Evolve
A small genetic algorithm where the agent is the selection pressure. Four images per generation - different prompt tweaks, different seeds - and the best two get bred: one kept unchanged, two mutated, one crossover. In the first generation, a plain seed reroll matched the hill-climb champion, confirming that its persistent hood defect came from the seed, not the prompt. The highest-scoring image came from describing the paint material itself rather than the reflections it should produce.
iteration 000 seed 424242 · gen 0 · elite · 7.5s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, low three-quarter front hero angle, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, flawless mirror-polished paint with long elegant continuous highlight sweeps along the body lines, dark gradient sweep background, crisp rim light outlining the roofline and rear quarter panel, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, sharp detailed front grille, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 9/10 |
| separation_rim | 9/10 |
| materials | 9/10 |
| composition_stance | 9/10 |
| technical | 8/10 |
| total | 44/50 |
judge notes: Imported champion, deterministic re-render of the 44/50 baseline including the seed-locked hood squiggle.
iteration 001 seed 777001 · gen 0 · mutate-reword: hood clause to single softbox sweep · 7.14s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, low three-quarter front hero angle, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, flawless mirror-polished paint reflecting a single large softbox as one long clean unbroken highlight sweep across the hood, dark gradient sweep background, crisp rim light outlining the roofline and rear quarter panel, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, sharp detailed front grille, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 9/10 |
| separation_rim | 9/10 |
| materials | 9/10 |
| composition_stance | 9/10 |
| technical | 9/10 |
| total | 45/50 |
judge notes: NEW CHAMPION. The squiggle is gone - one dominant clean sweep with a quiet secondary line. Crisp lamps, strong halo. The combination of reworded clause AND fresh seed did what four rewordings at the locked seed could not.
iteration 002 seed 31337 · gen 0 · mutate-seed-only: 424242 -> 31337 · 7.52s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, low three-quarter front hero angle, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, flawless mirror-polished paint with long elegant continuous highlight sweeps along the body lines, dark gradient sweep background, crisp rim light outlining the roofline and rear quarter panel, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, sharp detailed front grille, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 9/10 |
| separation_rim | 9/10 |
| materials | 9/10 |
| composition_stance | 9/10 |
| technical | 8/10 |
| total | 44/50 |
judge notes: Seed reroll alone matched the champion and eliminated the squiggle - direct proof the defect was seed-locked, not prompt-caused. Emergent chrome grille surround is a materials win worth breeding; slats slightly wavy, emblem soft.
iteration 003 seed 555123 · gen 0 · mutate-add: rocker fill light clause · 8.11s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, low three-quarter front hero angle, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, flawless mirror-polished paint with long elegant continuous highlight sweeps along the body lines, dark gradient sweep background, crisp rim light outlining the roofline and rear quarter panel, soft fill light lifting the lower rocker panels out of shadow, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, sharp detailed front grille, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 8/10 |
| separation_rim | 9/10 |
| materials | 8/10 |
| composition_stance | 8/10 |
| technical | 9/10 |
| total | 42/50 |
judge notes: Fill light worked (rocker readable) but dragged the camera higher and flattened the paint drama - the clause fights the low hero angle. Idea worth retrying with the angle pinned explicitly.
iteration 004 seed 777001 · gen 1 · elite · 7.49s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, low three-quarter front hero angle, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, flawless mirror-polished paint reflecting a single large softbox as one long clean unbroken highlight sweep across the hood, dark gradient sweep background, crisp rim light outlining the roofline and rear quarter panel, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, sharp detailed front grille, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 9/10 |
| separation_rim | 9/10 |
| materials | 9/10 |
| composition_stance | 9/10 |
| technical | 9/10 |
| total | 45/50 |
judge notes: Deterministic carry of gen-0 champion.
iteration 005 seed 909090 · gen 1 · mutate-add: bumper-height angle + low rocker fill · 7.06s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, very low three-quarter front hero angle from bumper height, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, flawless mirror-polished paint reflecting a single large softbox as one long clean unbroken highlight sweep across the hood, dark gradient sweep background, crisp rim light outlining the roofline and rear quarter panel, faint low fill revealing the rocker panel line, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, sharp detailed front grille, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 9/10 |
| separation_rim | 9/10 |
| materials | 9/10 |
| composition_stance | 9/10 |
| technical | 9/10 |
| total | 45/50 |
judge notes: The fill idea redeemed: rocker sill line readable, hero angle held low, single hood sweep clean. Ties the elite - v3's gen-0 failure was the angle drift, not the fill concept.
iteration 006 seed 20250707 · gen 1 · mutate-reword: chrome grille surround, straight slats · 7.39s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, low three-quarter front hero angle, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, flawless mirror-polished paint with long elegant continuous highlight sweeps along the body lines, dark gradient sweep background, crisp rim light outlining the roofline and rear quarter panel, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, polished chrome grille surround with perfectly straight slats, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 9/10 |
| separation_rim | 8/10 |
| materials | 10/10 |
| composition_stance | 9/10 |
| technical | 9/10 |
| total | 45/50 |
judge notes: First 10 in materials: chrome slats perfectly straight, angel-eye lamps, glass and paint all read distinctly. Cost: heavy drift toward a recognizable production design, and the rear-quarter halo weakened.
