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Fractal AbstractsFractal Abstracts

More Act ions in Photoshop:

Fractal Abst ract ions

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Skills CoveredSkills Covered

How to create an abstract compositionHow to create an abstract composition

using actions.using actions. How to combine complex shapes andHow to combine complex shapes and

layers.layers. Wave and Twirl FiltersWave and Twirl Filters

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Open Machine Part and drag it onto a new

document 12 x 8. Make the Background Black

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Duplicate your object because we will use it manytimes.

In the Actions Palette, hit the New Action icon at thebottom of the palette.

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First hit Control-J toduplicate your object.

Next, use Control-T totransform your objectslightly and give it asmall rotation.

Stop the Action.

Now, play the action byhitting the forwardbutton as many times asyou need to create an

interesting shape.

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Merge!

So that we won’t have to deal with 100 layers, wewill merge the copies into one. Click on the top

layer and Shift+Click on the last layer. Then right-click and select Merge Layers.

Close the eye on your interesting shape. You willnow produce another shape using a different action.If you don’t like what you see, just toss it in thetrashcan and start over.

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Mix it Up!

You should be building up anice set of shapes now andgetting used to how actionscan help.

This time, try recording anaction with a small WaveFilter distortion built in.Adding a small move after

the Wave stops them allstacking up on each other.

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The number of different actions you can use isendless and totally up to your imagination andexperimentation.

Try the Twirl Filter or a small Liquify distortion. Youcan add a small color or lightness change, or anInvert to get a contrasting object.

Try moving the duplicated layer behind your originalone to have them duplicate backwards.

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The Next Level

Once you have a good selection of objects, it’s timeto start combining them. This is another part where

you just have to experiment.

Start moving your objects around, transforming anddistorting them as you like and see what you can

come up with.

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Try running an action on one of your newcreations to produce a really complexstructure.

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Once you have finishedcomposing your shape, addsome interesting details with

the Twirl filter.

Duplicate your layer. We’regoing to work on the onebehind. Select an edge ofyour object with the ElipticalMarquee tool and run a TwirlFilter with high setting.

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You can soften the jaggedness by running overthe twirls with the smudge tool, or use themotion blur for a more subtle effect.

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Finishing Up

What finishing details you add are up to you. You can tweak out the

colors, add more objects and images—there is no limit to how faryou can take things.

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Your AssignmentYour Assignment

Use your photos of flowers and the actionUse your photos of flowers and the action

you just learned to create an abstractyou just learned to create an abstractcomposition.composition.

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Moki Tran

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D. Fisher

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