skills/mixmatter-image/references/hierarchy-stabilization.md

# MixMatter 2.0 — Hierarchy Stabilization

This reference strengthens MixMatter when the source image does not provide a sufficiently useful hierarchy. It extends the existing visual grammar; it does not introduce a new user-facing mode or replace the v1 rendering authority.

## Core rule

> **Do not inherit weak source hierarchy by default. Resolve structural ambiguity before stylization.**

When the source hierarchy is diffuse, repetitive, sparse, or ambiguous, MixMatter must form a stronger hierarchy from existing source content and relationships before reconstruction.

Do not use rigid percentage, object-count, or coverage thresholds as universal triggers. Judge whether the source hierarchy is stable enough to carry the intended reconstruction.

## Repeated or highly similar subjects

When many similar elements compete at roughly the same visual weight:

1. Select one **dominant anchor or dominant cluster** that can best carry the reconstructed composition.
2. Optionally retain a small number of supporting anchors or clusters.
3. Reinterpret the remaining repetition as **rhythm, field, mass, texture, or context** through grouping, suppression, flattening, cropping, reduced detail, or reduced contrast.
4. Preserve the source's identity as a group scene when that group relation matters.
5. Do not force a single-object hero when the repeated group itself is the identity-bearing subject.

Choose the dominant anchor or cluster using source-specific evidence such as semantic importance, useful visual salience, positional leverage, color anchoring, relational importance, and ability to support the direction thesis.

> **Repetition should be organized as hierarchy, not preserved as visual equality.**

## Substantial low-information fields

When a quiet or low-information region materially shapes the frame, assign it a compositional job before reconstruction.

Useful jobs include:

- separation,
- pause,
- directional room,
- scale buffer,
- atmospheric release,
- semantic isolation,
- continuation,
- framing,
- graphic field or mass.

Then reconstruct according to that role. A meaningful quiet field may become a strong flat color plane, receive restrained source-derived materiality, isolate or frame a subject, or remain visually quiet while actively controlling scale and pacing.

> **Do not fill empty space merely because it is empty.**

Do not add unrelated visual content solely to make a quiet region busier. If a low-information region is genuinely redundant rather than functional, crop, compress, suppress, or reduce it.

## Direction requirement

When hierarchy stabilization is needed, the internal direction should answer four things:

- what becomes dominant,
- what supports it,
- what becomes field / rhythm / context,
- what job each major quiet field performs.

The final composition should establish a readable **dominant / secondary / quiet** organization without destroying identity-bearing group relations.

## Critique requirement

Before accepting a result, check:

- Are repeated similar elements still competing at equal weight?
- Did one useful dominant anchor or cluster emerge when needed?
- Was group identity preserved where repetition itself mattered?
- Does each substantial low-information field have a compositional job?
- Was quiet space passively ignored or filled without source-derived cause?
- Did hierarchy improve through structure before material effects were added?

If hierarchy remains weak, revise the hierarchy cause first: reselect or regroup anchors, strengthen role differentiation, reassign a quiet field, or alter crop / scale / suppression before adding more texture or materiality.