®

User Guide
for Windows and Macintosh®
®
Trademarks Program ©1998 MetaCreations Corporation, The KPT 5 User Guide was written by Erick
including the look and feel of the product. Vera; edited by Stuart Torzewski,
MetaCreations and the MetaCreations logo MetaCreations KPT 5 User Guide ©1998 Chris Livingston and Vicki Wong; project
are trademarks of MetaCreations MetaCreations Corporation. No part of this management by Erick Vera; illustrated by
Corporation. Kai’s Power Tools and KPT are guide may be reproduced in any form or by Jackson Ting and Erick Vera.
trademarks of MetaCreations Corporation. any means without the prior written
permission of MetaCreations Corporation. Photos provided by PhotoSpin Inc. and
Core Flame fractal technology © 1998 PhotoDisc.
Scott Draves (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/ Notice
~spot).
Before using this software or reading this
“Windows” is a registered trademark of user guide, make sure you have read,
Microsoft Corporation. “Pentium” is a understood and agreed to the license
registered trademark and “i486” is a contained in the back of the KPT Quick
trademark of Intel Corporation. “Macintosh” Reference Card.
is a registered trademark of Apple
Computer, Incorporated. Adobe and Credits
Photoshop are registered trademarks of
Adobe Systems, Incorporated. All other Kai’s Power Tools was conceived by Kai
product names mentioned in the manual Krause; Engineering by Todd Bogdan,
and other documentation are used for Michael Herf, Moe Doucet, Josh Bates,
identification purposes only and may be Ben Weiss, Andrew Bearsley, Ken Musgrave,
trademarks or registered trademarks of their Matt Fox Wilson and Scott Draves; User
respective companies. Registered and Interface Design by Kai Krause with
unregistered trademarks used herein are the additional contributions from
exclusive property of their respective Chris Livingston.
owners. MetaCreations Corporation makes
no claim to any such marks, nor willingly or Quality Assurance testing by Steve Yatson,
knowingly misused or misapplied such Meredith Keiser, Fernando Corrado,
marks. Kevin Prendergast, and Brian Romero.

Copyright Product Management by Chris Livingston

and Stuart Torzewski.
This manual, as well as the software
described in it, is furnished under license
and may only be used or copied in
accordance with the terms of such license.
 TA BLE OF CONTENTS
WELCOME TO KPT 5
Welcome to KPT 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Customer Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
What’s New? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Web Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Phone Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
KPT® ShapeShifter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
KPT® Orb-It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Who Is MetaCreations?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
KPT® FiberOptix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
For More Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
KPT® Blurrrr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
KPT® FraxPlorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Installing KPT 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
About Your User Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Windows 95/98/NT 4 Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Power Macintosh Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Conventions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Installing KPT 5 with Painter® 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Modifier Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

A LITTLE THEORY....
What are Masks? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 What are Fractals? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Masks and Alpha Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Fractal Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Creating Masks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Using Masks in Painter 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

KPT BASICS
Accessing Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Setting Global Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Setting Filter Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
The KPT Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Using Common Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Setting Workspace Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Using Memory Dots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Setting KPT 5 Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Working with the Main Preview Window . . . . . . . . 24
Working with Preview Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

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 Working with Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Working with the Presets Library . . . . . . . . 38
Using the Color Picker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Loading Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Using Common Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Adding and Deleting Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Editing Preset Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
3D Lighting Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Importing and Exporting Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Environment Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Color Gradient Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Applying KPT Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Applying KPT Effects to Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

KPT 5 TUTORIALS
Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Lesson 1: Setting Orb Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
KPT ShapeShifter Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Lesson 2: Applying an Environment Map . . . . . . . . 47
Lesson 3: Setting Sphere Properties . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Lesson 4: Lighting Spheres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Lesson 1: Creating a Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Lesson 2: Adjusting Bevels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 KPT FiberOptix Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Lesson 3: Adding a Top Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Lesson 4: Adding an Environment Map . . . . . . . . . 44 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Lesson 5: Adding Texture to a Shape . . . . . . . . . . 45 Lesson 1: Adding a Mask. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Lesson 2: Setting Fiber Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . 51
KPT Orb-It Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Lesson 3: Coloring Fibers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

KPT BLURRRR
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Kraussian Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Switching between Blurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Setting Blur Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Previewing Blurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Setting Kraussian Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Hi-Speed Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Camera Optics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Setting Hi-Speed Blur Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Setting Blur Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

iv
 TA BLE OF CONTENTS
Controlling the Blow-Out Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Spiral Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Motion Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Setting Blur Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Setting Spiral Rotation Angle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Setting Motion Blur Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Setting Blur Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Gaussian Weave Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Spin Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Setting Blur Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Setting Blur Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Spiral Weave Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Zoom Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Setting Blur Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Setting Spiral Rotation Angle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Setting Blur Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

KPT FIBEROPTIX
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Scaling a Noise Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Blending Noise Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Previewing your Fibers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Setting Fiber Surface Properties . . . . . . . . . 70
Creating Fibers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Using a Gradient as a Tint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Setting Fiber Density . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Using a Tint Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Setting Fiber Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Setting Luma Variance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Adjusting Fiber Tapering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Setting Fiber Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Setting Fiber Flatness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Lighting Fibers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Setting Fiber Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Setting Direction Angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Using Masks with KPT FiberOptix . . . . . . . . 72
Setting Direction Intensity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Setting Bevel Width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Setting Background Surface Properties . . . . . . . . . 73
Adjusting Growth Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Previewing Fibers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Using Noise Maps with KPT FiberOptix . . . . . 69
Loading a Noise Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

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 KPT FRAXFLAME
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Coloring your Fractal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Setting up a Flame Fractal . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Rendering your Fractal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Choosing a Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Setting Gamma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Mutating a Flame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Setting Intensity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Setting Preset Rendering Options . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Viewing your Flame Fractal. . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Setting Custom Rendering Options . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Repositioning your View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Zooming into your Fractal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

KPT KPT FRAXPLORER

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Setting Preview Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Setting Preview Size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Exploring Fractals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Coloring a Fractal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Exploring Julia Variations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Exploring Polar Variations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Setting the Inside Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Exploring M-Julia Polar Variations. . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Using a Gradient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Using the Universe Mapper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Using Coloring Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Navigating in a Fractal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Rendering Your Fractal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Using Navigation Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Previewing Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Setting Fractal Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

KPT FRAX4D
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 4D vs. 3D Fractals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Using the 2D Slice of 4D Space Panel . . . . . . . . . . 98
Creating a KPT Frax4D Object . . . . . . . . . . 97 Choosing R and I Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

vi
 TA BLE OF CONTENTS
Choosing J and K parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Adding an Environment Map . . . . . . . . . . 100
Viewing your Fractal using a W Slice . . . . . . . . . . 99
Setting Fractal Complexity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Setting Up Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Exploring your 4D Fractal . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Rendering your Fractal . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Zooming into a Fractal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Extremely Technical Notes . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Viewing a Fractal in the Main Preview window . . . . 100
Setting Fractal Iterations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

KPT NOIZE
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Setting Up Noise Components . . . . . . . . . 105
Generating Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Generating RGB Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Using a Gradient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Using the Noise Mutator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Generating Alpha Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Scaling Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

KPT ORB-IT
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Using a Tint Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Setting the Tint Amount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Creating Orbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Tint to Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Using Glass Refraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Setting Orb Packing Density . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Turning Metallic Reflections On/Off . . . . . . . . . . 113
Setting Orb Size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Size Variation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Adding an Environment Map . . . . . . . . . . 113
Setting Z-Axis Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Controlling Orb Density using Alpha Information. . . 111 Blending the Environment Map with the Orbs . . . . 114

Lighting Orbs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Setting Up Orb Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

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 KPT RADWARP
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Adjusting Warp Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Setting Warp Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Setting Horizontal Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Setting Vertical Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Setting Warp Alpha Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Rotating your Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Setting Warp Beta Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

KPT SHAPESHIFTER
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Working with Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Creating a Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Setting Shadow Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Setting Shadow Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Working with Bevels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Setting Shadow Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Setting Shadow Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Bevel Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Using Bevel Masking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Adding an Embossing Layer to your Shape . . 130
Setting Bevel Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Using a Tint Color with the Top Mask . . . . . . . . . 130
Setting Bevel Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Noise Masking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Lighting your Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Adjusting Transparency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Emboss Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Adding Texture to your Shape . . . . . . . . . 125 Emboss Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Importing a Bump Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Adding an Environment Map to your Shape . 131
Setting Bump Scale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Setting Bump Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Blending an Environment Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Using a Tint Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Adding a Glow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Applying Glass Refraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Setting Internal Reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Setting Glow Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Setting Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Previewing Your Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Setting Glow Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Setting Glow Position. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

viii
 TA BLE OF CONTENTS
KPT SMOOTHIE
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
A Little History... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Previewing your KPT Smoothie Effect . . . . . . . . . 135

Smoothing an Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Working with Outer Edges . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Working with Inner Edges . . . . . . . . . . . 138

ix
 WE LCOME TO KPT 5
Welcome to KPT 5 Refer to “KPT ORB-IT” on page 108 for a complete explanation of
this filter.
Kai’s Power Tools is a collection of image filters that let you alter
images from a host application. With Kai’s Power Tools, you’ll
produce incredible effects in seconds. KPT® FiberOptix
KPT FiberOptix creates anything from furry text, green shag
What’s New? carpet, pink plastic silly string, to lush creeping vines. Every
The new version of KPT is a collection of new filters that can strand and fiber is a true 3D object. Masks are generated from
turn any image into a work of art. You’ll find filters that make the 3D data, enabling easy compositing.
fractals, filters that provide vast improvements over standard
Refer to “KPT FiberOptix” on page 64 for a complete explanation of
image processing effects, and all new filter that explore
this filter.
technology you just won’t find anywhere else.

Listed below are descriptions of just some of the filters you’ll

find in KPT 5. KPT® Blurrrr
KPT Blurrrr is a professional suite of filters including the classic
zoom, spin, and other indispensable blurs updated with
KPT® ShapeShifter real-time previews, pro-precision 64-bit color, and 128-bit math
KPT ShapeShifter creates shapes and objects with refracting with new algorithms and variations.
glass edges, 3D light sources on beveled metallic surfaces, soft,
Refer to “KPT Blurrrr” on page 54 for a complete explanation of
curved and lit Web buttons, and text. Resulting elements carry
this filter.
their masks with them, which makes compositing a snap.

Refer to “KPT ShapeShifter” on page 119 for a complete explanation

of this filter. KPT® FraxPlorer
KPT FraxPlorer is the new, definitive Fractal Explorer featuring
real-time fly-throughs, 1000% larger previews, and
KPT® Orb-It never-before-seen fractal styles.
KPT Orb-It explodes a source image into thousands of spheres
Refer to “KPT KPT FraxPlorer” on page 82 for a complete
with variations in size, density, and realistic 3D lighting. Produce
explanation of this filter.
fields of bubbles, raindrops, and giant lenses, incredible text
effects, and mind-boggling distortions.

10
 WE LCOME TO KPT 5
About Your User Guide Modifier Keys
This guide provides all the information you’ll need to get the When a modifier key differs between the Macintosh and
most out of Kai’s Power Tools. It will help you learn the Windows platform, the Macintosh modifier is listed first followed
application and serve as a reference as you attempt more by a slash and the Windows modifier key. Option/Alt means
sophisticated techniques. Macintosh users press the Option key and Windows users
press Alt.
This guide assumes you are already familiar with basic
Macintosh ® and Windows ® concepts—menus, dialogs, and Who Is MetaCreations?
mouse operations, such as clicking and dragging. If you need
more information on these subjects, or on the Macintosh Finder MetaCreations is a major force in 2D and 3D graphic software,
or the Windows desktop, refer to the Macintosh User’s Manual developing and marketing next generation products that unite
or the Microsoft Windows User’s Guide, respectively. traditional art and design techniques with digital technology.
MetaCreations products are engineered to deliver real-time
interaction, intuitive functionality, and creativity to design
Conventions professionals, graphics hobbyists, and consumers who work on
desktop computers.
The KPT Users Guide is for both Macintosh and Windows. By
convention, Macintosh commands precede Windows commands MetaCreations’ focus is maintained by three product values:
in the text. For example, Command/Ctrl+I, is equivalent to the
Macintosh Command-I and the Windows Ctrl+I. For simplicity, • Faithfully replicate Natural-Media and real world looks in the
the term “folder” refers to directories as well as folders. The KPT digital medium.
interface for Macintosh and Windows platforms is identical, • Facilitate and extend the range of creativity by allowing artists
unless otherwise specified. to do things they couldn’t do before.
There are also several conventions used to identify paths to • Capture human expression and allow the artist’s perspective
certain tools and controls. The convention to a menu follows the and intent to show through.
rules of the menu name> menu item.

