back to guides

How to create a generative collection

Normally, creating a large collection of NFTs generated from layers and layers of traits takes an in-house developer team and costs an expensive amount of money. With Kairos, you can launch your generative NFT collection, with a custom, beautifully designed minting website, all without writing a single line of code. And, it's free until you decide to launch your collection.

Set up your file

Export your files from your favorite program like Photoshop, Illustrator, or Figma. The layers should be the same size to maintain positioning when layered on top of each other. For the highest quality, we recommend the layers to be at least 2000px x 2000px. For a walkthrough on how to export your layers from these different programs, see our batch exporting guide.

https://miro.medium.com/max/1400/1*X1sLppmgyNH8FL1aN41zAw.gif

Organize your layers into folders. Each folder will be a single trait, like background, base, eyes, hair, accessories, etc. In each folder should be the different options for a single trait.

Demo resources

Upload your files to Kairos

On the Kairos Creator dashboard, create a new collection, name it, and enter your artwork canvas size.

Drag in your folders to upload them. You can drag multiple folders at once. Once it’s uploaded, you can see your trait folders and layers on the left and a preview of your generated NFT on the right.

Using the Editor

Kairos’s editor has some powerful functionality to customize your collection:

https://miro.medium.com/max/1400/1*z9jhQ-goWGjhotAJJLIoOw.gif
  • Preview a specific layer: Click on a specific layer to see it in your preview.
  • Add more traits: Drag in more trait folders.
  • Remove a layer or folder: Click the trash bin to delete.
  • Update a layer or folder: Re-upload the folder into the generator. Traits with the same file name will automatically be updated and traits with new names will be added.
  • Set trait rarity: Change the chances of a trait getting generated in your final collection by updating the percentage. “Equalize” will update the chance percentage of all other traits in the same folder to equalize around your new percentage.
https://miro.medium.com/max/1400/1*cNPEDNH2gSaCnd-3YnleIQ.gif
  • Reorder layers: Click into “Reorder” mode to drag and re-organize your trait folder’s placement on the z-axis.
  • Rules: Set rules as to what layers will only show with other layers and what layers will never show with other layers.
  • Randomize: This will use your rarity traits and rules to randomly generate a preview of an NFT in your collection.
  • Start over: This will delete all your layers, rarity settings, and rules for you to start from scratch.

Generate your NFTs

Specify how many NFTs you want to generate and click on the gear icon to generate your collection.

https://miro.medium.com/max/1400/1*5dPrfuXNUesPjfWliqKx2A.gif

Re-generate an NFT: If there’s an NFT that you don’t like, hover over the NFT and click the re-generate button to generate a different NFT. The single NFT will be generated based on the same rarity trait and rules you had set in the editor.

Reserve an NFT: Click on the wallet icon to reserve a generated NFT. The NFT will be reserved and stored in your wallet when your collection goes live. This is a great to save NFTs to use for a giveaway or to airdrop to early supporters and influencers.

Need help getting started or have questions or comments? Contact us or send us a message on our Discord.