truewordcloud 1.1.0

Value-proportional word cloud generator with true size relationships

TrueWordCloud

Value-Proportional Word Cloud Generator

A word cloud generator that maintains TRUE proportional relationships between values. Unlike traditional word clouds that arbitrarily resize words to fit a canvas, TrueWordCloud ensures font sizes are ALWAYS proportional to the input values.

Key Features

• ✅ True Proportionality - Font sizes strictly proportional to input values (no squeezing/normalization)
• 🎨 Three Layout Algorithms - Choose between 'greedy' (fast, deterministic), 'square' (compact, randomized), and 'distance_transform' (compact packing using distance transform)
• 🖼️ Mask Support - Use custom mask images to constrain word placement (black=allowed, white=forbidden)
• 🌈 Color Masks - Use colored masks to assign word colors from an image
• 🖋️ Mask Outline - Optionally overlay the mask outline on the generated word cloud
• 📐 Dynamic Canvas - Canvas size determined by content, not pre-fixed dimensions
• 🔢 Any Numeric Values - Works with frequencies, keyness scores, TF-IDF, probabilities, etc.
• 🎯 No Overlaps - Guaranteed non-overlapping word placement
• 🌈 Custom Colors - Flexible color function support
• 📊 Detailed Statistics - Use generate_with_stats() to get placement and layout stats

Installation

pip install truewordcloud

Or install from source:

git clone https://github.com/laurenceanthony/truewordcloud.git
cd truewordcloud
pip install -e .

Quick Start

from truewordcloud import TrueWordCloud

# Simple usage
values = {'python': 100, 'data': 80, 'science': 75, 'visualization': 60}
twc = TrueWordCloud(values=values)
image = twc.generate()
image.save('wordcloud.png')

Layout Algorithms

Greedy Spiral (method='greedy')

Best for: Speed, reproducibility, circular aesthetics

• ⚡ Fast spiral placement from center outward
• 🔒 Deterministic (same input → same output)
• 🎯 Creates radial/circular patterns
• ✅ Ideal for scientific papers, reports, consistent branding

twc = TrueWordCloud(values=values, method='greedy')

Square Packing (method='square')

Best for: Compact layouts, gap filling, visual variety

• 📦 Center-outward square packing with intelligent gap filling
• 🎲 Randomized (varied layouts each run)
• 📐 Maintains roughly square aspect ratio (width ≈ height)
• ✅ Ideal for presentations, posters, artistic displays

twc = TrueWordCloud(values=values, method='square')

Distance Transform Packing (method='distance_transform')

Best for: Most compact, mask-constrained layouts

• 🧲 Uses distance transform to pack words tightly
• 🖼️ Works especially well with masks
• 🧩 Fills gaps more efficiently than other methods
• ✅ Ideal for artistic, shape-constrained, or dense word clouds

twc = TrueWordCloud(values=values, method='distance_transform')

Mask Support

You can constrain word placement to a custom shape using a mask image (black=allowed, white=forbidden):

from PIL import Image
mask_img = Image.open('mask.png').convert('L')
twc = TrueWordCloud(values=values, method='greedy')
image = twc.generate(mask=mask_img)
image.save('masked_wordcloud.png')

Mask Outline

To overlay the mask outline on the word cloud:

image = twc.generate(mask=mask_img, mask_outline=True, mask_outline_color='#00AAFF', mask_outline_width=2)
image.save('masked_wordcloud_with_outline.png')

Color Masks

You can use a colored mask to assign word colors from an image:

color_mask_img = Image.open('color_mask.png')
twc = TrueWordCloud(values=values, method='greedy', use_mask_colors=True, mask_shape_mode='colors')
image = twc.generate(mask=color_mask_img)
image.save('color_masked_wordcloud.png')

Advanced Usage

Custom Colors

def color_func(word, freq, norm_freq):
    # norm_freq is between 0 and 1
    if norm_freq > 0.7:
        return (255, 0, 0)  # Red for high frequency
    elif norm_freq > 0.4:
        return (0, 0, 255)  # Blue for medium
    else:
        return (128, 128, 128)  # Gray for low

twc = TrueWordCloud(values=values, color_func=color_func)

All Parameters

twc = TrueWordCloud(
    values={'word': 100, 'cloud': 50},  # Required: word -> value mapping
    method='greedy',                     # 'greedy', 'square', or 'distance_transform'
    base_font_size=100,                  # Font size for max value word
    font_path='/path/to/font.ttf',       # Custom font (auto-detected if None)
    min_font_size=10,                    # Minimum font size
    background_color=(255, 255, 255),    # RGB tuple
    margin=2,                            # Pixels between words
    color_func=None,                     # Custom color function
    use_mask_colors=False,               # Use colors from mask image
    mask_shape_mode='no-colors'          # 'no-colors' or 'colors'
)