For More Information

For more information about MetaCreations’ products, see our
Web site on the Internet:

http://www.metacreations.com

11
 INSTA LLATION
Installing KPT 5 2 Choose Start menu> Run.
3 Type the letter that corresponds to your CD-ROM drive
Kai’s Power Tools 5 requires a host application to run. The host followed by “:\setup”. For example if your CD-ROM drive is
application can be any program that fully supports Adobe® drive D, type d:\setup.
Photoshop ® -compatible plug-ins. 4 Click OK and follow the instructions displayed.
KPT 5 must be installed in the same folder where your host 5 The installer prompts you to locate your Adobe Photoshop
application looks for plug-ins. In the case of Photoshop, this is Plug-ins folder. This folder can be a part of the Photoshop
the Plug-ins folder within the Photoshop application folder. application, or any application that accepts 100%
compatible Photoshop plug-ins.
6 Click Install.
Windows 95/98/NT 4 Installation When the install is complete, you can access the plug-ins
from within the host application.

System Requirements
The following are necessary to run KPT 5 on your PC: Installation Tips
• Pentium 166 MHz (or compatible) or faster. Pentium 266 MHz Make sure that:
or faster recommended
• Your operating system is Win95/98/NT 4. Kai’s Power Tools
• Windows 95/98/NT4 will not run in Win 3.x. or NT 3 x.x.
• Photoshop 3/4/5 or 100% compatible host • Your display is set to a minimum of 24-bit color (true color).
• 32MB RAM. 64MB or greater recommended • You are using a Pentium processor or Pentium class
• 50MB free hard disk space processor. Kai’s Power Tools will not run on a 486.

• 24-bit color video, color monitor • There are no open applications.

• CD-ROM drive • There are NO applications running in the background. This

includes anti-virus, crash-monitoring software, or system
diagnostic software.
Installation
Installing Kai’s Power Tools:
1 Insert the Kai’s Power Tools 5 CD into your CD-ROM drive.

13
Troubleshooting However, your system may reboot when you press End Task, or a
program may not close the way it should. If this happens, try
leaving it on the Close Program list and install anyway.
Win 95/98
Closing applications running in the background is very
important for a successful install. Win NT 4
Closing applications running in the background is very
To make sure all background programs are closed: important for a successful install.
1 Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete once.
To make sure all background programs are closed:
Don’t press the key combination twice in a row as this will
reboot your computer. 1 Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and choose the Task Manager.

The Close Program window appears. Do not hit this key combination two times in a row as this
will reboot your computer.
• The basic Windows 95 components are Explorer and
Systray. All other items you see on the list are the result 2 You can you can close all unnecessary back ground
of installing hardware or software. programs by clicking the Applications tab, selecting all the
2 You can close all unnecessary background programs by items on the list and then clicking the End Task button.
selecting one item at a time and clicking the End Task This does not change any settings on your system. If you
button. This does not change any settings on your system. reboot your machine, all the programs will return.
If you reboot your machine, all the programs will return.
A dialog that says: ” This program is not responding. It may
• Don’t select Explorer, (or Systray if you see it on the list). be busy“ may appear. Press the End Task button to finish
• Don’t hit the Shut Down button as this will reboot your closing the program.
system.
Once you close an item, the Close Program window
disappears. You’ll have to hit Ctrl + Alt + Delete again to Power Macintosh Installation
get it back.
A dialog that says: ”This program is not responding. It may
be busy “ may appear. Press the End Task button to finish System Requirements
closing the program. The following requirements are needed to run KPT 5 on your
By design you should be able to close all background Macintosh:
applications this way.
• PowerPC based Macintosh
• MacOS 7.6.1 or later

14
 INSTA LLATION
• Photoshop 3/4/5 or 100% compatible host Troubleshooting
• 32MB RAM. 64MB host application RAM or greater If you’re having problems installing, you may be having an
recommended. extension conflict. Try installing with a limited extension set. Try
• 50MB hard disk space using only the extensions you need for your CD-ROM. Then go
back to your regular extension set after the install.
• 24-bit color video, color monitor
• CD-ROM drive
Installing KPT 5 with Painter® 5
Installation If you want to use KPT 5 with Painter 5, you have 2 choices:
Installing KPT 5: • If you’ve already installed KPT 5 in the Photoshop Plug-ins
1 Insert the Kai’s Power Tools 5 CD into your CD-ROM drive. folder, you can direct Painter to look to this folder for
plug-ins. Refer to page 37 of the Painter 5 User Guide for
2 Double-click the Kai’s Power Tools 5 Installer icon.
instructions.
3 The installer prompts you to locate your Plug-ins folder.
• If you want to install KPT 5 for use with Painter 5 only, you
This folder can be a part of the Photoshop application, or
should make a new folder before beginning the install.
any application that accepts 100% Photoshop-compatible
plug-ins.
Give the folder a unique name and place it wherever it’s
4 Click Install. convenient. If you want to make it a sub-folder of Painter,
When the install’s done, you can access the plug-ins from make sure you give it a unique name, like “raster plugins “.
within the host application.

NoTe Don’t install KPT 5 to the Other Plugins or Plugin

Brushes folders.
Installation Tips
Make sure that:

• Your operating system is System 7.6.1 or higher.

• Your display is set to minimum of 24-bit color (true color).
• You’re not running Virtual Memory or any RAM-enhancing
programs like RAM Doubler.

15
A Little Theory.... Masks are usually used to protect areas of your image while
editing. In this case, any changes you make to your image are
To help you get the most out of KPT, there are two topics you applied everywhere except the area inside the mask.
should know a little bit about: Masks and Fractals.
Masks can also be used to define the area where an image
Many of the filters in KPT use masks extensively to determine effect is applied. When you use it this way, the mask actually
how the filter is applied to your image. So to get the most out of protects everything outside the mask area.
these filters, you should know how to create and apply masks.

Several of the filters deal exclusively with Fractals. These are the
filters with Frax in their title. Knowing something about what
fractals are, and how they work, will help you when you’re using
these filters.

What are Masks?

Basically, a mask is a black and white image that defines which
areas of your image can be changed and which areas can’t.

A mask used to protect an area and to limit an effect.

An image and its mask.

16
 A L IT TLE THEORY
In KPT, masks are used to create shapes and to define which Creating Masks
areas of your image are affected by the filter.
Creating a mask can be as easy as creating a 32-bit black and
white image. However, in most cases you’ll want to create a
mask from an existing image. Most image-editing applications
let you convert selections into masks and then store them as an
additional channel with the file.

Creating Masks in Painter 5

In Painter, you can save a selection using the Save Selection
button in the Objects: Mask List palette. Refer to the Painter 5
User Guide for more information on creating masks.

Using Masks in Painter 5

Masks work differently in Painter than they do in Photoshop. In
A mask used with two of the KPT 5 filters. Painter, the white areas are considered the background while
the black areas are used to define the shape. Since KPT uses the
white areas to create shapes and define areas, you’ll need to
Masks and Alpha Channels invert the mask before entering a KPT filter.
An alpha channel is an additional channel in an image (i.e. in
addition to the RGB channels) that stores a mask or a selection. To invert a grayscale image in Painter:
In KPT, you can use the alpha channel to create a selection 1 Load the mask image into Painter.
before entering a filter, or make a mask image out of the alpha
2 Choose Effects menu> Tonal Control> Negative.
channel and then import it into a filter.

17
What are Fractals?
Fractals are mathematical equations that result in incredibly
beautiful patterns when they’re mapped out on a computer.

One of the distinguishing features of a fractal is self-similarity;

this means that reduced versions of the fractal appear
throughout a fractal’s pattern.

Most fractals are infinitely detailed, so you can zoom in closer

and closer to see more detail. As you zoom, you’ll see the same
patterns recurring.

A zoomed in view of the fractal. Notice that the pattern here is similar to
the larger view.
KPT’s fractal filters, like KPT FraxPlorer, are designed to help you
see these repeating patterns. The filter lets you explore fractals
by zooming into their pattern. The further in you go, the more
patterns you’ll see. Normally, this requires a large number of
calculations that takes a long time to process, but with KPT you
can zoom into any fractal in real-time.

Fractal Types
Over the years, several brilliant mathematicians and scientists
A Mandelbrot fractal. have studied fractals and have advanced the knowledge of these
patterns. Several of these pioneers created their own formulas
for generating fractals, which resulted in different fractal types.

18
 A L IT TLE THEORY
For example, Benoit B. Mandelbrot, sometimes called the father
of fractals, created a formula that generated fractals with
bulb-like patterns. The Julia Set of fractals are produced by a
specific type of chaotic function named after Gaston Julia for his
work in this field.

A Mandelbrot and Julia Set fractal.

Besides these two, there are several other types of fractals. Each
creates a breath-taking array of infinite patterns.

19
KPT Basics The KPT Workspace
This section provides basic information you’ll need to use all the All the KPT 5 filters are based on the same user interface.
filters. It covers the general procedure for using the controls There’s a main workspace with panels that float over it. The
you’ll find in the various filters, as well as suggestions on how to workspace has a number of controls that you can use in any
get the most out of Kai’s Power Tools. filter.

Accessing Filters Web Button

Global Options Filter Options Help
KPT filters can be applied to any selection or layer of your image
file.

NoTe KPT only works with RGB images.

To apply a filter:
Mem Dots
1 In the host application, open the image you want to apply
the filter to.
Panels
• If you want to apply the filter to the entire image, make
sure nothing is selected. Main Preview
Cancel/OK

• If you want to apply the filter to a specific area, make a Presets

selection.
The KPT workspace.
• If you want to apply the filter to a specific layer, select it.
KPT 5 Title
2 From the Filter menu, choose the KPT 5 sub-menu and then
the effect you want to use. The KPT logo accesses global options that let you change how
the workspace looks. You can also open the About box.
When you select a filter, its window appears.

20
 KP T BA SICS
Filter Title Setting Workspace Size
The title of each filter lets you access options for the current You can control the size of the KPT 5 workspace using the
filter. These options only affect the active filter. The types of keyboard keys. If you make the workspace smaller than your
preferences available vary between filters. display, you’ll be able to see your desktop.

Web Button Resize to 640 x 480 Ctrl/Command - 1

The @ symbol lets you jump to the Kai’s Power Tools Web page Resize to 800 x 600 Ctrl/Command - 2
on the MetaCreations Website.
Resize to 1024 x 768 Ctrl/Command - 3

MetaCreations Logo Resize to 1152 x 870 Ctrl/Command - 4

Accesses the on-line documentation for the current filter. Resize to 1280 x 1024 Ctrl/Command - 5
Resize to Full Screen Ctrl/Command - 0
Presets
The heart-shaped button at the bottom of the workspace lets
you access the Presets Library. Refer to “Working with the Presets
Library” on page 38 for more on using presets.

Cancel/OK
The checkmark at the bottom of the workspace is the OK button.
The X is the Cancel button.

Memory Dots
The memory dots that appear on the main workspace let you
store the positions of the filter panels and all the values in a
filter (i.e. all the values in all the panels.) Refer to “Using Memory
Dots” on page 23 for more on memory dots.

