A
Basic Coloring Set
Remember that color simplicity is key in UltraFractal. Therefore, if you learn to adapt gradients, your basic set can be quite small. A suggested starter set might be:
Your default gradient
2 large shapers
1 small shaper
2 pastels made with 4 or 5 colors
2 mid tone/bright gradients of 4 or 5 colors
you like most
1-2 predominantly black gradients
1-2 earth tones
Several reference gradients made with many colors
While you can get along quite well using only the random gradients made by UF, you will often want some stand-bys to fall back on when needed. Also, I feel a set of colors you understand well is helpful in making progress learning UF. There are far too many other variables.....color modes, transformations, formulas, merge modes, the alpha channel, etc. ......to master to use precious time tweaking gradients at first. Having too many gradients can also be a deterrent to making good fractals. Spending time looking through hundreds of old gradients...applying them....rotating....is not productive.
Choosing your default gradient
Your default gradient is the vehicle which allows you to select a place to start your image and therefore merits some discussion. If you've read about how Janet Preslar, Damien Jones and Kerry Mitchell start from scratch, you'll remember that they use a gray scale, a colored gradient and a spectrum (what I think of as a misted gradient). There are good features and drawbacks to each.
As Janet points out, a gray scale allows you to concentrate on finding
shapes without being distracted by color. It's limitation is that
it does not provide much information beyond shape. For example, let's look
at the same images using the shaper gray scale, my default and the UF default
gradient.
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For the top row of images where the formula's default parameters produce a very bland image, the gray scale makes it difficult to see an image, the Wizzle default looks ok and the UF default shows a completely blue image. For the second example, all three gradients show a very busy image, with both the Wizzle and UF defaults providing information about how color is applied (you see all the colors of the gradient rather than one or two). This information can be used to set up the first layer of a busy image with lowered color density settings or a transfer function like cube root to save calculation time for subsequent layers. The way the color is applied also tells me whether I'll be using shapers to control the busy image or a gradient with more colors to enhance a bland one. Since the UF gradient completely washes out images in some formulas, I'd suggest switching to a gray scale or a dimensional colored gradient.
Adapting and Organizing UF Gradients
Most people seem to have a color preference and work best within their range of colors, be it warm tones, neutrals or my own favorites, colors with a blue undertone. So when you are looking at a selection of colors in a gradient, they may be nice, but not quite right for you. By all means, adapt.
1. Note down the values for your favorite colors. Use your
notations to replace colors you don't care for with those you like.
2. Experiment with some of the gradients I've provided by using
the arrows next to the RGB boxes to increase/decrease values.
3. Open the gradients on layers (click "fractal, gradient" in
UF) from the parameters posted and save those gradients you like by clicking
"file, save" while the gradient window is active. You will be prompted
for a folder name in which to put the gradient.
Which leads us to the topic of organization. A little organization
up front will save you tons of time while working on images. The simplest
method of organization is to put all the gradients you use a lot into one
upr file. Don't overload this file. Put everything else into
other folders. Personally, I use pastels the most, so I have a folder
for pastels and mid tones, one for my shapers and "earth tones", one for
gradients with a lot of black, two for Fractint gradients I've adapted
to UF (they are deep tones or ones for use on Paul Carlson's formulas)
and a catch all. No folder contains more than 15 gradients and I
weed all the time. Add to your main folders slowly....make the gradient
prove its worth before you give it a home. With my system, when I'm
looking at a very busy image to start, I'll head to my shapers or gradients
with 2 or 3 (no more than 4) colors. I've also started to name my
gradients by the number of colors. Thus, I'll have 2_blue_cream or
4_white_yellow_teal_orange or whatever.
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The reference gradients in the workshop upr
file are provided with adaptation specifically in mind. Take
a look at the real life example of an adaptation done by one of the UF
list members. The top gradient is from wiz_set1.upr
and was originally done by Linda Allison. Our clever list member edited
the gradient (which is too busy for UF) and retained only the colors needed
for the particular fractal she was working on. Such an adaptation
takes only a minute because you simply delete the control points for the
unnecessary colors. And if you don't like your adaptation, you can try
again by pasting in your reference gradient and starting over. What seems
to happen often to me with tweaks is I tweak to a reasonable point, forget
to save, tweak some more and end up with a mess but can't get back to the
better version. Also, it is often much faster to paste and adapt
gradients than it is to re-calculate a complex image using the transfer
or density functions.
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To save a text file of UF gradients posted on the web from your browser, click "file, save as" browse to the UF gradient folder and save the file as "filename.ugr" where filename is a meaningful name for you.
Importing and Adapting Fractint Color Maps
If you have Fractint color maps you'd like to use in UF, it is easy to import and adapt them. In UF, click "file, open" and browse to where your maps are located. Each Fractint map is a single file in UF. HIghlight the filename and click "open" or double click the file. The map will be imported into the UF gradient editor. You can then save it by selecting a UF gradient folder and providing a name for the gradient. However, before you save, I'd suggest you look at the gradient closely to see if you need to edit out the default black which Fractint used for "inside." If left in tact, this small area of black will produce an unwanted stripe in your image. Here is an example of a Fractint map as imported, with the black which needs to be edited out in the rectangle. This is typical of what you will see...a cluster of control points going up and down right next to each other.
Highlight the control points with your mouse (or by skipping to that point using ctrl+the arrow keys), then right click to bring up a menu.....select "delete." You may need to edit out several points.
The excellence of UF's random gradients is one of the reasons why you don't need nearly as many gradients as in Fractint. Hit ctrl+2 for brights while the gradient editor is open or ctrl+3 for pastels. What you get are dimensional gradients with 1, 2 or three main colors. The pastel gradients will layer up into beautiful mid or deep tones. They are great for adding variety to your stock colors or as inspiration when your fractal muse starts to sag.
Here are some color sets I've found useful. You can download this self-extracting zipped set and place the three ugr files the gradients folder.
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