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About Genuine Fractals
Genuine Fractals opens resolution-independent FIF files from the Photoshop File Import or Acquire menu
and saves files in the compressed FIF format from the Photoshop File Export menu.
FIF files compress RGB image shapes and colors into scalable equations that can be rendered at any
resolution from 64 x 64 pixels to the limits of computer memory and resources. In testing, a 450
megabyte image was rendered from a 1.8 megabyte FIF with excellent results.
FIF files achieve compression ratios of 4:1 to 125:1, depending on original image detail and Genuine
Fractals Export options, and can be displayed in RGB or indexed color with an optimal, system, or custom
palette.
Who Should Use Genuine Fractals?
Genuine Fractals is intended for use by print designers, artists, and photographers who want to save time
by working in medium-sized files for large format output, web designers who want to quickly display full-
screen, full-color images on their web pages, and game developers who need to maintain color consistency
across images.
Why Use Genuine Fractals?
Genuine Fractals saves time by letting you work in medium-sized original files for high-resolution output.
With Genuine Fractals and FIF files, it's no longer necessary to scan at the output resolution size. Because
the FIF is a resolution-independent file format, you need only between 15 and 25 megabytes of original
data to capture an image for high-resolution output.
For example, if you needed to have the same image at 60 MB and 450 MB, you could scan or create a 20
MB original and do all your image editing on that file. When you have the image the way you want it,
Export it with the Genuine Fractals Pro Graphics option, which results in an encoded file that is typically
between 2 and 5 MB and can easily be transmitted and stored. At output time, use the Genuine Fractals
Import/Acquire feature to render both the 60 MB and 450 MB images from the same FIF file.
For screen-resolution output, you can start with an even smaller original file. Using Genuine Fractals' 50
Web Graphics options, a 640x480-pixel original compresses to between 10KB and 150KB and renders up
nicely for quick display on the web in the color depth of the viewer's desktop. FIF files allow user
interaction on the web. Once a FIF is downloaded, the image can be flipped, rotated, stretched, scaled,
zoomed, cut, pasted, saved, protected, and displayed in grayscale, 8-bit, 24-bit, or inverted color by the
user using the free Fractal Viewer that can be downloaded from the Altamira Group web site at
www.altamira-group.com.
For game developers and web designers, the ability of FIF files to open in either 24-bit or 8-bit color with
an optimal color palette means images with 16 million colors are guaranteed to look their best on a
computer that displays only 256 colors. When Genuine Fractals opens a FIF with the Indexed Color
option, the Optimal Palette setting dynamically picks the best 256 colors in which to render the image in
8-bit color space. Optionally, Genuine Fractals can also display images using the Windows or Mac System
Palette or a Custom Palette for color consistency across images. On the web, the browser determines the
proper color depth of the user's desktop and FIF files automatically display in either 8- or 24-bit color
accordingly.
How Genuine Fractals Works
Genuine Fractals uses Photoshop's Import/Acquire and Export File functions to open existing FIF files
and create FIFs from RGB images, respectively.
During the Export process, patented fractal algorithms repeatedly look over the image and record its
details in equations then, unlike other compression techniques, discard the actual pixel information. The
more detailed equations result in larger compressed files and take longer to encode but produce superb
images when rendered at any size from screen to print resolutions during the Import/Acquire process.
Genuine Fractals provides two Export options for encoding FIF files from RGB images.
1) The Pro Graphics option creates the greatest detail and produces the biggest compressed file but allows
images to be scaled to extremely large sizes while maintaining picture and color integrity.
2) The Web Graphics options create smaller compressed files that display very quickly on the web. Web
designers can choose among 50 settings from Small Photographic to Tiny Impressionistic, depending on
the desired picture quality and speed of delivery.
To Export an Image.
Open an RGB image in Photoshop, choose File > Export > Genuine Fractals Export, choose the Pro
Graphics option for maximum scalability, Or, choose one of 50 Web Graphics settings for quick delivery
on the net.
To Import an Image.
Choose File > Import (or Acquire) > Genuine Fractals Import. Enter the desired resolution by specifying
the Width and Height in pixels or File Size in bytes. Turn Constrain Proportions on to maintain the
original aspect ratio or off to distort dimensions. Choose RBG or Indexed Color. With Indexed Color,
choose an Optimal Palette, System Palette, or Custom palette. Optionally display a thumbnail Preview of
the image or choose Image Info to display the original bitmap file size, width, and height, and the
fractally-encoded stored file size.
What's Different About the Genuine Fractals Demo Version?
The Genuine Fractals Demo Import module works exactly like the full version except that you will briefly
encounter our Demo Version advertisement screen each time you begin to import an image. No other
restrictions apply to the Demo Version Import module.
In addition to briefly displaying our Demo Version advertisement screen when you begin to export an
image, the Genuine Fractals Demo Export module limits the size of the file to be encoded to a minimum
of 150 x 150 pixels and maximum of 1500 x 1500 pixels. The Demo Version Export module also burns
the Altamira Group logo into the bottom portion of each image prior to encoding.
How to Purchase Genuine Fractals
The full version of Genuine Fractals is priced at $159.00 and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
The software is shipped on a shrink-wrapped CD, complete with sample images.
For more information or to purchase Genuine Fractals, visit the Altamira Group web site at
www.altamira-group.com or telephone (800) 913-3391 or (818) 556-3365. Genuine Fractals is also
available from several consumer catalogs, including Adobe Plug-In Sources.