21
Setting KPT 5 Options About KPT 5
This option displays the KPT 5 About box.
KPT 5 lets you set several options that control how all the KPT 5
filters appears, as well as providing options that only affect
specific filters.
Setting Filter Options
The Filter Option menu lets you control how a filter’s panels
Setting Global Options behave in the workspace. These options only affect the current
filter.
The Global Options control how the appearance of the KPT
Workspace. These options affect all the filters in KPT 5.

Click the filter title to access the Filter Options menu.

Click the KPT 5 title to access the Global Options menu.

Panel Auto Popup
Black Out Screen When this option is enabled, panels automatically expand as you
pass your cursor over them. When you move the cursor to a
This option lets you black out the desktop of your operating different location, the panel automatically collapses to its
system. Preview-Only state.

Smileys!
This option toggles between Cancel/OK buttons. When the
option is enabled, Cancel is represented by a sad face and OK is
a happy face (cute no?). When disabled, the standard
checkmark and X icons appear.

22
 KP T BA SICS
Panel Manual Popup The Layout memory dots that appear on the KPT workspace
store the state of the interface. You can use them to setup
When this option is enabled, panels only expand and contract
different working environments. For example, you could have all
when you click them. A cycler icon appears that lets you cycle
the advanced controls for a filter displayed so that you don’t
through the panel states.
have to expand each control individually.

Layout dots.
Click the cycler icon to move between panel states.
The Recall memory dots let you retrieve all the values for all the
Panel Solo Mode panels in the filter. You can quickly set up all your panels by just
clicking a dot. You can also use the Recall dots to store the
When this option is enabled, only the panel you’re currently
various stages of your effect as you change settings.
working with expands. All the other panels are collapsed. This
helps you isolate the controls you’re working with.

Using Common Controls

Although each KPT filter is unique, they all share similar Recall dots.
controls. This section describes some of the controls you’ll find
in the various KPT filters. Each panel also has a set of memory dots that let you store
values for an individual control. You can use these dots to return
to different stages of an effect.
Using Memory Dots
Memory dots let you store and recall values with a single click of
your mouse. There are three types of memory dots in KPT:
Layout, Recall and panel dots.

Memory dots on a panel.

To store interface positions in a memory dot:

1 Set up the interface the you want it.

23
 2 Click an empty Layout dot. Empty dots are grey. Working with the Main Preview Window
To store all filter values in a memory dot: The Main Preview window is the area that displays the results of
the filter. As you change settings, the preview window updates
1 Set up the values in each of the panels you want to store. to show you the results.
2 Click an empty Recall dot. Empty dots are grey.
The behavior of the Main Preview window changes from one
To store a panel’s values: filter to another. In most cases, it displays a preview of the
effect. However, in some filters, you can click-and-drag inside
1 Enter the values you want to store in the panel. the Main Preview window to change your view of the effect or
2 Click an empty dot on the panel. rotate an object. These unique behaviors are explained in the
filter sections.
To recall a memory dot setting:
1 Click on a full dot. Full dots appear green.
2 The selected dot turns yellow.

To clear a memory dot:

✤ Option/Alt-click a full memory dot. It turns grey to indicate
that it’s empty.

Restoring Panels to Default

The memory dots on a panel have a reset button. The dot in the
center lets you reset all the values in the panel to their factory
default values.

To restore a panel to default:

✤ Click the center memory dot. The recall dot has a black dot
in the middle.
The Main Preview window in different filters.

The bar across the bottom of the window can contain navigation
controls, like those found in KPT FraxPlorer. Refer to “Using
Navigation Controls” on page 86 for more on these controls.

24
 KP T BA SICS
To reposition the Main Preview window: Working with Preview Modes
✤ Drag the window’s title bar to any position on the screen. Usually, when you enter a filter, the filter effect is previewed on
top of the background image. For some of the more complex
Preview Window Options filters, this can slow down preview render time. To help you
speed up your preview, some filters have preview modes that
The Main Preview window has three size options: Small, Medium
can replace the background image with flat patterns or colors
and Large.
that make previewing faster.
The different sizes are designed to let you see the largest
possible preview within your display.

The options menu can also contain output options

NoTe Preview modes do not affect the final render, only
the preview of the effect.
NoTe or rendering options. Refer to “Applying KPT
Effects” on page 40 for more on output options. To choose a preview mode:
✤ Click the triangle icon at the top of the Main Preview
window and choose a mode from the menu.
To set Main Preview window size:
✤ Click the triangle icon at the top of the Main Preview
window and choose either Small, Medium or Large from the
menu.

The Preview Option menu on the Main Preview window.

25
Preview Against Black Preview Against Checkerboard
The filter effect is displayed on a solid black background. The background image is replaced by a pattern of gray squares.

KPT Blurrrrr using the Preview Against Black mode. KPT Blurrrr using the Preview Against Checkerboard mode.

Preview Against White Preview Against Dark Checkerboard

The filter effect is displayed on a solid white background. The background is replaced by a pattern of dark gray squares.

KPT Blurrrrr using the Preview Against White mode. KPT Blurrrr using the Preview Against Dark Checkerboard mode.

26
 KP T BA SICS
Preview Against Gradient Collapsed State
The background is replaced by a grayscale gradient. A Collapsed panel appears as a small black bar with the name of
the control. This is the state you’ll use to store controls you’re
not currently using.

KPT filter panels in their Collapsed state.

To collapse a panel:
✤ Double-click the panel’s title bar.

Preview-Only State
KPT Blurrrr using the Preview Against Gradient mode. In Preview-Only state, the panel displays a preview thumbnail of
any imported images, masks or presets you’re currently using.
The name of the file appears below the preview.
Working with Panels
All of the controls for a filter are divided into panels. These
panels float over the filter window and can be repositioned to
best suit the way you work.

Setting Panel States

Each panel has four states: collapsed, preview-only, standard
and expanded. The states are designed to help you focus on a A KPT panel in Preview-Only state.
task by hiding unrecquired controls.

27
Standard State Expanded State
In the Standard state, the panel displays a preview of any In the Expanded state a panel displays two controls that let you
imported images, as well as any parameter controls available. set precise values for each control in the panel.

A KPT panel in its Standard state.

A KPT panel in its Expanded state.

The vertical ruler acts a precise slider. It lets you adjust the
value of a control in minute increments. The small ghosted
arrow indicates the last value you entered.

To adjust a control in small increments:

1 Click the control you want to set.
2 Drag the marker up or down. The ticks on the ruler let you
see the amount of adjustment you’re applying.

28
 KP T BA SICS
The numerical value act as a text entry field. You can type any Save Preset
value you want to replace the displayed numbers.
This option lets you save the image or object currently in the
panel’s preview window to the Presets Library.

Using the Color Picker

The Color Picker lets you set a color for an object. If you see a
Click the numerical display on the extended slider to enter a value color dot next to an item in a panel, it means that you can set
manually. the item’s color using the Color Picker.

To enter numerical values for a control:

1 Click the control you want to set.
2 Click the number displayed on the panel.
3 Enter the desired value.

Setting Panel Options

The KPT Color Picker.
Each panel has an Options menu. The contents of the menu vary
from panel to panel. However, there are several options that are The picker appears as three floating bars. The top bar displays
common to all panels. shades of gray from black to white. The center bar displays a
spectrum of colors and shades. The bottom bar displays opacity
Load settings.
When this option appears, you can use it to load a file into the The grayscale bar is divided into two sections. The top area of
panel. For example, in the Environment panel you can load an the sections is broken down into increments of grayscale values
image to use as an environment map. to make it easier to choose precise grayscale shades. The
bottom of the bar is a continuous blend of grays.
Load Preset
This option let you load a file from the Presets Library. Refer to
“Working with the Presets Library” on page 38 for more on the library.
The two sections of the grayscale bar.

29
To choose a color: Using Common Panels
✤ Click a color dot on a panel. The Color Picker appears. While
Several of the panels in KPT are common to several filters. For
holding down the mouse button, drag over the color you
the most part, these panels work the same wherever they
want to use from the center bar.
appear. In some cases, a panel may have one or two extra
When you release the mouse button, the color is selected. controls that are unique to a filter.
As you move over the colors, the color dot shows you both
the new color and the original color.
3D Lighting Panel
To choose a shade of gray: The 3D Lighting panel lets you position light sources in 3D
✤ Drag the cursor along the top bar in the Color Picker. space and set their colors and brightness. The panel appears in
any filter that renders objects in 3D, like KPT Orb-It and
To choose an opacity setting: KPT Frax4D.
✤ Drag your cursor along the bottom bar in the Color Picker.

The 3D Lighting panel.

30
 KP T BA SICS
Adding and Deleting Lights Highlight Types
When you first access the 3D Lighting panel, it has a number of The two Highlight types determine how your light source casts
lights. You can add more lights to illuminate the image from a light. Soft Highlights cast soft-edged, or fuzzy, highlights on
number of different angles, or to mix light colors on the surface your objects. Sharp Highlights cast hard-edged highlights.
of your object.
To set a light type:
To add a light source: 1 Click on a light.
✤ Click the Add Light icon. 2 Click the Sharp/Soft toggle button.

Highlight type toggle.

Add Light icon.
Positive and Negative Lights
To delete a light source:
The Positive/Negative toggle button lets you control a light’s
1 Select a light source in the light preview. behavior. A positive light source projects regular light that
2 Press Option/Alt and click the Add Light icon or press produces highlights.
Delete.
A negative light source draws light out of an object. The amount
of light drawn out is determined by the light’s brightness
Setting Up Light Properties settings. A negative light’s color draws out a specific color,
KPT’s light model not only lets you add a light source, but it also leaving its spectral opposite in its place.
offers different types of lights that can be used to create a much
more complex lighting effect. Your lights can be either Soft or To set a light as negative or positive:
Sharp, Positive or Negative. 1 Click on a light.
2 Click the Positive/Negative toggle button.

Positive/Negative light toggle.

31
Positioning Lights To send a light to the back of an object:
The graphic in the center of the control represents your object 1 Click on a light.
in three-dimensional space. The balls surrounding the large 2 Click the Front/Back button.
graphic in the center represent light sources.

Front/Back light button.

Setting Light Color

A light’s color can tint the color of all the objects you’re working
with. Light color appears in object highlights.

Drag the circles to reposition lights. You can also mix light colors. For example, if you have a blue
light source and a yellow light, your objects will have a greenish
By dragging these light sources to different positions around the highlight.
ball, you can adjust the lighting angle on your object.
To change a light’s color:

TiPS You can also drag the large sphere to reposition all
the lights at once.
1
2
Click one of the light sources in the light control.
Click the color dot. The Color Picker appears. While
pressing the mouse button, drag over the color you want to
Sending Lights to the Back or Front of an Object use.
The Front/Back button lets you quickly move the light to the When you release the mouse button, the color is selected.
front or the back of your object.

Light color dot.

32
 KP T BA SICS
Setting Light Brightness To set highlight size:
The overall brightness of a light is controlled by the brightness 1 Click a light source.
of the light itself as well as the brightness and size of the 2 Drag the Highlight Spread slider. Drag to the right to
highlight. increase highlight size, or left to decrease it.
The Light Brightness slider controls the intensity of the light. The
To set highlight brightness:
Highlight Spread slider controls the size of the highlight that
appears on objects. The Highlight Sheen slider controls the 1 Click a light source.
intensity of the highlight. 2 Drag the Highlight Sheen slider. Drag to the right to
increase highlight brightness, or left to decrease it.

Setting Ambient Glow

When there are no specific light sources selected, the 3D
lighting panel lets you control the brightness of the ambient
Use these sliders to set light properties. light. Unlike light cast from a light source, ambient light comes
from all directions.
By combining these three settings, you can completely control
how a light affects your objects. For example, larger highlights To set ambient glow:
combined with higher Brightness values can make your objects
appear very bright. 1 Make sure there are no lights selected.
2 Drag the Ambient Glow slider.
You can also create different types of effects with these
controls. For example, small bright highlights can make your
objects look very shiney or metallic.