iteration 007 seed 646464 · gen 1 · crossover: single-sweep hood + chrome grille · 7.17s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, low three-quarter front hero angle, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, flawless mirror-polished paint reflecting a single large softbox as one long clean unbroken highlight sweep across the hood, dark gradient sweep background, crisp rim light outlining the roofline and rear quarter panel, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, polished chrome grille surround with perfectly straight slats, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 9/10 |
| separation_rim | 9/10 |
| materials | 10/10 |
| composition_stance | 9/10 |
| technical | 9/10 |
| total | 46/50 |
judge notes: NEW CHAMPION at 46. Crossover combined both parents' wins: clean elongated hood sweeps AND machined chrome grille with crisp trident-style emblem. Halo intact, floor reflection controlled. First time crossover beat both parents.
iteration 008 seed 646464 · gen 2 · elite · 1.04s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, low three-quarter front hero angle, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, flawless mirror-polished paint reflecting a single large softbox as one long clean unbroken highlight sweep across the hood, dark gradient sweep background, crisp rim light outlining the roofline and rear quarter panel, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, polished chrome grille surround with perfectly straight slats, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 9/10 |
| separation_rim | 9/10 |
| materials | 10/10 |
| composition_stance | 9/10 |
| technical | 9/10 |
| total | 46/50 |
judge notes: Deterministic carry of gen-1 champion.
iteration 009 seed 111213 · gen 2 · mutate-reword: rim clause to brilliant kicker · 8.11s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, low three-quarter front hero angle, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, flawless mirror-polished paint reflecting a single large softbox as one long clean unbroken highlight sweep across the hood, dark gradient sweep background, brilliant crisp rim light kicker tracing the roofline and rear quarter panel out of the darkness, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, polished chrome grille surround with perfectly straight slats, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 9/10 |
| separation_rim | 9/10 |
| materials | 10/10 |
| composition_stance | 9/10 |
| technical | 8/10 |
| total | 45/50 |
judge notes: Roofline rim reads, chrome still excellent, but the front fascia stacked into busy double-grille rows - complexity crept into technical.
iteration 010 seed 141516 · gen 2 · mutate-seed-only · 8.16s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, very low three-quarter front hero angle from bumper height, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, flawless mirror-polished paint reflecting a single large softbox as one long clean unbroken highlight sweep across the hood, dark gradient sweep background, crisp rim light outlining the roofline and rear quarter panel, faint low fill revealing the rocker panel line, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, sharp detailed front grille, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 9/10 |
| separation_rim | 9/10 |
| materials | 9/10 |
| composition_stance | 9/10 |
| technical | 9/10 |
| total | 45/50 |
judge notes: Clean, conservative, stable at 45 - the n5 line appears plateaued without new genetic material.
iteration 011 seed 171819 · gen 2 · crossover: chrome grille + bumper-height angle + rocker fill · 8.11s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, very low three-quarter front hero angle from bumper height, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, flawless mirror-polished paint reflecting a single large softbox as one long clean unbroken highlight sweep across the hood, dark gradient sweep background, crisp rim light outlining the roofline and rear quarter panel, faint low fill revealing the rocker panel line, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, polished chrome grille surround with perfectly straight slats, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 9/10 |
| separation_rim | 9/10 |
| materials | 10/10 |
| composition_stance | 10/10 |
| technical | 9/10 |
| total | 47/50 |
judge notes: NEW CHAMPION at 47. First 10 in composition: true bumper-height hero angle with commanding GT stance. Chrome grille + trident emblem crisp, sill catching fill light, halo intact. The two winning gene lines fused.
iteration 012 seed 171819 · gen 3 · elite · 1.04s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, very low three-quarter front hero angle from bumper height, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, flawless mirror-polished paint reflecting a single large softbox as one long clean unbroken highlight sweep across the hood, dark gradient sweep background, crisp rim light outlining the roofline and rear quarter panel, faint low fill revealing the rocker panel line, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, polished chrome grille surround with perfectly straight slats, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 9/10 |
| separation_rim | 9/10 |
| materials | 10/10 |
| composition_stance | 10/10 |
| technical | 9/10 |
| total | 47/50 |
judge notes: Deterministic carry of gen-2 champion.
iteration 013 seed 232425 · gen 3 · mutate-add: smooth uncluttered hood surface · 7.08s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, very low three-quarter front hero angle from bumper height, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, smooth uncluttered hood surface, flawless mirror-polished paint reflecting a single large softbox as one long clean unbroken highlight sweep across the hood, dark gradient sweep background, crisp rim light outlining the roofline and rear quarter panel, faint low fill revealing the rocker panel line, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, polished chrome grille surround with perfectly straight slats, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 9/10 |
| separation_rim | 8/10 |
| materials | 9/10 |
| composition_stance | 7/10 |
| technical | 9/10 |
| total | 42/50 |
judge notes: The clause achieved its goal (hood is one smooth sweep) but dragged the camera high and tight, cropping the wheels - a repeat of the v3 lesson: surface-language clauses can hijack framing.