# Generate with statistics
image, stats = twc.generate_with_stats(mask=mask_img)
print(stats)  # {'num_words': 2, 'size_range': (50, 100), 'canvas_size': (800, 600), 'method': 'greedy', ...}

Comparison with Traditional Word Clouds

Feature	TrueWordCloud	Traditional Word Clouds
Proportionality	✅ Strict (font_size ∝ value)	❌ Arbitrary resizing to fit
Canvas Size	Dynamic (fits content)	Fixed (pre-defined)
Reproducibility	✅ Greedy method	Sometimes
Layout Options	3 algorithms + mask	Usually 1
Value Types	Any numeric	Usually just frequencies
Mask Support	✅ Yes	Sometimes
Color Masks	✅ Yes	Rare

Why True Proportionality Matters

Traditional word clouds often lie about the data:

• A word with value 100 might be rendered at 80pt
• A word with value 50 might be rendered at 75pt
• Ratios like 2:1 become 1.07:1

TrueWordCloud guarantees:

• Value 100 → 100pt, Value 50 → 50pt
• Ratios are preserved: 2:1 stays 2:1
• Visual size accurately represents data magnitude

Use Cases

• Linguistic Analysis - Word frequencies, keyness scores, TF-IDF
• Survey Results - Response counts, satisfaction scores
• Scientific Papers - Maintaining accurate proportional relationships
• Marketing - Brand mentions, sentiment scores
• Education - Concept importance, study time allocation
• Artistic/Shape Clouds - Custom shapes, logos, or images as masks

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• Pillow (PIL)
• numpy
• scipy

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request.

Citation

If you use TrueWordCloud in academic work, please cite:

@software{truewordcloud2026,
  title={TrueWordCloud: Value-Proportional Word Cloud Generator},
  author={Laurence Anthony},
  year={2026},
  url={https://github.com/laurenceanthony/truewordcloud}
}

Examples

Frequency Data

word_frequencies = {
    'the': 1000, 'Python': 500, 'data': 400, 'analysis': 300,
    'machine': 250, 'learning': 250, 'algorithm': 200
}
twc = TrueWordCloud(values=word_frequencies, method='greedy')
twc.generate().save('frequencies.png')

Keyness Scores

keyness_scores = {
    'significant': 12.5, 'analysis': 8.3, 'corpus': 6.7,
    'frequency': 5.2, 'text': 4.1
}
twc = TrueWordCloud(values=keyness_scores, method='square', base_font_size=50)
twc.generate().save('keyness.png')

With Custom Styling

from PIL import ImageColor

def rainbow_color(word, freq, norm_freq):
    # Rainbow gradient based on frequency
    hue = int(norm_freq * 270)  # 0 (red) to 270 (blue)
    return ImageColor.getrgb(f'hsl({hue}, 100%, 50%)')

twc = TrueWordCloud(
    values=word_frequencies,
    method='square',
    color_func=rainbow_color,
    background_color=(0, 0, 0),  # Black background
    margin=5
)
twc.generate().save('rainbow.png')

With Mask and Mask Outline

from PIL import Image
mask_img = Image.open('mask_heart.png').convert('L')
twc = TrueWordCloud(values=word_frequencies, method='distance_transform')
image = twc.generate(mask=mask_img, mask_outline=True, mask_outline_color='#00AAFF', mask_outline_width=2)
image.save('heart_mask_wordcloud.png')

With Color Mask

color_mask_img = Image.open('mask_heart_color.png')
twc = TrueWordCloud(values=word_frequencies, method='greedy', use_mask_colors=True, mask_shape_mode='colors')
image = twc.generate(mask=color_mask_img)
image.save('color_mask_wordcloud.png')

FAQ

Q: Why are the layouts different sizes?
A: Canvas size is determined by content. More words or higher values = larger canvas. This maintains true proportions.

Q: Can I fix the canvas size?
A: Not directly, as that would require resizing words (breaking true proportionality). Instead, adjust base_font_size to control overall scale.

Q: Which method should I use?
A: Use greedy for speed and reproducibility. Use square for compact layouts and visual variety. Use distance_transform for the most compact, mask-constrained layouts.

Q: How do I make words fit in a specific area?
A: Reduce base_font_size until the generated canvas is the desired size.

Q: How do I use a mask or color mask?
A: See the Mask Support and Color Masks sections above for examples.

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