different domain), embedded KV (SQLite, leveldb), in-process LRU caches, or Memcached.
8SKILL.mdUpdated Jul 19, 2026
curiositech/react-server-components-boundary
tools
VerifiedTrustedCommunity
Drawing the `'use client'` boundary correctly in React Server Components apps (Next.js App Router, RSC frameworks) — leaf-pushing, slot composition, serialization rules, and environment poisoning prevention. Grounded in react.dev and Next.js 16 docs.
8SKILL.mdUpdated Jul 19, 2026
curiositech/rate-limiting-strategy
development
VerifiedTrustedCommunity
Use when designing rate limiting for an API, choosing between token bucket / sliding window / leaky bucket / fixed window, implementing it in Redis, deciding edge (Cloudflare/Upstash) vs origin enforcement, sizing per-user vs per-IP vs per-endpoint quotas, returning the right 429 response with Retry-After, or fixing the boundary-burst bug in fixed-window limiters. Triggers: 429 too many requests, INCR + EXPIRE, ZADD + ZREMRANGEBYSCORE + ZCARD, X-RateLimit-Remaining header, Cloudflare WAF rate limiting rules, Upstash @upstash/ratelimit, leaky bucket shaping vs policing, distributed rate limiter consistency. NOT for DDoS mitigation specifically (different scale), CAPTCHA / bot management, full WAF design, or per-user quota billing.
8SKILL.mdUpdated Jul 19, 2026