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Kaleido

Turn the ordinary around.

PhotographyCanon EOS MMagic Lantern
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One scene. A new symmetry.

Stonework reflected into a kaleidoscope pattern on the original Canon EOS M LiveView screen
An actual EOS M LiveView screen capture by MAXmade, with camera overlays intact. All camera images on this page are uncropped screen captures, not exported CR2 photos.

Project Overview

Kaleido turns one wedge of the scene into a repeating kaleidoscope pattern on the original Canon EOS M. Choose 4, 6 or 12 segments, rotate the pattern through a full 360°, and move its center to find a new composition. See the effect in LiveView, then use the normal shutter to capture it in a native Canon CR2 RAW photo.

Core Highlights

  • 4, 6 or 12 reflected segments from a single scene
  • Full 360° rotation and a movable pattern center
  • LiveView preview and native Canon CR2 RAW capture
  • Normal Canon shutter workflow with autofocus and Auto ISO
  • Effect and geometry settings remembered after restart
  • Browser playground with your own photos and PNG export

Technical Stack

CMagic LanternARMJavaScriptPython build tooling

Project Status

Public release & open source
GPL-2.0-or-later
Tested on the original Canon EOS M

From the EOS M

Photographer and Canon lenses repeated around the kaleidoscope center in EOS M LiveView

A familiar face, repeated

Turn a self-portrait into a pattern of faces, lenses and reflections.

A television screen reflected into a rectangular kaleidoscope frame in EOS M LiveView

A screen within a screen

Find unexpected geometry in familiar objects and everyday scenes.

Kaleidoscope pattern in EOS M LiveView with Canon exposure information and framing grid

The pattern, on the camera

Compose with the effect visible alongside the camera’s exposure information.

Find your pattern in the browser

Try the interactive playground to explore segments, rotation and center before picking up the camera. Choose your own photo, compare it with the original, and save a PNG. Your photos stay in your browser.

The playground illustrates the geometry in RGB. Its default scene is AI-generated; it does not emulate the camera sensor or demonstrate RAW output. The camera module uses no AI.

Try the playground

Use Kaleido on your camera

Kaleido is a standalone Magic Lantern module for the original Canon EOS M with Canon firmware 2.0.2 and the Magic Lantern dev build from June 20, 2025 (ed3e7c0). It supports single-shot Canon RAW photography. Other cameras and builds, video and bursts are outside its supported workflow.

It has its own Shoot menu and saved preferences. Enable one MAXmade effect module at a time, then fully restart the camera. The repository includes downloads, the supported camera setup and troubleshooting instructions.

Download Kaleido Read installation guide

More ways to reflect

Kaleido derives from Mirror Worlds, my EOS M module for simple reflections and mirrored borders. Explore both to find the effect that fits your photograph.