Gradients

Gradients contain coloring information for fractals. Each layer in a fractal has its own gradient. Gradients can also be edited and saved independently with a stand-alone gradient editor.

Ultra Fractal gradient Gradients  

To open the gradient editor associated with a fractal window, click Gradient on the Fractal menu. This gradient editor can be recognized because it shows the name of the fractal and the active layer in the title bar. When the gradient is edited, the fractal window immediately redraws itself to show the new colors.

To open a stand-alone gradient editor, click New on the File menu, and then click Gradient.

Ultra Fractal gradients editor Gradients

The gradient editor provides various views on the gradient. Each view can be collapsed and expanded by clicking the button on the left of it. There are five views:

Red/Green/Blue Edits the gradient in the RGB color model
Hue/Saturation/Luminance Edits the gradient in the HSL color model
Opacity Edits the transparency of the gradient
Controls Allows you to fine-tune the selected control point by entering values manually
Comments Provides a place to type comments

The rotation slider is placed outside the collapsible views, so it is always visible. It rotates the gradient to change the way the colors are mapped onto the fractal.

Just above the rotation slider is the animation bar, which is normally empty. It shows the animation keys for animated control points in the gradient. See Animating gradients.

Next: Gradient toolbar

See Also
Tutorial: Learning basic skills
How gradients work
Transparent gradients
Fractal windows

Gradients