Back to the old days, when Ultra Fractal was nowhere to be found, all the available fractal generators produced single-layer images, and most of them still do so. Only Frederik Slijkermann's Ultra Fractal has incorporated image manipulation options, such as layers and alpha channels, found in graphics editor packages. Now, there's no need to leave the program to post-process the picture, except for adding text, applying special filters or adding extra graphical elements. These unique features are responsible for the increase in popularity of this generator among fractal enthusiasts.

We say a fractal image has been post-processed when it has been imported into a graphics editor to adjust any of its original properties. That results in a modification of the master picture as it came out of the fractal generating software alone. This is a normal practice in digital graphics creation, but still divides the group of fractal artists in two camps: those who prefer to leave the fractal as is (keeping its natural form) and those that routinely enhance its appearance with the intent of improving or increasing the artistic output. Ultra Fractal helped to change that perception because most fractal artists are using it almost exclusively, unleashing its power to combine several layers into a single image. Since all adjustments are done inside the same application, some people think they're not post-processing the picture, but the truth is that all those operations are altering the base image, equaling what will normally be post-processing.

Ultra Fractal is shareware (it costs US $59 to register a single standard copy, or $39 for an upgrade; $129/$69 for the anime version), as opposed to most other generators, which are freeware. That leaves a lot of us (for whatever our reasons) with the ever-evolving programs of the likes of Fractal Explorer or Stephen C. Ferguson's collection. Notwithstanding their excellent features, these are single-layer generators even though they have introduced a lot of new filters and coloring algorithms. Nevertheless, there are layering alternatives for them: just pair them with a graphics editor with layers support, and there you go: Ultra Fractal-like results in just a few mouse-clicks. Let's see how to do some basic steps.

First things first: check if your graphics editor supports layers. In that group are the well-known JASC Paint Shop Pro, Corel Photo Paint and Adobe PhotoShop. This last one costs a small fortune (and certainly, most of us can't afford it), so must likely you'll probably have a copy of Paint Shop Pro running on your machine. If not, you can purchase one from any software retailer or online store, or download a 60-day fully working evaluation version at your favorite shareware collection. (If you want to keep it, please, remember to pay the fee—it's worth it—or remove the unregistered copy from your hard disk after the trial period has expired).

JASC Paint Shop Pro 6 working window
(PSP current version is 10)

Corel Photo Paint prefers the term "Objects" instead of layers, so, whenever I say "layer" do an automatic mental shift to "Object".