01
Largest at each stage
The largest families contain 34 Punks at Color pattern, 112 at Linework, and 496 at Silhouette.
Fig. 13 · Largest family at each stage
← ResearchStudy 02
After Color
When do CryptoPunks become the same?
ReadThree chapters
ExploreAll 10,000 Punks
Approach
Starting with 10,000 different full-color images, this study removes color information in three steps. After each step, the resulting 24 × 24 images are compared across the collection to find which Punks have gained a match.
What counts as the same
Two Punks match when their transformed images are identical. Pixel positions never change. Once a Punk gains a match, it keeps that match through every later step.
The stages
What is removed
Every Punk passes through the same three transformations, each removing one kind of color information.
Fig. 01 · Punk #0025Four states
Chapter 01L1 · Color pattern
From original image to color pattern
How does the collection’s diversity depend on exact color values?
Fig. 02 · Punks #0115 and #2390Color-pattern family 0 · 34 Punks
Selected families
The five color-pattern families range from 5 to 34 Punks. Within each family, exact color values are the only difference between the original images.
Fig. 03 · Color-pattern families
Across the collection
Fig. 04 · Color patterns across the collection
Chapter 02L2 · Linework
From color pattern to linework
What if differences between non-black colors no longer mattered?
Fig. 05 · Three color patternsLinework 212 · 7 Punks
Selected families
The five linework families range from 3 to 60 Punks. The color-pattern images in each family differ only in how their non-black pixels are colored.
Fig. 06 · Linework families
Across the collection
Fig. 07 · Lineworks across the collection
Chapter 03L3 · Silhouette
From linework to silhouette
What if only the shape of each Punk remained?
Fig. 08 · Three lineworksSilhouette 451 · 3 Punks
Selected families
The five silhouette families range from 9 to 32 Punks. The linework images in each family differ only in their black details.
Fig. 09 · Silhouette families
Across the collection
Fig. 10 · Silhouettes across the collection
The answer
When Punks first gain a match
Fig. 11 · Punks grouped by first match10,000 Punks · one mark each
For most Punks, the first transformation is enough. Once exact color values are removed, 5,909 of them find at least one other Punk with the same color pattern.
More matches appear as color pattern becomes linework and linework becomes silhouette. Only 339 Punks remain alone even as silhouettes.
Collection structure
How the collection changes
As color information is removed, the number of distinct images falls more than tenfold, from 10,000 unique originals to 954 silhouettes. Each stage groups the collection according to what remains visible.
Fig. 12 · Distinct images across four stages
Collection findings
02
Black pixel extremes
Only two Punks have the minimum of 12 black pixels: #1123 and #7695. At the other extreme, #7239 alone has the maximum of 218 black pixels.
#7695 and #7239 also mark the minimum and maximum proportions of black pixels in the collection.
At the final step, black stops being a separate state and becomes part of the silhouette. These three Punks mark the two extremes of that change.
PunkOriginalLineworkSilhouetteBlack pixels
Fig. 14 · Black-pixel extremes across three stages
03
Two-color Punks
Twenty-four Punks use exactly two colors: black and one non-black color. At Color pattern and Linework, the same pixels remain black and the same pixels remain non-black. Their pixel structure therefore stays unchanged through both transformations.
At Color pattern, 21 of them form six families among themselves. #2743 and #8623 form a seventh. Only #0676 has no exact match.
At Linework, the pair remains together, while each of the six larger groups becomes part of a broader family with other Punks. #0676 remains unmatched through Linework and finds its first family only at Silhouette.
Fig. 15 · 24 two-color Punks and their Color pattern
04
Pixel extremes
The minimum number of pixels used to draw a Punk is 148. All 173 Punks at this minimum share Silhouette 5.
The maximum is 332 pixels. All 11 Punks at this maximum share Silhouette 152.
Fig. 16 · Minimum and maximum pixel counts
Method, source, limits
PopulationN = 10,000 · complete collection, no sampling
SourceCryptoPunks image data · on-chain source
Unit1 Punk = 1 image per stage · 24 × 24 px
Transparency remains transparent throughout. Black remains a separate state through L2.
L0 Original
Each visible pixel retains its exact source color.
L1 Color pattern
Each non-black source color is replaced by a label assigned on its first appearance, scanning left to right and top to bottom. Repeated instances of the same color receive the same label.
L2 Linework
All non-black pixels receive one common fill, removing the divisions between colors.
L3 Silhouette
Black and non-black pixels become a single occupied state.
At each stage, Punks with identical grids form a family; its size is the number of Punks in it.
A Punk gains its first match at the earliest stage where it joins a family of two or more. A Punk that remains in a family of one at Silhouette is counted as Never.
Because each stage removes information, families can merge but cannot split.
The study tests exact equality, not perceptual similarity. One differing pixel keeps two Punks in separate families.
Images are compared in their original position and orientation. No similarity threshold, clustering, or trait data is used.
The colors shown at L1 are symbolic labels for color classes within each Punk, not its original palette. Fig. 02 shows the source colors behind the labels in its example.
All counts, the collection map, and rendered previews cover all 10,000 Punks.