Who has created all these fractal pictures?
It’s been me: same creator/author for all content (except in a few occasions when due credit has been noted).
Where did you learn to create these fractal images?
There isn’t a special place where you go to learn how to create fractal pictures, though there has been accounts of people doing some kind of online courses (tutoring for money) in the past. I learned by downloading a fractal generator one day, playing with it, and randomly selecting options, mostly at random, until I grasped what each feature was responsible for, so I could replicate the results later. The first generator I tried was Iterations by Stephen C. Ferguson, simply because it was the first one I found. From then on, I’ve kept learning by trying new things and different software. It’s addictive at times. The fractal generators I use the most are Tiera-Zon, Fractal Forge, and XaoS (see Fractalware if interested).
Any source of inspiration?
As for inspiration… well, I’m not entirely sure. Except for consciously picking a formula as first step, I’m not looking for anything in particular after that. It’s mostly searching and zooming until I find something “interesting”, and then it’s whatever my mind visualizes as I tweak parameters. Last step is usually adjusting colors. Sometimes, the final touch is influenced by the music I’m listening to while working on the picture. It’s too many things to pin down (and I suspect I’m not even aware of half of them).
What programs do you use to make your fractals?
I’ve tried a lot of fractal generators, but I only hold on to a handful. My all time favorite is Tiera-Zon, as I said before, but I also like Fractal Explorer, Sterling-ware, and Fractal Vizion. For more traditional imagery, my go-to programs are Fractal Forge and XaoS. I never used FractInt because the DOS environment wasn’t popular anymore when I started out (I tried it several times, but I didn’t understand how to work with it properly). As for Android, I’ve been having fun with Fractal Eye and MandelBrowser lately. And as for Ultra Fractal, I even bought one version (I don’t remember if it was 4 or 5) many years ago, but I prefer the freeware and GNU philosophy overall.
This site is very graphics-intensive. Do you use PhotoShop for anything?
Nope. PS is a great program, but it’s too expensive for my needs. I don’t work in graphics editing, so I’m just a casual user who certainly doesn’t need a powerful editor to resize the pictures or for anti-aliasing. And again: I enjoy using alternative tools as part of the creative process. That means I do all my non-fractal graphics work in GNU Image Manipulation Program (aka GIMP), which I adopted from Linux. I also love my freeware copy of PhotoScape (I’m sticking to version 3.7), but it doesn’t have layering support. They are pretty good and both are freely available.
Where do I must go to learn how to make fractal pictures?
See the second Q&A above, and then just go home (if you’re not there already), connect to the Internet (if you’re reading this, you must be online already too), search for “fractal generators” or visit a downloading site, and pick up any program you find attractive or intuitive. Start playing with it, and see what happens. Then keep experimenting with the menu options and such; you’ll find it’s easy to pick up. If you really want to understand what’s going on, try learning about the math behind the images, even if it’s the basic terms and concepts. That can make a difference too.
And what do I need?
Certainly, a computer or a tablet; today, even a smartphone will do. Then get yourself a fractal generator. On a personal level, patience, time, and more patience and time will come in handy. Extra artistic abilities, creativity and a special love for abstract representations will help too. Avoid the “Random” buttons if temptation allows.
Can I use your fractals in/for [add your intention here]?
Answer this: What do you want or plan to do with these pictures? Is it some kind of commercial use? The answer is NO. If it’s something else, let me know beforehand: please, ask me first.
Several web sites have used some of my pictures for decorative or display purposes, so maybe that’s why you may have seen a few of them somewhere else before. At one point, there was even an online drawing tool named after one of my pictures (Phoebia —no mispelling, that was it— from Vovoid Software & Multimedia), but I think it doesn’t exist anymore or was transformed into a different product some time ago.
I have a wallpaper site. Can I add your fractals to the collection?
Personally I wouldn’t recommend to use most —the great majority— of my pictures as wallpapers. They’re often too detailed or shockingly colored, and that can cause eye strain; not good for your eyesight. So because of that I will probably say: Nope, not a good idea, that one.
Can I link you?
Just answer this question first: Do you think it’s worth it? If your answer is YES, go ahead. Otherwise… yes, why not? No need to ask for that first.
Would you link me?
Send me your url, and I’ll check it out. I hope it’s fractal or fractal art related… And if so, if I like what I see, or if there’s something worth sharing with the rest of the world (like tutorials, tips and techniques, free software, news, interesting discussions, and designs, etc.), I’ll consider it.
And the best question for last: Do you think this is art?
Do you mean “fractal art”? Sure, yes —why not? Or do you mean if my pictures in particular are art? In that case, I invite you to read some of my writings to find out for yourself [click here]. The short answer could be: if you think they are art, then yes; if you think they’re not, then no. Or do you mean: are they masterpieces? Then the answer certainly is: hell, no!
Last revision: Tuesday, 2025 April 22 (Earth Day).