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AnnaKirsten β Golden Autumn
Published: 2012-10-02 14:18:40 +0000 UTC; Views: 1290; Favourites: 45; Downloads: 0
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Description
Β© Anna Kirsten. All Rights Reserved.This is a multi-layered fractal created 100% in Ultra Fractal as part of my Ultra Fractal Floral series [link]
It is also one of my contributions to the Autumn challenge (no prizes, just for fun). It belongs in the Colour category. [link]
Two gradients were made from this picture which ~P3dy asked us to use specifically for this exercise...
My method was to use two ways of producing a gradient.
For the background I used Apomap, which favoured the darker colours once I blurred it to reduce the number of gradient points; I used this for the bottom background. For the flowers, leaves and branches, I temporarily imported the picture from ~P3dy into UF and used the dropper tool to make a new gradient, which was, in my opinion, a neater way to produce a gradient that represented all the colours in the photo, without them becoming muddied up. I also superimposed two more layers to the background using the gradient I made for the flowers, one soft light and the other hard light, all using the same gradient, but different parts of it in order to bring out the golden colouring.
I have uploaded the two gradients into the Resources folder of the #UF-artists gallery.My gallery and all the images contained therein are Copyright Β© AnnaKirsten. All rights reserved. None of the materials contained in my deviantART gallery may be reproduced, copied, edited, published, transmitted, borrowed, duplicated, printed, downloaded, or uploaded in any way without my express written permission. This includes downloading for desktop wallpaper.
My images do not belong to the public domain.
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Comments: 44
Thank you - it's not a contest, just a challenge so no winners or losers
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very much a fave and a last of the autumn flowers feel 
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Lovely, reminds me of the beautiful Autumn.. I hope you are doing well Anna.
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Thank you so much
I'm on a fairly even keel at the moment, but dreadfully lacking in energy when it comes to anything physical. But I keep myself very busy designing websites, doing macro photography and creating fractal art - almost everything (other than taking photos) is on the computer, and that suits me well!!
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Thank you - there's no winner in challenges
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That's so happy!
I see that you made different gradients as you mentioned to me.
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Thank you! Yes I did, I've just uploaded them [link]
Whilst Jim's gradient holds literally all the colours in one hit and can certainly be worked with, I tried the smoothing method in Apomap, which rather overdid it and also left a huge number of points in it. The colour-picked one I did from inside UF using image traps in a temporary fractal seemed much more workable.
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I want to thank you for explaining the eye dropper method. It works very nicely and is very useful for matching colours and taking them from images.
I like to have a lot of methods. That's what's nice with this programme.
I find that Apomap makes nice gradients but you can't expect to retain exact colours. The blurring removes quite a lot. I like it to make new ones.
When you make a new fractal do you make it grey and add colours after?
I did that once with a Mary Thorton tutorial. Usually I start with a gradient. I'm rather greedy with colour.
I also usually start from an older fractal or someone's parameters.
Well I only started last February. I've lots to learn still.
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I prefer the colour dropper way too, it's more workable with.
I usually make my fractals in colour, using the default gradient to start with, then tweaking it all exactly how I want it, depending on what is emerging from my picture. (I work strictly intuitively, no maths!) Sometimes I do make new gradients from pictures I like the colours of, but generally speaking I tend to change parts of them in any case. I never stick with the default gradient - just hate that!
I do have some Ducky pars I'm currently enjoying in black and white though, and yes, I turn them to grey-scale as soon as I find a formation I like. Unless it's a par file I already have in b/w though, I always start off with the default then change it all.
It took me several years to really get into using UF and producing fantasy scenes. I keep every par file I've ever made (bar some I lost in a drive crash last Christmas - oh and some that wouldn't transfer from one version to the next early on).
You're doing very well I think, and I like that you are developing your own style too
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I talk about myself so much I forgot to say that I very much appreciate your unique style.
I see that it must have taken a lot of work and attention to be able to use the programme in this way.
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Thank you, Anna.
I am like you. I can't bear maths. They are a necessary part of living but I can't handle them. I never learned my tables properly, spelling neither. I had asthma all my childhood... gone now more or less. I missed a lot of school.
Yes, I too put colour in quickly.
I found that I could use other people's parameters soon after I tried UF in the spring. This helped a lot and encouraged me.
I also found that knowing how to use Photoshop, I could handle UF more easily. Layers and merging were not new to me.
I had also learned much more about computers. We only bought one in 2007.
I think we need to find pleasure straight away when trying something new. Without it learning is a burden.
Once a few years ago someone kindly decided to teach me to use Apo. (I had another account here before that I deactivated.)
I tried hard to learn the methods I was given but... I couldn't remember or apply them.
I like pulling triangles around in Apo, using scripts and occasionally adding transforms but... as soon as it takes a long time to render I get frustrated.
I put in settings from ~IDeviant which quickens it up a bit and tried Chaotica too but...
When everyone went mad making Talis variation fractals in Fractal Explorer I did too. I really enjoyed that. I used the gradients that *Pharmagician made from Apo gradients (Apo again!) which revolutionised FE.
I found that FE was easier for me and quicker than Apo... but these programmes were for Windows which wasn't very easy to handle on the Mac.
I read about the Mac version for UF in =Velvet--Glove 's journal last February and downloaded it at once. It was a divine surprise.
I did all the exercises in the help files. I knew enough about looking for ressources and tutorials and quickly learned a few basics.
I haven't looked back. I spend hours at it and sitting here chatting to people...
Please don't answer my long comments when you've had enough of me.
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It's good to hear how other people learn things, and particularly how they get into using a fractal program. I used to know all about Apo at one time, but when I changed computers several years ago and had a new OS, everything changed. UF has been consistent throughout though (bar losing a few par files that didn't transfer), and I find it a most versatile program. Love it.
As I spend quite a bit of time designing websites, using html and css, plus some secretarial work too, I don't end up with a whole lot of time to create. I have folders and folders of RAW files from photos I've taken just this year that I've so far not got round to even considering developing too! Days just aren't long enough for me now!
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I'm pleased you have so much to do. I know you have a physical handicap. It would be terrible not to have an occupation.
My days are usually too long.
I'm British by birth. I have no family here in France except for my French husband and adult children. They live far away.
When we bought a computer, because I wanted us to be up to date for our children, I began writing short texts. I enjoyed it.
My younger son suggested I should try to draw and showed me Windows Paint...
I later tried several drawing programmes and used to send what I made to him.
I think I made him very bored and he made me a blog.
I used it a while and then my young niece in England suggested I come here. She has an account herself.
I posted some of my pictures and then came across =Rozrr who made Apo fractals. She explained what to do.
That's how I started.
Since then we bought this Mac.
That just about explains it.
Did you know about UF before you came here?
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Roz has always been a very helpful person, particularly to newcomers, and I'm glad you got so much help from her.
I started with UF at version 3 (or possibly the later V2), but to be honest I've been on the internet for a long time and I honestly can't remember whether I used UF before I came here 6 years ago - possibly not! I did a lot of mixed media work before, and used Apo version 2! Before that I did traditional art. I prefer digital though, as it's less messy and takes up less space, particularly as I have cats who tend to walk over just about everything!
I certainly knew about the program when it first came out, as one of the sites I used to belong to was well into fractals, 'though not as much as here.
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Ah! Fine. Thanks for the reply.
Bon appΓ©tit! It's dinner time.
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