To set light brightness:

1 Click a light source.
2 Drag the Light Brightness slider. Drag to the right to
increase brightness, or left to decrease it.

33
Environment Panel Loading an Environment Map Image
The Environment panel lets you load images that are used as An environment map image can be any RGB or grayscale image
environment reflection maps. An environment map image is stored on your system. If you want a more natural-looking effect,
reflected in an object’s surface. use a photo-realistic image. You can also load presets from the
Environment library.
Because of the way KPT maps images onto an
TiPS object, it’s not necessary to create large
environment map images for larger objects. Your
To load an environment map image:
environment map should be no larger than 1 In the Environment panel, click the preview window. The
512 x 512 pixels. In fact, a 256 x 256 pixel image Open dialog appears.
will work fine in most cases. You can also click the arrow icon at the top of the panel
and choose Load from the options menu.
2 Locate the file you want to use and click OK. A preview of
the image appears in the panel.

Blending an Environment Map

The Mix Environment control on the panel controls how much
the environment map affects the surface of your object. At high
settings the image is completely visible in any reflection. At
lower settings the image appears faded.

Tinting an Environment Map

A tint shifts all the colors in an image toward a uniform color.
For example, if you use blue as a tint color, the more tint you
The Environment panel.
apply, the more blue you’ll see in your image until the entire
This panel appears in any filter that renders 3D objects with a image is just shades of blue.
surface, like KPT ShapeShifter and KPT Frax4D. It may have
The Mix Tinting Color value controls how much tint is applied to
additional controls that are unique to a particular filter. This
your image. The higher the tint value, the more the image shifts
section describes the common controls. For descriptions of
towards the tint color. At 100%, the image is completely made up
unique panel controls, see the sections on specific filters.
of shades of the tint color.

34
 KP T BA SICS
To choose a tint color: Color Gradient Panel
✤ Click the color dot on the panel. The Color Picker appears. The Color Gradient panel lets you design color gradients.
While holding down the mouse button, drag over the color Gradients can be used to color many of the objects generated by
you want to use from the center bar. the filters such as fibers in KPT FiberOptix or fractals in
When you release the mouse button, the color is selected. KPT FraxPlorer and KPT Frax4D.

Adding a Metallic Surface

When you enable the Metallic Surface option, the reflections
from the surface of your objects are tinted with the Tint color
giving them a metallic look. When it’s disabled, reflections look
dull, like those made by a plastic surface.

To give objects a metallic surface:

✤ Click the Metallic Surface toggle button. When “Plastic” is
displayed on the button, metallic surface is disabled. The Color Gradient panel.

With the Color Gradient panel, you can create blends of up to

512 colors, including 256 levels of opacity. The current gradient
Metallic Surface toggle button. is displayed in the bar at the center of the panel. As you choose
different colors, the bar updates to show the new gradient.
Adding Refraction to a Surface You can also load gradient presets to use in the panel, or you
When Refraction is applied to an object’s surface, it distorts the can save the contents of the panel as a new preset.
reflections, giving it a glass-like look.
To increase the size of the panel:
To add refraction to a surface: ✤ Click the triangle icon at the top of the panel and choose
✤ Adjust the position of the Glass Refraction slider. The higher Large Gradient Bar from the menu.
the refraction value, the more distorted the reflections
appear. Choosing Colors for a Gradient
The bar that appears at the top of the panel, called the Gradient
bar, is where you’ll choose colors and edit your gradient.

35
When selecting a new color for your gradient, remember that To resize the bracket:
you’re not just selecting a color for the gradient, but also its
✤ Drag either end of the bracket.
position within the blend.
If you drag one end of the bracket past the other end, it
If you add a color on the far left side of the Gradient bar, you’re pivots, leaving one end exactly where it began.
setting the color for the beginning of your gradient. If you press
on the far right side of the bar, you are setting the color for the To reset the bracket:
end of your gradient.
✤ Double-click on the center of the bracket.
To select a color:
To reposition the bracket:
1 Click a point on the Gradient bar and drag the cursor over
✤ Click the center of the bracket and drag to the left or right.
the color you want.
In addition to the colors in the Color Picker, you can also To cut and paste parts of a gradient:
drag the cursor over any color visible on your monitor, and
select that as your color. 1 Make sure the part of the gradient you want to copy is
within the Gradient bracket.

Editing a Gradient 2 Click the triangle icon at the top of the panel and choose
Copy from the menu.
The Gradient bracket, located above the Gradient bar, can be
used to isolate an area of your gradient for editing. Any changes 3 Reposition the bracket and choose Paste from the menu.
you make to a gradient only affect the area within the bracket.
You can use this feature to create more complex gradients. For To flip a gradient:
example, you can create several smaller gradients within a ✤ Choose Flip from the Gradient panel options menu. KPT flips
gradient. everything within the Gradient bracket.

Gradient Modifiers
There are eight “tweaking” controls you can use to modify the
The Gradient bracket.
colors and other parameters of your gradient or a portion of your
By default, the bracket encompasses the entire gradient, but you gradient.
can resize it and move it to work with a smaller portion of your
gradient. To use a modifier:
✤ Drag over the text label for the control you want to use.

36
 KP T BA SICS
Drag to the right to increase a modifier’s effect, or to the Blur
left to decrease it.
This control increase or decreases the blurriness of your
As you drag, the expanded slider appears to help you set gradient. Increasing the blurriness of a gradient effectively
the modifier values precisely. smudges the edges of your colors.

Hue Squeeze
This control rotates the hues for your gradient. Each hue Dragging over this control squeezes your gradient to one side or
occupies a unique spot on a virtual color wheel. As you rotate the other. The “squeeze” always starts at the center of the
your hues, all of the colors within your gradient rotate, allowing Gradient bracket and moves to either end. If you want to
you to cycle through all of the possible colors in the spectrum, squeeze your gradient starting from somewhere other than the
but maintaining each color’s relative distance from every other center you have to do it manually: hold down Option/Alt and
color. drag within the Gradient bar itself.

Saturation Cycle
This control is used to modify the saturation (or intensity) of the Dragging over this control lets you reposition the entire gradient
colors within your gradient. so that colors appear in different locations.

Brightness
This control determines the brightness of your colors (i.e. how
much white is mixed with each color). Pressing on this control
and dragging to the right will increase the brightness, while
dragging to the left will decrease the brightness.
Colors repositioned using the Cycle control.

Contrast
Frequency
This control works by comparing the color values of individual
pixels with the color values of neighboring pixels. Increasing the This control sets how many iterations of the gradient appear
contrast exaggerates the differences between colors. within the gradient itself.
Decreasing the contrast homogenizes your colors. You can
actually reduce the contrast to the point where your entire
gradient would be a uniform gray.
A gradient with a high Frequency setting.

37
Working with the Presets Library Global vs. Component Presets
Depending on how you access the Presets Library, it will display
The KPT Presets Library stores preset images you can use as
global presets for the entire filter, or component presets for a
backgrounds, environment maps, masks, bump maps and more.
specific panel.
Presets are divided into categories. Each category contains 24
If you access the Presets Library from the main KPT Workspace,
presets. Presets are displayed as thumbnail images. The
the library contains Global presets which, when loaded, set the
currently selected preset appears in a larger preview at the top
values in all the filter’s panels and load all the images necessary
of the library. Its name and description appears across the top of
to reproduce the preset exactly.
the library.

Click this icon to open the Presets Library.

For example, if you load a global preset for KPT ShapeShifter, all
the masks, background images, bump maps, and environment
maps that make up the shape are automatically loaded. Also, all
the values and options needed to recreate the preset are also
loaded in the various panels.

If you access the Presets Library from a panel, it displays

presets specifically suited to that control. For example, if you
access the Presets Library from the Bump Map panel, a series of
bump map images are displayed.

The Presets Library window.

You can add or delete categories, and import or export presets.

The library is a great way of saving your own images for later
use in other filters.

Accessing the Presets Library from a panel’s Options menu.

38
 KP T BA SICS
Loading Presets When you add files you can also add a title and comments to
each image. This information appears every time you click the
Loading either a global or a component preset is only a matter of preset.
locating the preset you want to use and clicking its thumbnail.
To add a global preset:
To load a preset:
1 Click the heart-shaped button. The Presets Library appears.
1 Click the heart-shaped icon in the KPT Workspace to load a
2 Click the category where you want to add the preset.
global preset.
3 Click the Add Preset text label. The Add Preset dialog
• To load a component preset, click the triangle icon at the
appears.
top of a panel and choose Load Preset from the options
menu. The Presets Library appears. 4 Enter a name for the new preset and click OK. The new
preset appears at the end of the category.
2 Click on a category name on the right side of the library. A
set of 24 thumbnails appears. To add a new preset from a panel:
3 Click the preset you want to use. ✤ Open the panel options menu and choose Save Preset.
4 Click the OK icon. The current image in the preview window is saved as a
preset.

Adding and Deleting Presets To add a new category in the Presets Library:
As with loading presets, you can save global presets, by 1 In the Presets Library, click the options menu icon and
accessing the Presets Library from the KPT workspace or you choose Add New Category. The Add Category dialog
can save a specific component by accessing the library from a appears.
panel. 2 Enter a name for the category and click OK.
The library lets you save any files into a specific category or you
can create your own.
To delete a preset:
1 In the Presets Library, choose the category and preset you
You can only save 24 presets in a category. If there want to delete.
NoTe are no open spots in a specific category, you’ll have
to save your new preset to another category or 2 Click the Delete Preset text label. The preset is removed
create a new category. from the library.

39
Editing Preset Information 5 The image appears in the selected spot.

You can edit the name of any preset or change the comments To export a preset:
attached to an image.
1 Click the category for the preset you want to export.
To edit a preset’s title or comment: 2 Click the preset’s thumbnail.
1 Click the preset you want to edit. Click the title and a text 3 Click the Export text label at the bottom of the library. A
field appears. Save dialog appears.
2 Enter a new name or comment. 4 Select a name and location for the preset and click Save.

Applying KPT Effects

Importing and Exporting Presets
By default, KPT 5 filters are applied to the background image. If
You can import images to use as components in a filter, or you made a selection before entering the filter, than the effect is
export completed effects as complete images. applied only to the selection.
The Import command lets you choose a file to import from any
location on your system.
Applying KPT Effects to Layers
The images you import must be RGB, Black and
NoTe White, or Grayscale.
KPT ShapeShifter, KPT FiberOptix, and KPT Orb-It have different
output options that control how KPT applies the results of a
filter to a layer:

The Export command lets you export any of the presets in the • Composite in Layer
library as images. The result of the filter is added to the other elements in the
layer.
To import a preset: • Clear Layer before Render
1 If you want to import the image into a specific category, The results of the filter replace all the other elements in the
click the category name to make it active. layer.
2 Click an empty spot in the category.
3 Click the Import text label at the bottom of the library. An To choose an output option:
Open dialog appears. ✤ Click the arrow icon at the top of the Main Preview window
4 Locate the file you want to import and click Open. and choose an option from the menu that appears.

40
 KP T TUTORIALS
KPT 5 TUTORIALS
What’s in this Section:
Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

KPT ShapeShifter Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

KPT Orb-It Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

KPT FiberOptix Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

41
Welcome 2 There are two ways to use this image:
• If you want to start with a plain background, make sure
The tutorials in this section lead you through the basic features the background layer is active.
and functions you’ll need to get the most out of the KPT 5 filters. • If you want to start with a discreet shape, like you would
for buttons, make sure the Zuni layer is active.
The techniques you’ll learn in these tutorials can be applied to
other filters since they share some of the same controls.
Lesson 1: Creating a Shape
KPT ShapeShifter Tutorial First, you'll load a mask to create a shape from the background
image.
Welcome to KPT ShapeShifter, the filter that makes 3D shapes
from masks. In this tutorial you'll learn how to import
components and set controls to make a 3D button.
To load a shape mask:
1 In the Main Shape panel, click the preview window. The
Open dialog appears.
Getting Started
Begin by loading the background image for your shape.

