Blocked recursive image composition

Presentations that feature arrangements of photos (e.g., collages, photobooks and slideshows) are a popular means of sharing and communication. In the prevalent framework for creating such presentations, layouts are supplied to the user in the form of designed templates. However, a template library may not support a desired number of photos, combination of aspect ratios or range of areas. To alleviate this issue, we present BRIC, a method for arranging practically any number of photos on a rectangular canvas. Primary constraints ensure respect of photo aspect ratios and specified gutter thickness; while secondary constraints encourage layouts in which photo areas correspond to desired relative area values. Photos are arranged based on a recursive partition of the page, with photo areas computed as the solution to a linear system implied by the partition. We present a detailed description of BRIC along with examples that demonstrate its versatility.