Tutorial 17 – Fractal Background

Created by Lucas Burns (2012)

Note: You cannot do both Tutorial 17 and Tutorial 17B for marks. Only one will count.

STEP 1

Figure out the size of your desktop resolution. This can usually be done by right clicking on your desktop and choosing one of the options. The resolution for my laptop’s desktop is 1366 x 768. If you aren’t sure, ask your awesome teacher.

STEP 2

In Paint.net, choose File > New.

STEP 3

Set the Width and Height of the new image to be the same as your desktop’s resolution. See below.

STEP 4

Use one of the shape tools or the line/curve tool to create a simple design. It could be as simple as a few shapes. You can use different colours. Below, I used a link thickness of 35. Your design should fill a good part of the canvas.

STEP 5

Choose Effect > Distort > Polar Inversion. Set the Amount and Quality to max (see below).

STEP 6

Duplicate the layer (Layers > Duplicate Layer).

So you should see this in the Layers panel. (If you need to see the Layers panel, go to Windows > Layers.)

STEP 7

With the top layer selected, choose Effects > Blurs > Zoom Blur. The Zoom Amount should be about 50.

STEP 8

In the Layers panel double click on the first layer. Set the Blending Mode (see below) to Difference.

STEP 9

Choose Layers > Merge Layer Down.

STEP 10

Choose Adjustments > Curves. In the drop down menu, choose RGB. Play with the curves till you like what you see.

STEP 11

You’re done. Add your name and save your file as a PNG. You can make this image your background if you wish.

A few examples…