To load the tutorial file:

1 Choose File menu > Open and locate the file
Tutorial: Shapeshifter: ShapeShifter Tutorial.PSD on the
KPT 5 CD-ROM.

The mask image.

2 Locate the file Tutorial: Shapeshifter: ZuniMask on the
KPT 5 CD-ROM and click Open.

The background image.

42
 KP T TUTORIALS
To add a top mask:
TiPS If you make a selection before entering the filter,
the selected area becomes the mask. 1 In the Top Mask panel, click the preview window. The Open
dialog appears.
2 Locate the file Tutorial: Shapeshifter: Zuni Arrow on the
KPT 5 CD-ROM and click Open.
Lesson 2: Adjusting Bevels
The Bevel controls let you adjust the size and severity of the
bevel along the edges of the shape. The bevel is what makes
your shape look 3D.

To set bevel scale:

✤ In the Main Shape panel, set the Bevel Scale slider to 30%.

The top mask image.

To set top mask properties:

1 In the Top Mask panel, set Transparency = 60%.
2 Set Emboss Scale = 12%.
3 Set Emboss Height = 50%.

The shape created after you apply a bevel.

Lesson 3: Adding a Top Mask

A top mask lets you add other shapes on top of the main shape.
These new shapes can have an embossed look.

43
 4 Click the color dot and choose a green color from the Color 2 Locate the file Tutorial: Shapeshifter: Cool Kitchen on the
Picker. KPT 5 CD-ROM and click Open.

The shape with a top mask applied. The environment map image.

To set environment properties:

Lesson 4: Adding an Environment Map 1 In the Environment panel, click the Tint color dot and
choose a blue color.
An environment map is an image that's projected onto your
shape to create reflections. 2 Set Mix Tinting Color = 20%.
3 Set Mix Environment = 35%.
To add an environment map:
1 In the Environment panel, click the preview window. The
Open dialog appears.

The shape after you apply an environment map.

44
 KP T TUTORIALS
Lesson 5: Adding Texture to a Shape 2 Set Bump Height = 3%.

You can use a bump map to add texture to the surface of your
shape.

To add a bump map:

1 In the Bump Map panel, click the text label beneath the
preview window and choose Perlin from the menu.

The noise map used to create texture on the shape’s surface. The completed button.

You can also import your own noise map by Your button is complete. For a complete description of
TiPS clicking the panel's preview window. KPT ShapeShifter, refer to “KPT ShapeShifter” on page 119.

To set bump map properties:

1 In the Bump Map panel, set Bump Scale = -25%.

45
KPT Orb-It Tutorial 2 In the host application, load the file’s alpha channel as a
selection. Refer to your host application’s User Guide for
Welcome to KPT Orb-it, the filter that makes 3D spheres over instructions.
your background image. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to
import components and set controls to put a number of orbs
over an image.

Getting Started
First, you’ll need to load a background image.

To load the tutorial file:

1 Choose File menu > Open and locate the file
Tutorial: Orb-it: Orb-it Tutorial.PSD on the KPT 5 CD-ROM.

The background image with a selection created using the alpha channel.
3 Access the KPT Orb-it filter from your host application.
When the filter appears, it automatically generates an orb
field.

The background image.

Usually, you would just apply the orbs to the entire image.
However, you can create much more interesting Orb-It
effects by applying the orbs to a specific selection. The default orb field generated when first access the filter.

46
 KP T TUTORIALS
Lesson 1: Setting Orb Material 2 Locate the file Tutorial: Orb-It: Cool Kitchen.JPG on the
KPT 5 CD-ROM and click Open.
Since each orb is a 3D object, you can change its material
properties to create different looks.

To set sphere color using the background:

✤ In the Orb Color panel, set Tint to Background = 100%.
When you use this setting, orb color is picked up from the
background image. At 100% the orbs are colored entirely
using colors in the image.

The environment map image.

To set environment properties:

1 In the Orb Color panel, set Mix Environment = 60%.

The orb field colored using the colors in the background image.

Lesson 2: Applying an Environment Map

You can make the surface of your sphere reflective by importing
an Environment map. The map is projected onto the surface of
each sphere to create reflections. The image after you apply an environment map.
To add an environment map:
1 In the Orb Color panel, click the preview window. The Open
dialog appears.

47
Lesson 3: Setting Sphere Properties 4 Set Z Spread = 75%.

You can control the size and number of orbs generated in your
sphere field using the controls on the Orb Controls panel. By
adjusting a few parameters, you can create vastly different
effects.

Example 1:
1 In the Orb Controls panel, set Average Size = 4%.
2 Set Size Variance = 6%.
3 Set Packing Density = 90%.
4 Set Z Spread = 80%. The image after you apply Orb Controls settings.

Example 3:
1 In the Orb Controls panel, set Average Size = 2.8%.
2 Set Size Variance = 3%.
3 Set Packing Density = 75%.
4 Set Z Spread = 80%.

The image after you apply Orb Controls settings.

Example 2:
1 In the Orb Controls panel, set Average Size = 17%.
2 Set Size Variance = 25%.
3 Set Orb Packing Density = 90%.
The image after you apply Orb Controls settings.

48
 KP T TUTORIALS
Lesson 4: Lighting Spheres KPT FiberOptix Tutorial
Since spheres are 3D objects, they can be highlighted using a Welcome to KPT FiberOptix, the filter that lets you create
variety of light sources and colors. amazingly realistic fibers on any image. You can use
KPT FiberOptix to make hair, fur, rugs or even really creepy
To set up 3D lighting: vines.
✤ Using the 3D Lighting panel, add, position and color your
lights to match those shown below. In this tutorial you’ll learn the basics of setting up
KPT FiberOptix parameters and working with the images and
mask.

Getting Started
Begin by loading the background image for your shape.

To load the tutorial file:

1 Choose File menu > Open and locate the file
Tutorial: FiberOptix: Fiberoptix tutorial.PSD on the KPT 5
CD-ROM.
The 3D lighting panel.
Your final image should look like the one shown.

The finished image. The background image.

49
 2 Access KPT FiberOptix from your host application. Notice that the fibers now grow out of the teddy’s body and
not the entire image.

Lesson 1: Adding a Mask

You’ll notice that the minute you enter KPT FiberOptix, it
generates a number of fibers and applies them your image. This
is the type of effect you’d want if you were creating a rug.

However, one of the most unique things about the filter is its
ability to apply fibers to a specific part of an image. Specific
areas are defined using masks.

To add a mask to your image:

1 In the Mask panel, click the preview window. An Open
dialog appears.
2 Locate the file Tutorial: FiberOptix: TeddyMask.JPG on the
KPT 5 CD-ROM and click Open. The image appears in the
panel.

The effect applied to the masked image.

To set mask parameters:

1 Set Bevel Width = 75%.

The mask image.

50
 KP T TUTORIALS
2 Set Blend Noise to Mask = 88%. 3 Set Direction Angle = 314°.
4 Set Intensity = 15%.
To set fiber noise parameters:
1 In the Noise panel, set Noise Scale =0%.

The results of adjusting Mask parameters.

Lesson 2: Setting Fiber Parameters

Now that you’ve got the fibers growing where you want, you’re The results of adjusting fiber and noise parameters.
ready to adjust the parameters of the fibers themselves. The
Fiber Controls panel lets you set everything from the length of
the fibers to the direction in which they grow. Lesson 3: Coloring Fibers
Fibers can be colored by a number of sources. Their color
To set fiber parameters: usually comes from the background image. However, that color
1 In the Fiber Controls panel, set Fiber Density = 89.7%. can be affected by the light color, a tint color. It can also be
replaced altogether by a gradient.
2 Set Length = 8%.

51
To color fibers using light sources: To apply a gradient:
✤ In the 3D Lighting panel, set up your lights as shown. ✤ In the Fiber Color panel, set Mix Gradient Color = 20%.
If you don’t know how to use the 3D Lighting panel, refer to
“3D Lighting Panel” on page 30 for instructions.

Your 3D Lighting panel should look like the one shown.

To color fibers using a gradient:

✤ In the Gradient panel, choose the colors shown.
If you don’t know how to use the Gradient panel, refer to
“Color Gradient Panel” on page 35 for instructions. The results of adjusting Fiber Color parameters.

Your Gradient panel should look like the one shown.

52
 KP T TUTORIALS
From here you can use the techniques you’ve just learned to add
other parts to the teddy. You can also use other filters like
KPT ShapeShifter to add more elements to the image.

This final teddy was created by using another mask to make different
colored hair, then using KPT ShapeShifter to make the eyes and nose.

53
KPT BLURRRR

What’s in this Section:

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Hi-Speed Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Kraussian Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Camera Optics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Motion Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Spin Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Zoom Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Spiral Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Gaussian Weave Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Spiral Weave Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

54
 KP T BLURRRR
Overview Switching between Blurs
KPT Blurrrr is a collection of blur effects. Some of the blurs work The Blur Types palette lists all the available blurs and lets you
like those found in many host applications, but they’ve been switch between them with the click of a mouse. As you switch
greatly enhanced. Others are effects you can’t find anywhere blurs, the controls in the Parameters palette change.
else.

All the blurs are controlled by the same set of palettes. The
controls available change as you switch to different blurs. The
Main Preview window automatically updates as you change
settings to provide you with a real-time preview of your blur
effect.

Blurs are applied to any image or selection you have currently

selected in the host application.

The Blur Types palette.

Previewing Blurs
The thumbnail preview window of the Parameters palette shows
you a 1:1 representation (i.e. actual size) of a portion of your
image. The rectangular area in the Main Preview window lets

55
you change the area displayed in the palette preview. You can Setting Hi-Speed Blur Radius
use this feature to see the effects of the blur on different parts
of your image. Using the X Radius and Y Radius sliders in the Parameters
palette, you can apply the blur either horizontally, vertically or in
both directions.

As you drag the rectangle in the Main Preview window, the palette Hi-Speed Blur applied horizontally (X axis) and vertically (Y axis).
preview changes to show a 1:1 portion of the effect.

Hi-Speed Blur
The Hi-Speed Blur works just like the standard blur in your host
application (like the Blur filter in Photoshop) except that this
blur is much faster and its blur effect leaves more of the original
image intact. Hi-Speed Blur works just as fast on the 2 x 2 inch
image as it does on a 300 x 300 image.

56
 KP T BLURRRR
Kraussian Blur Setting Kraussian Options
The Kraussian Blur works like a standard Gaussian blur. The The six options available for the Kraussian Blur give you
difference is that the Kraussian Blur applies a dithering complete control over how it’s applied. You can enable or
technique that makes colors blend smoothly. This results in a disable any or all of the following options:
higher quality blur that retains many of the artifacts from the
original image.
Fading the Blur
The Fade option lets you fade the blur effect so that more of the
original image shows through.

Wrapping the Blur

The Wrap option lets you create seamless blurs. When the option
is enabled, the blur effect bleeds off the edges of the image.

Using a Mask with the Blur

The Alpha option uses the alpha channel from the original image
to modify the effect of the blur.

Before and after a Kraussian Blur.

Setting Dithering Attributes
The Dither option lets you control how the color in the original
image is dithered to produce the blur effect. When the option is
Setting Blur Radius enabled, you’ll get a higher quality blur as colors blend more
smoothly.
The Blur Radius slider controls the intensity of the effect. The
higher the setting, the more blur is applied.

57
Apply the Blur Horizontally or Vertically By using selections to apply the Camera Optics blur

When the X Only option is enabled, the blur is only applied

TiPS to specific areas, you can create depth of field
effects.
horizontally. When the Y Only option is enabled, the blur is only
applied vertically. If you turn both options off, the blur is applied
in both directions.

Camera Optics
The Camera Optics blur simulates the look you get when you
take a picture that’s out of focus.

An example of a depth of field effect created using Camera Optics.

Before and after a Camera Optics blur.

