# LookingGlass: Generative Anamorphoses via Laplacian Pyramid Warping

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.08902 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.08902/

## Key facts

- Cited by 7 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 22 of its 51 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 11 Apr 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 22 of 22)

- [Learning Transferable Visual Models From Natural Language Supervision](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.00020/) (2021)
- [High-Resolution Image Synthesis with Latent Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.10752/) (2021)
- [Classifier-Free Diffusion Guidance](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.12598/) (2022)
- [Adding Conditional Control to Text-to-Image Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.05543/) (2023)
- [Scaling Rectified Flow Transformers for High-Resolution Image Synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.03206/) (2024)
- [RePaint: Inpainting using Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.09865/) (2022)
- [Zero-Shot Image Restoration Using Denoising Diffusion Null-Space Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.00490/) (2022)
- [MultiDiffusion: Fusing Diffusion Paths for Controlled Image Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.08113/) (2023)
- [Universal Guidance for Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.07121/) (2023)
- [Optical Flow Estimation using a Spatial Pyramid Network](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1611.00850/) (2016)
- [FreeDoM: Training-Free Energy-Guided Conditional Diffusion Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.09833/) (2023)
- [DiffCollage: Parallel Generation of Large Content with Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.17076/) (2023)
- [Visual Anagrams: Generating Multi-View Optical Illusions with Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.17919/) (2023)
- [How I Warped Your Noise: a Temporally-Correlated Noise Prior for Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.03072/) (2025)
- [Diffusion Illusions: Hiding Images in Plain Sight](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.03817/) (2023)
- [SyncTweedies: A General Generative Framework Based on Synchronized Diffusions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.14370/) (2024)
- [Factorized Diffusion: Perceptual Illusions by Noise Decomposition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.11615/) (2024)
- [Images that Sound: Composing Images and Sounds on a Single Canvas](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.12221/) (2024)
- [Generative Powers of Ten](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.02149/) (2023)
- [Designing Perceptual Puzzles by Differentiating Probabilistic Programs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.12301/) (2022)
- [Constructing Printable Surfaces with View-Dependent Appearance](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.07449/) (2023)
- [Illusion3D: 3D Multiview Illusion with 2D Diffusion Priors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.09625/) (2024)

## Built on by (most cited first, 7 of 7)

- [Stroke of Surprise: Progressive Semantic Illusions in Vector Sketching](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.12280/) (2026)
- [Refracting Reality: Generating Images with Realistic Transparent Objects](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.17340/) (2025)
- [SymTRELLIS: Symmetry-Enforced Voxel Latents for 3D Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.04108/) (2026)
- [JanusMesh: Fast and Zero-Shot 3D Visual Illusion Generation via Cross-Space Denoising](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.20563/) (2026)
- [Mirror Illusion Art](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.02015/) (2026)
- [LongE2V: Long-Horizon Event-based Video Reconstruction, Prediction, and Frame Interpolation with Video Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.08770/) (2026)
- [Moore, Escher, Penrose: A Conformal Golden Braid](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2610.02210/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Anamorphosis refers to a category of images that are intentionally distorted, making them unrecognizable when viewed directly. Their true form only reveals itself when seen from a specific viewpoint, which can be through some catadioptric device like a mirror or a lens. While the construction of these mathematical devices can be traced back to as early as the 17th century, they are only interpretable when viewed from a specific vantage point and tend to lose meaning when seen normally. In this paper, we revisit these famous optical illusions with a generative twist. With the help of latent rectified flow models, we propose a method to create anamorphic images that still retain a valid interpretation when viewed directly. To this end, we introduce Laplacian Pyramid Warping, a frequency-aware image warping technique key to generating high-quality visuals. Our work extends Visual Anagrams (arXiv:2311.17919) to latent space models and to a wider range of spatial transforms, enabling the creation of novel generative perceptual illusions.