If the balance system were to be digitalized into an interactive computer program and numerical units for visual weight were able to be calculated, a computer could potentially determine if a photograph is balanced or not. If this computer program were to be put into the viewfinders of digital cameras, the photographer could always know if he has a balanced photograph in frame. Sound far off? Technology like this already exists in the music industry. There are computer programs that dissect songs and determine their likelihood of becoming a hit. Instead of a song, this photography computer program is dissecting photographs and determining whether they are balanced or not.
As mentioned in the balance section, an object's size, contrast, and direction determines its amount of visual weight. The balance system was shown where the physical size of the arrows represented the objects amount of visual weight like so:
Imagine if instead of the arrow's size that determines the object's amount of visual weight, an accurate numerical number was created. This balance system contains numbers representing the associated amount of visual weight.
These units were chosen based on subjective reasoning which does not produce an accurate unit for visual weight but is helpful in understanding the concept. The largest arrow has the greatest number of visual weight and the smallest arrow has the smallest number for visual weight.
But what if a computer program was created that could calculate a unit for visual weight?
Recall that there are three components of visual weight: Contrast, size and direction. Let's analyze these elements and see how a computer program could potentially calculate each.
1. Contrast:
Contrast has the ability to be easily calculated through a computer program. The computer could pick a specified part of the image and determine how much contrast there is in that space. It could do this by a simple contrast scale as shown below. The greater the difference between the whites and blacks, the greater the contrast thus the greater the numerical unit for visual weight.
There may need to be a different scale that takes into account colors. When two or more hues meet, their contrast creates weight. The closer the two colors are to each other on the color wheel, the less weight will be created when they meet. In other words, complementary colors produce the greatest amount of weight. The scale shown below does not take into account the different hues. This color scale still needs development.
2. Size:
If the computer program is able to calculate contrast, there may not be a need to create a program that calculates size. This is because larger objects will have a greater amount of contrast around their edges thus a greater amount of weight will be produced.
3. Direction:
Calculating a numerical unit for direction may be the most complex out of the three but is still greatly within reach. With current facial recognition software, computers are able to detect facial movements. If there can be a determined facial movement measured in degrees, the next step will be to convert degrees into visual weight units. For example, if a person is facing 20 degrees to the left, 20 degrees may convert to three visual weight units in the direction the person is facing. Exactly where these units will be placed on the scale is hard to calculate.
Why Create A Numerical Unit For Visual Weight?
The main reason for creating a unit for visual weight is because it has the potential to explain why pre-existing photography rules work. For example, the rule of thirds tells you to place objects in thirds of the frame. But now with the visual weight unit, you can see why these objects must go on the side. The visual weight unit can be be viewed as enforcing pre-existing rules rather than creating new ones. However, there is also a great potential to create new rules. Some new rule possibilities:
-subject must be at least three visual weight units greater than the next heaviest thing in the photograph. -subject must have a certain amount of visual weight to begin with. For example, the subject must have greater than 9 units of visual weight.