Stand out in the crowd vs from the crowd

As these Google 5grams show, both expressions are used.

It's easier to picture 'stand out / apart from the crowd' in a literal sense; perhaps one has to be very tall or look remarkable to 'stand out in a crowd', especially a (pre-Covid) densely packed one.

But metaphorically, any difference one can infer from structure has to be one of degree, grading to class.

• If one stands out in a crowd, one is first (or last!) among equals.
• But if one stands out from the crowd, there is (a strong hint, at least, of) a class difference: one is set apart, not identifiable with the standard group.

...........

• NJ Coastal Landscaping needs a logo that stands out in the crowd.

[99Designs.com]

• The aberrant behaviour of Venus and Mars, for instance, made them stand out from the crowd: they were not typical stars ... and in fact, not stars at all.

...........

The difficulty I've had tracking down a suitable example of 'stand out from the crowd' is indicative that in practice, the distinction between the two expressions is rarely observed, with 'stand out from the crowd' usually being used with hyperbolic broadening as a synonym of 'stand out in the crowd', 'be outstanding'. And Merriam-Webster acknowledges this:

stand out from the crowd: to be unusual in a good way

• As a teacher, he always stood out from the crowd.
• The high quality of these tools makes them stand out from the crowd.

The 'from' variant, usually indistinguishable in meaning from the 'in' variant, is, as the ngrams show, more commonly used.

From and in give different meanings. That one is more frequently used is irrelevant.

From = with a sense of movement away, or separation by departure.

In = within; inside.

XXXXYXXXX - The Y stands out in the Xs

XXXXXXXX - - - Y - The Y stands out from the Xs