Can we talk about fractal images?

suwanneeredhead · #1 (**permalink**) 08-01-2006, 08:27 PM

Do we have any fractal artists in here?

The reason I ask is because there seems to be an influx of pretty basic fractal art coming into the microstock sites, as if suddenly everyone has discovered how easy it is to create a fractal, render it out, and submit it.

As an approver on one site, I am seeing some pretty basic (and not very nice) fractals being submitted, in a deluge of submissions. I think it would be great if some fractal artists could kind of define a standard of what they'd like to see in terms of fractal art in the microstock sites.

I have been seeing a lot of what other approvers are calling "noisy" areas of a fractal image, which i call "orphan pixels" because they are pixels just floating around the periphery of the main subject. A good fractal artists knows how to rein those in and get rid of them, in their software, or in Photoshop in post-processing. I just can't accept an image with a lot of background "noise," just like with any stock image.

I have also been seeing a lot of fractals that I know from experience took the submitter only minutes to create. They don't consider that there are many more fractal artists out there with more experience, who are creating beautiful, complex, intricate designs, submitters who consider the stock value of a fractal design, rather than just thinking to themselves, "this is pretty, I think I'll submit it." My computer renders a complex fractal set at 4000 pixels across in just a few minutes, whereas I have heard some artists complain that they have to set the computer up to render the image overnight and it's still chugging away when they come back to it in the morning. I guess they figure that if it took all night to render, then it has to be something special.

Can we get some kind of dialogue going about this, and what standards are needed to accept these images into the libraries? When you search "fractal" on some of the microstock sites, you just get thousands of really simplistic images that have not been downloaded even once, and you have to wonder if the microstock sites have any standards regarding fractals.

Thanks guys, looking forward to your input.

CJPHoto · #2 (**permalink**) 08-02-2006, 09:17 AM

What is a fractual - can you post an example of a good one (and maybe make up a bad one and post for example - that way we can see what you mean).

Kerioak · #3 (**permalink**) 08-02-2006, 09:57 AM

Hi

I may well be one of the people you are complaining about as I submit Fractals to TP and elsewhere and they have been selling well (elsewhere), and as I said there they take a lot longer than a couple of minutes, closer to several hours - it must all depend on the power of your computer. Everyone goes though a learning curve and maybe instead of just saying they are basic and not very nice you could explain how you consider they could be improved and show some examples ?

Christine

suwanneeredhead · #4 (**permalink**) 08-02-2006, 01:45 PM

Thanks, Christine, for your reply. It's not you I was referring to. Yes, it does depend on the power of your computer, of course, regarding the speed in which your renders finish. My computer never takes longer than 5 minutes to render a fractal, regardless of its complexity. But I also process digital video and require a totally super-duper computer.

A really beautiful set of fractal images is found on Deviant art at http://apophysis.deviantart.com/. Look through those to see the highest-quality fractals I have ever seen. I don't know of any of these artists who submit to stock, but I haven't asked every single one of them if they do or not, I've just never seen any of these on the microstock sites.

Clivia has some beautiful work on TP: http://www.totallyphotos.com/gallery...allery_id=1503.

After looking at these, go and search "fractal" on any microstock site and you will see some of the more simplistic ones, and you will be able to judge for yourself. I would make a "bad" one and post it but I am way pressed for time right now, I'm pushing a deadline and I'm outta here!

thesupe87 · #5 (**permalink**) 08-02-2006, 06:04 PM

I need to learn how to do those! Those look pretty darn sweet!

suwanneeredhead · #6 (**permalink**) 08-02-2006, 07:37 PM

Todd I think you'd be really good at it.

Here's the download link for Apophysis: http://www.apophysis.org/
And the link for Fractal Explorer: http://www.eclectasy.com/Fractal-Explorer/index.html

Have at it! I can't wait to see your work!

thesupe87 · #7 (**permalink**) 08-02-2006, 08:43 PM

Sweet! I'll give it a try when I get time, thanks so much for those links :P

It's too bad there isn't a free photoshop filter for fractal stuff like this, that would be neat.

pelmof · #8 (**permalink**) 08-03-2006, 04:22 PM

Hi--I'm new to mircrostock, just started submitting in mid-July, and to date, my submissions have been almost entirely fractal. I have to admit that I'm shocked at the "simplistic" fractals I see on the sites. I do hope I'm bringing the standard up a bit. With over 30 years as a semi-pro photographer (prizes, shows, sales) I have been able to apply what I learned to fractal creation. Here's a link to my portfolio on LuckyOliver.

http://www.luckyoliver.com/shoeboxes/portfolio/pelmof

It takes about 5 to 10 minutes to render a fractal from UF4 on my system. But I have been known to spend up to 2 or more hours in post-render time perfecting the image.

thesupe87 · #9 (**permalink**) 08-03-2006, 07:58 PM

Very nice work!

Have a lot of those sold on the micro sites?

pelmof · #10 (**permalink**) 08-03-2006, 09:11 PM

Well, I'm not sure what you'd call good sales. I've only been at it for about 3 weeks. So far I have 4 sales at Dreamstime (2 at larger resolutins) and 4 at 123RF. The others show a lot of looky-loos (except for Fotolia, which seems to do well for others, but not for me). I have to say that iStock seems totally opposed to fractals. I tried twice with them, and the last time they asked me to send "something other than abstracts." So I've written them off for fractals. If I ever get myself in gear to do some tabletop shooting, I may try them again for strictly photos.