One of the joys of making flames is selecting the right colouring and lighting. It can be quite amazing how different gradients of colour can alter the look of the flame.

In the main window of Apophysis click on the "Gradient" button . The Gradient window will open.

By clicking on the small arrow next to the "Preset Gradient" a dropdown menu will appear with about 84 preset gradients. Click on one of these gradients and watch your flame change colour. Try other gradient colours.

A feature of the Gradient dialogue box that is not immediately evident is the "Rotate" button. In fact it doesn't look like a button (which is why so many people miss it), but if you pass your mouse over "Rotate" (above "Preset") it turns into a button. When you click on it a drop down menu will appear. Experiment by clicking on one of the settings then click, hold and drag the slider across. See how these affect the gradient and ultimately the flame.

These settings alone can provide thousands of variations for just one gradient!

Maybe you have a favourite graphic on your computer and love the colouring in it. Wouldn't it be great to be able to grab those colours and apply them to your flame? It is possible using the "Smooth Palette" button in the gradient window.

Click on the "Smooth Palette" button in the Gradient window and locate the graphic on your system. Click "open". Wait a few moments for the new palette to calculate. You can see this calculation happening at the bottom of the main Apophysis window. When the calculation has finished your gradient window will change to reflect the new gradient.

A Favourite Pic

Gradient from the pic above

If you like your new gradient, right click on the gradient window and select "save gradient". The Save Gradient dialogue box will open.

Under "File Name" browse to an already existing gradient file in the Apophysis 2.0 folder. Gradient files have the extension .ugr (UltraFractal gradient file.). Select the .ugr file and click "open"

OR, like me, you may prefer to make up a separate gradient file to keep your own gradients in. To do this type it in the "File Name" display. For example I typed in "roerich.ugr" which will be saved into the Apophysis 2.0 Folder.

Now title the actual gradient you want to save. I titled mine "beda". Then click "Save". Your gradient is now saved.

If, in the future, you would like to use a gradient that you have saved, click on the "Gradient Browser" button in the gradient window. Browse to where you saved your gradient file. Double click the gradient file and the gradient or gradients will appear. Double click on the one you want. Your gradient window will now reflect the change.

Unfortunately it is not possible to save any of the gradients to the preset dropdown gradients.

Tip

If you want even more gradients go to Elizabeth Tomchek's homepage. She has very kindly made available many free gradients that can be used for Apophysis.

To change the background colour of your flame click on the "Adjust" button in the main window. Click on the background colour and select a colour. Then click OK. You may be surprised at the results. Try soft greys! Experiment with the Brightness and Vibrancy controls. The lighting can have quite an impact on the flame.

Want to know how to render a flame with a transparent background? See my FAQ's.

A console box will appear after a few seconds and you can see the rendering time. The box will then disappear when the rendering is finished. Go to where you saved your graphic and you will find that it now

The Camera controls allow you to enlarge or decrease your flame (Zoom control) or position it using the x and y co-ordinates.

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