iteration 014 seed 262728 · gen 3 · mutate-seed-only · 8.58s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, low three-quarter front hero angle, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, flawless mirror-polished paint reflecting a single large softbox as one long clean unbroken highlight sweep across the hood, dark gradient sweep background, crisp rim light outlining the roofline and rear quarter panel, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, polished chrome grille surround with perfectly straight slats, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 9/10 |
| separation_rim | 9/10 |
| materials | 10/10 |
| composition_stance | 9/10 |
| technical | 9/10 |
| total | 46/50 |
judge notes: Stable 46 for the n7 line - consistent GT interpretation, clean sweeps, chrome intact.
iteration 015 seed 292930 · gen 3 · crossover · 8.14s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, very low three-quarter front hero angle from bumper height, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, flawless mirror-polished paint reflecting a single large softbox as one long clean unbroken highlight sweep across the hood, dark gradient sweep background, brilliant crisp rim light kicker tracing the roofline and rear quarter panel out of the darkness, faint low fill revealing the rocker panel line, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, polished chrome grille surround with perfectly straight slats, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 9/10 |
| separation_rim | 9/10 |
| materials | 10/10 |
| composition_stance | 10/10 |
| technical | 9/10 |
| total | 47/50 |
judge notes: Ties the champion, does not beat it - the brilliant-kicker wording adds nothing at this seed that the standard rim clause lacks. Fitness flat this generation: 47, 47, 46, 42.
iteration 016 seed 171819 · gen 4 · elite · 7.48s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, very low three-quarter front hero angle from bumper height, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, flawless mirror-polished paint reflecting a single large softbox as one long clean unbroken highlight sweep across the hood, dark gradient sweep background, crisp rim light outlining the roofline and rear quarter panel, faint low fill revealing the rocker panel line, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, polished chrome grille surround with perfectly straight slats, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 9/10 |
| separation_rim | 9/10 |
| materials | 10/10 |
| composition_stance | 10/10 |
| technical | 9/10 |
| total | 47/50 |
judge notes: Deterministic carry of champion.
iteration 017 seed 313233 · gen 4 · mutate-reword: strip softbox modeling every curve · 7.09s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, very low three-quarter front hero angle from bumper height, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, a single giant strip softbox running the length of the car reflected in flawless mirror-polished paint, its highlight modeling every curve of the bodywork, dark gradient sweep background, crisp rim light outlining the roofline and rear quarter panel, faint low fill revealing the rocker panel line, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, polished chrome grille surround with perfectly straight slats, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 8/10 |
| separation_rim | 9/10 |
| materials | 9/10 |
| composition_stance | 9/10 |
| technical | 8/10 |
| total | 43/50 |
judge notes: Backfired: 'modeling every curve' produced jagged zigzag highlight clusters - over-specified reflection language reliably degrades. Same failure mode as the hill-climb's 'single sweep' overcorrection.
iteration 018 seed 343536 · gen 4 · mutate-seed-only · 7.17s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, very low three-quarter front hero angle from bumper height, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, flawless mirror-polished paint reflecting a single large softbox as one long clean unbroken highlight sweep across the hood, dark gradient sweep background, brilliant crisp rim light kicker tracing the roofline and rear quarter panel out of the darkness, faint low fill revealing the rocker panel line, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, polished chrome grille surround with perfectly straight slats, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 9/10 |
| separation_rim | 9/10 |
| materials | 10/10 |
| composition_stance | 9/10 |
| technical | 9/10 |
| total | 46/50 |
judge notes: Solid, camera drifted slightly higher than the true bumper-height variants.
iteration 019 seed 373839 · gen 4 · mutate-add: fine metal flake in charcoal paint · 7.13s
prompt: professional automotive advertising photograph of a dark grey sports coupe in a photo studio, very low three-quarter front hero angle from bumper height, dramatic low-key automotive lighting, deep charcoal metallic paint with fine metal flake catching the light, flawless mirror-polished finish reflecting a single large softbox as one long clean unbroken highlight sweep across the hood, dark gradient sweep background, crisp rim light outlining the roofline and rear quarter panel, faint low fill revealing the rocker panel line, clean glossy black studio floor with subtle mirror reflection, polished chrome grille surround with perfectly straight slats, crisply machined metal emblem, ultra sharp detail, no license plate
| paint_reflections | 10/10 |
| separation_rim | 9/10 |
| materials | 10/10 |
| composition_stance | 10/10 |
| technical | 9/10 |
| total | 48/50 |
judge notes: FINAL CHAMPION at 48/50 - stop condition met. First 10 in paint: the metal-flake clause gave the model a physical reason for rich specular response, and the reflections finally model the surface curvature production-grade. Sculpted hood sweeps, chrome grille, crisp winged emblem, bumper-height stance. Evolution beat the hill-climb 48 vs 44.