58
 KP T BLURRRR
Setting Blur Radius Motion Blur
The Blur Radius slider sets the intensity of the camera blur. Motion Blur is a gaussian directional wrapping blur. This means
Higher settings make the image more blurry. that, unlike standard motion blurs, KPT’s blur effect extends off
the edges of the image. So, if you use a Motion Blurred image as
a pattern, it would appear seamless.
Controlling the Blow-Out Effect
The Blow-Out setting highlights the light areas of the image,
creating the type of fuzzy bright spots you see in an out-of-focus
photo.

Before and after a Motion Blur.

If you create a pattern out of the final Motion Blur image, you’ll
see how the blur extends outside the image, creating a seamless
pattern.
Blow-Out at low and high settings.
Refer to your host application’s User Guide for more on creating
patterns.

59
 Spin Blur
The Spin Blur works just like a radial blur. All the colors in the
image bleed together in a radial pattern. The result looks like
you placed your image on a record player.

Unlike most radial blurs, KPT’s Spin Blur draws in color from all
over the image including the edges. f

A pattern created using a Motion Blur image.

Before and after a Spin Blur.
Setting Motion Blur Radius
The Radius slider controls the amount of blurring applied to the Setting Blur Radius
image.
The Blur Radius slider controls the intensity of the effect. At
higher values the color bleed is more severe, making it harder to
Setting Blur Direction see the original image.

The Direction slider sets the angle of the color bleed. Basically
you’re setting the direction of the motion.

60
 KP T BLURRRR
Zoom Blur Spiral Blur
The Zoom Blur simulates the look you’d get if you zoomed in on The Spiral Blur works like a radial blur, except that it has an
an area while taking a picture. All the colors in the original extra control that lets you bleed colors together at an angle. The
image bleed together at a single point. result is that your image looks like it’s being sucked towards a
single point.

Before and after a Zoom Blur.

Before and after a Spiral Blur.

Setting Blur Radius Setting Blur Radius

The Blur Radius slider controls the intensity of the zoom effect.
As with the other blurs, the Blur Radius slider controls the
At higher values more color is sucked into the middle of the
intensity of the spiral effect. The more blur you apply, the more
image.
the colors bleed together.

61
Setting Spiral Rotation Angle Setting Blur Radius
The Rotation Angle slider lets you control the severity of the As with the other blurs, the Blur Radius slider controls the
spiral. intensity of the Gaussian effect. The more blur you apply, the
more the colors bleed together. The weave effect also becomes
Gaussian Weave Blur more apparent at higher settings.

The Gaussian Weave blur works just like a regular Gaussian blur Spiral Weave Blur
except that it’s applied both horizontally and vertically, and then
generates a weave effect. The Spiral Weave blur works much like the spiral blur, except
that once it’s applied, it generates a weave effect. The result is
an image that contains overlapping spiral patterns.

Before and after a Gaussian Weave blur.

Before and after a Spiral Weave blur.

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 KP T BLURRRR
Setting Blur Radius
As with the other blurs, the Blur Radius slider controls the
intensity of the blurring effect. The more blur you apply, the
more the colors bleed together.

Setting Spiral Rotation Angle

The Spiral Rotation Angle slider lets you control the severity of
the spiral. The weave effect becomes more apparent at higher
Angle settings.

63
KPT FIBEROPTIX
What’s in this Section:
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Creating Fibers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Setting Fiber Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Adjusting Growth Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Using Noise Maps with KPT FiberOptix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Setting Fiber Surface Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Lighting Fibers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Using Masks with KPT FiberOptix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

64
 KP T FIBE ROPTIX
Overview
KPT FiberOptix grows fibers that look like real hair or fur. Each
fiber is rendered separately and can have its own color and tint.
The KPT FiberOptix panels let you control the growth, color and
lighting of fibers.

Using a mask, you can make fibers grow in a specific shape. For
example, you can make hair grow out of text.

Previewing your Fibers

The preview in the Fiber Controls panel can be used to control
the Main Preview. The preview in the panel displays a thumbnail
of your entire image. The rectangle inside this preview
represents the portion of the image displayed in the Main
Preview window. You can drag this rectangle to change the
portion of your image displayed in the Main Preview.

Use the Fiber Controls preview to control the Main Preview display.

65
Creating Fibers Setting Fiber Density
Fibers are automatically generated when you enter the filter. The Fiber Density slider controls the amount of fibers generated.
Every time you change a parameter, new fibers are rendered. The At high density values, the entire image is filled with fibers
Fiber Controls panel lets you control how fibers grow. You can creating a furry look. At lower settings, you’ll be able to see
control their length, the direction in which they grow and the individual fibers.
amount of fibers generated.

High and low Fiber Density settings.

Setting Fiber Length

Fiber Length controls the length of the fibers that grow from
your image or mask. Higher length values take longer to render.

The Fiber Controls panel.

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 KP T FIBE ROPTIX
Longer fibers are also affected more by the Direction setting. Setting Fiber Direction
As the fibers grow, you can apply a direction effect to alter their
growth patterns. The direction setting pushes fibers in a specific
angle as if they were being blown by the wind.

Direction settings on the Fiber Control panel.

Low and high Fiber Length settings.

Setting Direction Angle

Adjusting Fiber Tapering The Direction Angle sets the general direction for fiber growth.
The Tapering setting defines where along the length of the fiber Direction angle is set in degrees. For example, at 45°, the fibers
it starts to become transparent. The value of the setting defines tend to grow up and to the right.
how much of the fiber is solid and when the transparency begins
to take affect. For example, at 60%, sixty percent of the fiber is
solid and forty is transparent.

The setting becomes more important when you’re using a

gradient to color your fibers. You’ll be able to see more of the
gradient colors, the higher the Tapering value, since there’s fiber
to color.

Setting Fiber Flatness

Flatness controls the depth of the fibers. At higher settings,
fibers grow out in all three dimensions. At lower values, fibers Examples of different Direction Angle settings.
grow more two-dimensionally.

67
Setting Direction Intensity Natural
The Direction Intensity slider controls the intensity of the When the Natural option is enabled, fibers grow towards areas
direction effect. It’s like setting wind strength. The higher the of light in the image.
Intensity setting, the stronger the wind and the more the fibers
bend toward the wind direction.

Adjusting Growth Patterns

The Flow Styles let you control the direction of the fiber growth
pattern. There are three styles you can use: Natural, Whorls, and
Loop.

To change growth pattern modes:

✤ In the Fiber Controls panel, click the arrow icon next to the
Flow Style text label beneath the panel preview window and Example of Natural mode.
choose a style from the menu.

Whorls
When the Whorls option is enabled, fibers bend as they grow,
creating whirling patterns.

The Flow Style setting on the Fiber Control panel.

Example of Whorls mode.

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 KP T FIBE ROPTIX
Loop Using Noise Maps with
The Loop option works like the Natural option, fibers grow KPT FiberOptix
towards areas of light, but the effect is more severe, creating
pools of fibers. A noise map is a mathematically generated pattern of turbulence
that disrupts the growth pattern of fibers. When you apply a
noise map, you get wavy tendrils instead of hair-like fibers.

A noise map can either be a large random pattern, or a specific

pattern. Since the noise affects how fibers grow, you can design
a specific noise map image to create a unique effect.

Example of Loop mode.

In this example, a very specific noise map image was used to create the
growth pattern shown. The dark areas in and around the arrow cause the
arrow fibers to grow more toward the center.

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Loading a Noise Map Scaling a Noise Map
A noise map can be any black and white image. However, noise The scale of your noise map determines how often the noise
works better when its a randomly generated pattern. The pattern is repeated within a map. A map that’s scaled down
algorithmic noise presets provide excellent patterns for creating creates more turbulence since it repeats more often within the
various types of fibers. map. A larger noise map produces less turbulence.

Blending Noise Maps

The Blend Noise to Mask slider in the Mask panel controls how
much of the noise is applied to the fibers. The higher the value,
the more turbulence is added to the growth pattern.

Setting Fiber Surface Properties

Normally, fibers take their color from the original background
image. An individual fiber takes its color from the pixels directly
beneath it in the original image. However, you can enhance or
replace this color using the controls on the Fiber Color panel.

The Noise panel.

To load algorithmic noise:

✤ Click the title below the preview window and choose a noise
from the menu.
To load a noise map:
1 In the Noise panel, click the thumbnail preview. The Open
dialog appears.
2 Locate the image you want to use as a noise map and click
Open. You can also use the panel’s Option menu to load a
map.
The Fiber Color panel.

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 KP T FIBE ROPTIX
Using a Gradient as a Tint Using a Tint Color
When you apply a tint using a gradient, each fiber is colored When you apply a tint, the colors in the image shift towards a
using the colors in the Gradient panel. specific uniform color. For example, if you choose Blue as your
tint color, the more tint you apply, the more blue is added to the
Use the controls on the Gradient panel to choose colors and set background image.
up a gradient. Refer to “Color Gradient Panel” on page 35 for more
on designing a gradient. To choose a tint color:
✤ In the Fiber Color panel, click the tint color dot and choose
a color from the Color Picker.

The tint color dot.

To apply a tint color:

✤ The Mix Flat Color slider lets you gradually apply the tint
color to the original image.
The higher the value, the more the image colors shift
toward the tint color.

Setting Luma Variance

An image with colored fibers and the gradient used to create it. The Luma Variance slider controls the color variance between
fibers. At low values, the fibers are colored using the same color
To apply a gradient to your fibers: value. At higher values, color values vary more between fibers.
✤ In the Fiber Color panel, drag the Mix Gradient Color slider.
Setting Fiber Transparency
The Fiber Transparency slider controls the opacity of your fibers.
At high settings, fibers appear almost invisible. At lower settings,
fibers are opaque.

71
Lighting Fibers
Fibers are three dimensional objects, meaning that you can light
TiP If you make a selection before entering the filter,
the fibers will grow out of the selection.
them from any angle. The 3D Lighting panel contains all the
controls you’ll need to set light color and angles. Refer to “3D
Lighting Panel” on page 30 for more on using the panel.
To use a mask with KPT FiberOptix:
Using Masks with KPT FiberOptix 1 In the Mask panel, click the preview. The Open dialog
appears.
When you apply a mask to your image, the fibers grow out of the
mask. The origin of each fiber is directly affected by the shape of
the mask. Fibers grow to match the contours of the mask.

The Mask panel.

2 Locate the image you want to use and click Open.

A mask and the fibers grown out of the mask.

Setting Bevel Width
The mask you use can be the same shape as the background
image, or it can be a completely different shape. A mask can be The Mask Bevel Width setting adds height to the fibers. Higher
any black and white image on your system. You can also use one bevel settings bend fibers, creating a dome-like effect.
of the presets in the Presets Library. Refer to “Working with the
Presets Library” on page 38 for more on using the library.

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 KP T FIBE ROPTIX
Setting Background Surface Properties It’s easier to see how the Mask Rendering options affect your
image when the fibers are sparse.
Fibers grow out of an imaginary surface, like hair growing out of
skin. The Mask Rendering options control this surface’s To set surface properties:
appearance.
✤ Click the text label beneath the Mask panel’s preview and
When you’re working with a mask, the surface is the size of the choose an option from the menu. A checkmark appears
mask. In this case, the rendering options control how the mask next to the currently active option.
itself is colored. When you’re working with just the image, the
rendering options apply to the imaginary skin layer that covers
the entire image. Shaded
When the Shaded option is active, a shaded gradient is applied
to the surface.

An example of the Shaded option and the original image.

The Mask Rendering: Material option applied to an image without a mask,

and the same setting applied to an image using a mask.

73
Dark White
When the Dark option is active, the surface acts like a Darken When you use this option, the background is white.
channel operation. The result is a surface colored using the
darkest colors in the original image.

An example of the White option.

An example of the Dark option.
Black
Ambient When you use this option, the background is black.
The Ambient option does not apply any special properties to the
surface. Fibers appear to grow out of the background image.

