Editing Fractal flame (section)

{{Short description|Fractal functions in mathematics}}
[[Image:Electricsheep-14156.jpg|thumb|300px|A fractal flame created by the [[Electric Sheep]] computing project.]]
[[Image:Swirly belt444.jpg|thumb|300px|Fractal flame created in [[Apophysis (software)|Apophysis]].]]
'''Fractal flames''' are a member of the [[iterated function system]] class<ref>Mitchell Whitelaw (2004).  ''Metacreation: Art and Artificial Life''.  [[MIT Press]]. pp 155.</ref> of [[fractal]]s created by [[Scott Draves]] in 1992.<ref name="apophysis">{{cite web|url=http://apophysis.wikispaces.com/|title=Information about Apophysis software|access-date=2008-03-11|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913173816/http://apophysis.wikispaces.com/|archive-date=2008-09-13}}</ref> Draves' open-source code was later ported into [[Adobe After Effects]] graphics software<ref>Chris Gehman and Steve Reinke (2005).  ''The Sharpest Point: Animation at the End of Cinema''.  YYZ Books. pp 269.</ref> and translated into the [[Apophysis (software)|Apophysis]] fractal flame editor.<ref name="apophysis" />

Fractal flames differ from ordinary iterated function systems in three ways:
* [[Nonlinear system|Nonlinear]] functions are [[Iteration|iterated]] in addition to [[Affine transformation|affine transforms]].
* Log-density display instead of linear or binary (a form of [[tone mapping]])
* Color by structure (i.e. by the recursive path taken) instead of monochrome or by density.

The tone mapping and coloring are designed to display as much of the detail of the fractal as possible, which generally results in a more aesthetically pleasing image.