What is generative art in NFTs?
- Author
- CRYPTO PORT Editorial
- Published
- Updated
- Reading time
- 4 min
In short
Generative art NFTs are works produced by a program rather than drawn by hand. When the seed comes from the mint transaction, the artwork is not determined until the moment it is minted. Whether the code itself lives on chain makes a large difference to how the work is preserved.
Key points
- The artwork is produced by an algorithm, not drawn per item
- A mint-time seed means the image is unknown until minting
- Variation usually comes from combining trait values
- Where the generating code lives determines longevity
Definition
A technique where an algorithm is fed a random input to produce an image, and the result is issued as an NFT. Each input yields a different work.
There are broadly two implementations. In the first, every variation is rendered in advance and assigned at mint time — this covers most PFP collections built from trait combinations. In the second, the generating code lives on chain and is run at display time with a seed such as the mint transaction hash.
In the second case the seed is recorded on the blockchain, so anyone with the same code and seed can reproduce the same work. The piece exists as code plus an input rather than as an image file, which reduces reliance on outside servers.
Artistically, what the author fixes is not each individual image but the generating rules and the range of inputs. The intent shows up in the algorithm's design, and each output is a consequence of those rules.
Watch out for
- · When pre-rendered images sit on outside servers, losing that host breaks the work
- · With mint-time seeding, the output may simply not be what you hoped for
- · Technical merit in the work has no bearing on whether it can be resold