An example of the Black option.

An example of the Ambient option.

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 KP T FIBE ROPTIX
Material Previewing Fibers
The Material option sets the background to the material color.
KPT FiberOptix has three preview options that control how your
You can choose a material color using the color dot.
fiber preview is rendered.

Fast Edge Render

This mode renders the least amount of fiber detail. However, it is
very fast. Use it when you’re experimenting with settings.

Average Edge Render

This mode produces a good quality render of your image and is
faster than Accurate Edge.
An example of the Material option. A yellow material color was used.
Accurate Edge Render
Transparent This is the slowest render, but the most precise. Use it when you
want to see what your final effect will look like.
When this option is active, the image is transparent so in the
final render all you’ll see are the fibers. To choose a render preview mode:
✤ Click the arrow icon at the top of the Main Preview window
and choose a mode from the options menu.

An example of the Transparent option.

75
KPT FRAXFLAME

What’s in this Section:

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Setting up a Flame Fractal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Viewing your Flame Fractal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Coloring your Fractal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Rendering your Fractal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

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 KP T FRA XFLAME
Overview Choosing a Style
Flame fractals have been around for quite some time, but have The Style palette lists seven different flame fractal styles. These
never been used in a filter. These exquisite fractals look like real styles are only a very small subset of the types of flame fractals
natural phenomena, but unlike anything you’ve ever seen. that exist, but they’re a good starting point for exploration.
They’re fractals, but not like those in KPT Frax4D. They are sort
of ethereal, like crystal clouds. KPT FraxFlame lets you explore
these fractals and render them as images.

Setting up a Flame Fractal

KPT FraxFlame is basically an exploratory filter. It lets you
explore the infinite variety of fractals by random generation of
fractal patterns.

The setup process is rather straight-forward. First, you select a

flame fractal style and then you randomly mutate the pattern
until you find one you like. When you’ve decided on a specific
fractal, you can explore your choice further, by repositioning
your view or zooming into different areas. After all that’s done,
you can set rendering options and that’s it—you have a flame The KPT FraxFlame Style panel.
fractal.
Styles are mutually exclusive, so you can only use one style at a
time.

77
 Linear Sinusodial Bent

An example of a flame style.

To choose a style:
✤ In the Style palette, click the fractal style you want to use.

Mutating a Flame
The Mutator lets you randomize a flame fractal within a specific
set. So, once you’ve selected a style, you can use the Mutator to
Spherical Swirl see other fractals within the set.

Flame fractals are generated using complex mathematical

equations with a wide number of parameters. These parameters
are like genes that go into making the final fractal. You can
change the pattern of the fractal through genetic mutation (i.e.
mutating parameters).

The preview at the center of the Mutator palette represents the

parent fractal and the smaller windows that surround it are
derivatives, or cousins, of the parent. Every time you mutate the

Horseshoe Polar
Examples of the different flame styles.

78
 KP T FRA XFLAME
parent, you generate different derivatives. The Genetic Mutation 4 Click the center preview again to generate derivatives of
slider controls how closely related the new derivatives are to the the selected flame.
parent fractal. 5 Continue clicking the Mutator and selecting derivatives
until you get the look you want.

Viewing your Flame Fractal

Once you generate the flame you want, you can explore it further
by changing your view of the fractal. The Pan, Zoom and Reset
controls on the Main Preview window let you move to different
parts of the fractal and explore its infinite detail

The KPT FraxFlame Mutator.

To mutate a fractal:
1 Click the preview in the center of the Mutator until you see
a flame pattern you like.
2 Click the small preview of the pattern you want to explore.
Your selection becomes the parent fractal and is displayed
in the center of the Mutator. The Main Preview window.

3 Adjust the position of the Genetic Mutation slider. If you notice that the preview slows dramatically
At high values, the derivatives are more random. At lower
settings, the derivatives look more like the parent fractal.
NoTe when you switch your preview to Large, increase
the amount of memory allocated to the application.

79
Repositioning your View Rendering your Fractal
The Pan control lets you move your view of the fractal along the The Render palette lets you adjust the flame image for the final
X and Y axes. rendering process. Many of these controls work just like the
image-enhancing features found in most host applications.
To pan your fractal:
1 Click the Pan text label.
2 Drag inside the Main Preview window or the text label
itself.
Click Reset to restore the view to its default position.

The Rendering panel.

Zooming into your Fractal
The Zoom control lets you enlarge an area of your fractal to see Setting Gamma
more detail. Since the flame fractal is infinitely detailed, you can
zoom continuously to see more patterns. The Gamma control lets you adjust the tonal range of your
image. At higher values, colors appear more saturated. At lower
To zoom in/out of your fractal: values, colors appear washed-out.

1 Click the Zoom text label.

2 Drag inside the Main Preview window. Drag right to zoom Setting Intensity
in or left to zoom out. You can also drag on the text label to
The Intensity slider lets you adjust the intensity of the colors in
zoom.
the flame. Higher values make the flame brighter and more
Click Reset to restore the view to its default position. vibrant. Lower values make the flame look faded.

Coloring your Fractal

Setting Preset Rendering Options
Flame fractals are colored using gradients of color. Gradients
are drawn from the Gradient palette. Refer to “Color Gradient The six preset rendering options available on the Rendering
Panel” on page 35 for more on designing gradients. panel menu are designed to give you the highest quality render
without making rendering too slow.

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 KP T FRA XFLAME
The rendering options are divided into two groups. The Sparse Setting Oversampling
group options are designed to improve the quality of cloudy,
disperse or pixelated flame fractals, like Sinusodial fractals. Oversampling sets how many times a fractal is sampled to
generate each pixel in your image. High values of this setting
The Sharp rendering presets are designed to improve the quality can greatly increase the quality of the final render. However,
of fractals with well-defined elements that are tightly packed, your fractal takes much longer to render.
like Linear fractals.

The two groups are mutually exclusive, so you should apply the Setting Filter Radius
group that best suits the fractal type you select.
The Filter Radius control blurs the edges of the fibers in a flame
fractal. The higher the radius, the fuzzier the edges appear.
Setting Custom Rendering Options
The Custom render option lets you setup your own rendering
settings using Sample Density, Oversampling and Filter Radius
values.

Adjust these settings in small increments. Some

NoTe controls can greatly increase rendering time. Large
adjustments may result in an extremely long wait
when you apply the fractal.

Setting Sample Density

Sample Density controls the complexity of the fractal. At higher
settings, you’ll be a able to see more detail in the fractal.
However, more detail requires more rendering time. Use this
setting carefully or you may end up waiting a long time for an
image.

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KPT FRAX PLORER
What’s in this Section:
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Exploring Fractals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Navigating in a Fractal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Coloring a Fractal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

82
 KP T FRA XPLORER
Overview These three fractal types are fairly common and unvaried. You
can explore them by moving to different points in the fractal or
KPT FraxPlorer is the next generation of the Fractal Explorer by zooming in and out of different areas. Like all fractals, they
from KPT 2.1. It adds new fractal algorithms, and coloring styles. all have infinite detail so there’s plenty to see.

We’ve also broken entirely new ground in the world of fractal h

mathematics by coming up with a new way to do near infinite

zooms. This isn’t possible anywhere else!

If you want a little background on fractals, refer to “What are

Fractals?” on page 18.

Exploring Fractals
KPT FraxPlorer lets you explore fractal space using the Universe
Mapper panel. You begin exploring by choosing from one of
three base fractal families: Mandelbrot, Mandelcube and
Newtonbrot.

Exploring a Newtonbrot set.

The base fractals are only three of the twelve fractal spaces you
can explore with KPT FraxPlorer. For each base fractal you can
Mandelbrot Mandelcube Newtonbrot
explore three other spaces: Julia Variations, M-Polar variations,
Examples of the three main fractal types. and Julia Polar variations.

83
Exploring Julia Variations Exploring Polar Variations
A Julia Set fractal exists at every point in a base fractal. Julia Set To generate a polar variation, KPT FraxPlorer takes a point on
fractals are simpler than Mandelbrot or Newtonbrot fractals, but the base fractal and turns it inside out. So, if you move to a point
there are an infinite number of Julia Sets while there is only one on the base fractal where the inside is black and the outside is
Mandelbrot. colored, the polar variation will have color in the inside and
black on the outside.
As you move around the general base fractal (for example, a
Mandelbrot), you’ll find the Julia Set that exists at that point. h

Since one derives from the other, there’s a visual

correspondence between the base fractal and the Julia
variation. For example, when you move to a black area of the
base fractal, the Julia will have a black center and so forth.

Exploring the M-Polar set variations in a Mandelcube fractal.

Exploring the Julia Set variations in a Mandelbrot fractal.

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 KP T FRA XPLORER
Exploring M-Julia Polar Variations Using the Universe Mapper
To generate M-Julia Polar variations, KPT FraxPlorer finds the The top portion of the Universe Mapper panel lets you choose
Julia Set at the point on the base fractal and then turns it one of the three base fractal types. The top preview window is
inside-out. So, for every point on the base fractal, you’ll get an both a preview and a locator. The locator icon tells you the
inverted Julia Set fractal. current source of the Julia variation displayed in the bottom
preview.
h

When you first access the Universe Mapper only the top portion is visible.
Julia Variation at the same point When you click the arrow icon, the bottom portion appears.

The bottom portion of the panel displays the variations. The

Exploring the Julia Polar set variations in a Newtonbrot fractal.
three icons along the left let you choose which variation of the
base fractal you want to explore.

85
To choose a fractal type: Navigating in a Fractal
1 Click one of the three base fractal types.
Since fractals have infinite detail, the default preview of a fractal
If you want to explore the base fractal further, click the OK is not all there is to see. When you explore the infinite patterns
button and use the Navigator controls to zoom into the within the fractal, you’ll see what makes fractals really unique.
fractal.
2 Click the arrow icon at the bottom of the panel to display The Main Preview window acts like a large view-finder, allowing
the variations. you to zoom in and out of different parts of the fractal.

3 Click one of the three variation types. The new variation

appears in the bottom preview window.
4 Drag the location icon over the base fractal, in the top
portion of the panel, to explore the variations.

Location Icon

Use the controls in the Main Preview window to explore your fractal.
Drag the location icon to explore different variations.
5 When you have a fractal you’re happy with, click the OK
button. The new fractal appears in the Main Preview
Using Navigation Controls
window. The controls along the bottom of the Main Preview window
control the speed and direction of your zoom as well as provide
controls for rotating, color cycling and fractal detail.

In general, you can start zooming by clicking anywhere in the

Main Preview window. During a zoom, you can change direction
by dragging the cursor in the direction you want to move.

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 KP T FRA XPLORER
When you click one of the tools, an expanded slider appears that
lets you set the zoom or rotate value precisely.
Zooms out of a location at a slower rate.

Zooms out of the location one click at a time.

Drag a selection area to zoom out of a specific
area.

Suspends zooming. When zooming stops, you

can drag inside the preview window to pan
your fractal.

Zooms in to a location one click at a time.

Drag a selection area to zoom into a specific
area.

Zooms in to a location at a slower rate.

Zooms in to a location quickly.

Rotates fractal. Click the tool, then drag in the

When you click a control, the expanded slider appears. Main Preview window.

Resets the view. Setting Fractal Detail

Enables animated color cycling. Cycles The Details control sets how many times KPT FraxPlorer loops
through gradient colors. through the fractal equation. Each time it loops through, it
calculates more of the fractal. So, the higher the Detail setting,
the more detail you’ll see in the fractal.
Zooms out of a location quickly

87
If you find blank areas in your fractal, it’s probably because Setting Preview Size
KPT FraxPlorer is not calculating the fractal at that point (this
usually happens when you zoom in really far). Try increasing the The Main Preview window can be set to three different sizes.
Detail value. After a few calculations, you’ll be able to see the These size settings are different from those commonly used in
portion of the fractal that exists at the current location. KPT filters. The sizes in KPT FraxPlorer are designed to let you
achieve the best possible preview for your system.

