Fractal Tutorial Getting Started | Amazing Seattle Fractals!

Amazing Seattle Fractals

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Fractal Tutorial - Getting Started Page 2

Fractal ImageFirst things first. The purpose of this tutorial is to help you understand and become familiar with how to use this program to create your own fractals. The intention is not to exactly reproduce the fractals within the tutorial. Occasionally I will have someone e-mail me and say at some step of these tutorials their fractal does not look exactly like mine. My response, it doesn't matter, that exact image is irrelevent! Just follow along with the instructions, using the functions at each step, because that is the purpose, using those functions so that you understand what they do within the program. As you work your way through these tutoriuals you will see later why the images are not always exactly the same. Sometimes even a slight deviation from an exact point on the screen can cause a different result. More on that later!

Let's get started! I'm going to assume you have downloaded, and unzipped, the Tiera-Zon fractal program since this is what I will be using to create these fractals. If not, what are you waiting for, go get it! You can download the program from the link on the previous page. ( Note: There are several versions of Tiera-zon, I use the 2.7 version for this tutorial. ) Open up the program by double clicking on the program icon within the folder where you unzipped the program.

Step 1

Fractal Image1) When you first open the fractal program Tiera-zon this will be the opening screen that you see. The image the program will automatically open is the basic Mandelbrot image that you will be working with whenever you start, unless you are opening a previous file.

This image is unremarkable when compared to beautiful fractal images you have seen, right? However, all fractal come from this simple, basic form & you are going to see an amazing transformation of this basic image, like an unattractive caterpillar transforming into a beautiful butterfly!

Step 2

Fractal Image2) There are two toolbars in the program window, one at the left side of the screen, and the main toolbar at the top of the screen.

( NOTE: A pop-up tool tip will appear identifying what the icon is whenever you hover your mouse cursor over any of those icons on the left.)

On the main toolbar at the top select "Draw". The draw menu contains built in formulas for various types of fractals. When you select any of these formulas the program will then draw that fractal form. Click on several to see the different types. After you have experimented with seeing how this works then move your cursor down to " More Fractals" & select fractal equation "109".

Step 3

Fractal Image3) After selecting the fractal formula #109 equation you should now see the first transformation of the basic Mandelbrot image. As you can see, the form is totally different.

Now let's move to enhancing this image a bit more. There are many, many ways to affect color in this program including RGB values ( Red/green/blue), various filters, even the formulas themselves will affect the colors. On the main toolbar at the top you will see several color menus, select "Color-1" then click on #20.

Let's move on to page three.