Setting Preview Options KPT FraxPlorer’s preview sizes are as follows:

KPT FraxPlorer’s Main Preview window has two preview options • Small = 320 x 240 pixels
that let you control the quality of the rendered preview. The • Medium = 400 x 300 pixels
options are mutually exclusive. You can use one or the other, not
• Large = 512 x 384 pixels
both.
• X-Large = 640 x 480 pixels

Smoother Zooming Coloring a Fractal

When this option is enabled, the zooming animation in the Main Fractals are colored using Coloring modes. The mode you
Preview window is smoother. However, the fractal display is choose can greatly alter the look and feel of your fractal. A lot of
slightly decayed. Use this option while you’re exploring the the fun of exploring fractals is seeing how the Coloring mode
entire fractal. changes the patterns inside a fractal.
When it’s disabled, the fractal rendering in the window is more
precise, resulting in an image with smoother edges. However,
zooming animation is more staggered.

Large Cursors
When this option is enabled, the cursor the main preview
window changes to indicate the direction of the zoom.

The various large cursors. The controls on the panel change as you switch coloring modes.

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 KP T FRA XPLORER
Setting the Inside Color You can quickly scroll through gradient presets

The interior of a fractal is the dead space where no patterns

TiPS using Command/Ctrl + Left and Right arrow keys.

Drag over the panel’s title bar while you’re selecting

exist. This area is usually colored black. However, you can create colors to select nothing.
different visual effects by changing its color. You can choose a
color that compliments one of the Coloring modes or pick a
color that makes it easier to see the fractal’s pattern. The inside Using Coloring Modes
color can also have transparency.
The fractals in KPT FraxPlorer are pure mathematical objects,
To choose an inside color: often in four or higher dimensions. KPT FraxPlorer displays,
two-dimensional slices of these objects, which are in essence
1 In the Frax Style palette, click the small fractal icon. The
just shapes with a well-defined inside and outside.
Color Picker appears.
The inside component is called the set. This region is usually
shown in black. Points outside the set (but in the general
vicinity) are affected by its presence, analogous to the way an
airplane creates turbulence in the airflow around it.
Click the icon to set a fractal’s inside color. The different Coloring modes in KPT FraxPlorer are just different
2 Choose a color, grayscale value or transparency setting. representations of this turbulence effect, much as there are
several ways to represent the flow of air over an airplane wing.
Refer to “Using the Color Picker” on page 29 for more on using
the Color Picker. For mathematical reasons, Newton-based fractals
NoTe only work with the following modes: Normal,
Decomposition, Mosaic, and Threads.
Using a Gradient Also, when zooming, a special high-precision
Each of the coloring modes available in the Frax Style panel uses algorithm kicks in, and only the basic Potential
Rendering coloring mode is supported.
gradients to apply colors to a fractal. Gradients are drawn from
the Gradient panel.

Refer to “Color Gradient Panel” on page 35 for more on designing To choose a coloring mode:
gradients.
✤ In the Fractal Style panel, click the coloring mode circle, or
click the text label under the circle and choose a mode from
the menu.

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Potential Rendering Dendrite Rendering
Potential rendering is the simplest coloring mode to compute, This mode uses a single pixel line to trace the edges of the
which is why it’s become the standard for drawing fractals. fractal. It tends to bring out the detail of the fractal that may be
obscured by color noise.
If you think of the inside of the set (black area) as being
electrically charged, this coloring mode would represent the
electrostatic potential of the surrounding electromagnetic field.

An example of a fractal colored using Dendrite Rendering.

An example of a fractal colored using Potential Rendering.

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 KP T FRA XPLORER
Distance Binary Decomposition
This mode uses a special algorithm to compute an approximate This mode exploits a computational artifact of the Potential
distance from each point to the boundary of the set. Though Rendering, which splits up the outside area into separate
Distance seems similar to Potential Rendering, it can actually squarish shapes. The sharp lines in these renderings define a
produce a very different visual feel, and is often less noisy than sort of polar coordinate system for the set.
the Potential Rendering near the set. Try cranking up the
gradient frequency and see what happens!

An example of a fractal colored using Binary Decomposition.

An example of a fractal colored using Distance.

Setting Decomposition Amount
The Decomposition amount controls the difference in coloration
between adjacent squares.

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Twist Thorns, Ribbons, Bubbles
If you think of a map of the North Pole, with latitude lines in If you think of coloring modes as turbulence representation,
circles and longitude lines leading away from the pole, then the each pixel is computed by following its trajectory until it gets to
standard Potential Rendering colors the set according to latitude a certain safe distance away from the set. These three coloring
only (circular lines). The Twist style computes both latitude and modes operate by placing barriers in the path of the airflow, and
longitude for each point, and colors the outside of the set with a coloring points differently depending on which barriers they hit
combination, yielding swirly or twisty results. on their way to escaping.

This mode works best when you’re zoomed out, looking at the Thorns uses long lines as barriers, Ribbons uses concentric
whole set. When you zoom in too far, it ends up looking just like rings, and Bubbles uses spherical shapes. The sliders control
the Potential Rendering, though it computes slower. Switch back various properties of these barriers, which can affect the final
to the standard rendering mode for deep zooms. rendering in unexpected ways. Play around, who knows what
you'll find.

An example of a fractal colored using Twist.

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 KP T FRA XPLORER
Mosaic
This mode is loosely based on the Binary Decomposition, but
draws smooth pyramid shapes instead of solid-color squares.

An example of a fractal colored using Mosaic.

Setting Mosaic Bevel

The Mosaic Bevel slider controls the bevel width on the edge of
each pyramid.

An example of a fractal colored using Thorns, Ribbons, and Bubbles.

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Cilia Plasma Threads
This mode is another Binary Decomposition spin-off. Pick a tile, This mode simulates a plasma ball effect, by tracing out the
and see how far you can follow it in. electrical paths of least resistance in the Potential rendering.
This mode requires more memory than the other modes. Be sure
to allocate lots of memory to the host application before you try
to render really huge fractals.

An example of a fractal colored using Cilia.

Setting Cilia Bevel Amount An example of a fractal colored using Plasma Threads.
The Cilia Bevel slider controls the bevel width on the edge of
each tile.
Setting Thread Density
The Thread Density parameter controls the number of threads
that are calculated.

Setting Thread Angle

The Thread Angle parameter controls thread twistiness.

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 KP T FRA XPLORER
Setting Thread Color Anti-Aliasing On Always
The Color dot lets you choose a color for the threads using the When this option is enabled, anti-aliasing is applied to all
Color Picker. renders, regardless of the coloring mode selected. Adding
anti-aliasing to some of the more complicated coloring modes
Rendering Your Fractal can greatly increase rendering time.

KPT FraxPlorer has three output modes that let you control the
quality of your final rendered fractal. KPT FraxPlorer uses Previewing Output
anti-aliasing to enhance fractal elements. The three modes let
you turn anti-aliasing off, apply it selectively, or apply it to all You can preview your final output in one of two ways:
renders.
• By viewing it in a small window using the Preview Apply
option
Anti-Aliasing Off • By viewing at full screen size using the Preview Full Screen
option
This option disables anti-aliasing.
When you select the Preview Apply option, KPT FraxPlorer
renders a version of your final fractal, with anti-aliasing, and
displays it in a window. Rendering your fractal at full screen size
Anti-Aliasing Adaptive
also applies anti-aliasing.
When this option is enabled, anti-aliasing is only applied when
you’re using one of the following coloring modes:

• Potential Rendering
• Binary Decomposition
• Twist
• Thorns
• Ribbons
• Bubbles
Applying anti-aliasing to the other modes increases rendering
time.

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KPT FRAX4D
What’s in this Section:
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Creating a KPT Frax4D Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Exploring your 4D Fractal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Adding an Environment Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Setting Up Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

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 KP T FRA X4D
Overview The other mode, called Quaternion, lets you explore 4D fractal
space. The point you’re exploring is defined by setting four
KPT Frax4D is a beautiful new way to look at fractals. It creates parameters. The final 3D object is created by taking a 3D slice of
3D sculptures out of fractal space at the click of a mouse. These a 4D fractal.
sculptures can then be wrapped with any environment map. In
other words, you can make 3D fractal sculptures out of gold,
silver, green gel, or whatever you come up with.

Creating a KPT Frax4D Object

KPT Frax4D lets you create a 3D object by choosing a number of
parameters or dragging in the Frax4D preview windows. As you
change these parameters, you’re actually exploring fractal space
encountering different fractal patterns as you go. The fractals
you find are displayed in the Main Preview window. Once you
have a fractal you like, you can rotate it, add an environment
map to it, and finally, render it as an image.

Examples of 3D and 4D fractals.

4D vs. 3D Fractals
The number of parameters available in the Control panel
KPT Frax4D has two modes. The first mode, called Cogiternion,
depends on the type of fractal you’re creating.
lets you explore 3D fractal space by combining three
parameters. To switch modes:
✤ Click the 3D/4D toggle button in the center of the 2D Slice
of 4D Space panel.

Click the 3D/4D toggle button to switch between 4D and 3D fractals.

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Using the 2D Slice of 4D Space Panel Choosing R and I Parameters
The 2D Slice of 4D Space panel lets you view your fractal by The R and I Coefficient controls let you set the position of the R
taking slices of it and displaying them in 2D previews. Basically, and I slice of your fractal. The R I slice is a roughly horizontal
what you’re seeing is the inside of the object. The sliders on the plane cutting through 3D or 4D space. As you adjust the
panel let you adjust the coordinates of the fractal slices. coefficients, the preview shows you a horizontal slice of the
fractal object you’re exploring.

The 2D Slice of 4D Space panel. A graphic representation of the R I preview.

You can also explore the fractal by dragging inside the panel’s
preview windows. As you drag, you’re adjusting two parameters
at once.

The number of controls available depends on the type of fractal

you’re creating. For a 3D fractal, you’ll have R, I, and J controls.
For a 4D fractal, you’ll have R, I, J, and K controls, plus a W slice
control.

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 KP T FRA X4D
Choosing J and K parameters This control is only available when you’re working with a 4D
fractal.
The J and K Slice Coordinate sliders control the position of the J
K slice. This plane is roughly vertical. As you change the
4D Space
position, the preview shows you a vertical slice of the fractal
object.

W Slice

A graphic representation of the W slice.

A graphic representation of the J K preview. Setting Fractal Complexity

Fractals in KPT Frax4D are actually volume renders. As the filter
renders, it moves through 3D space, rendering your fractal as it
Viewing your Fractal using a W Slice goes. The Complexity parameter tells the filter how many steps
Since you can’t actually display a four dimensional fractal on a to take for a render. The more steps the filter takes, the more
computer, 4D fractals are sliced along their origin, either detail it will encounter, which in turn results in a higher quality
horizontally or vertically, to produce a three-dimensional object object.
that you can see on screen. The Slicing Offset W slider controls
how the slice is taken from the 4D fractal. If you find that your fractal has some unwanted noise in it,
increase the Complexity value.

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Exploring your 4D Fractal The Reset control lets you clear all the rotations you’ve applied
to the fractal so that it appears in its default position.
Once you have a fractal you’re happy with, you can explore its
patterns to see if there are any areas of the fractal you want to
render as the final image. Setting Fractal Iterations
The Detail control sets the sharpness of the fractal. Lower
values produce smoother-edged fractals. Higher values produce
more jaggy-edged fractals. As well, the higher the detail value,
the longer the fractal takes to render.

Adding an Environment Map

An environment map is an image that is projected onto your
fractal to create reflections. It can be used to simulate different
surfaces like gold or silver. The map is controlled using the
Environment panel.

Refer to “Environment Panel” on page 34 for instructions on loading

environment maps.

The KPT Frax4D Main Preview window. Setting Up Lighting

KPT Frax4D sculptures are three-dimensional objects, which
Zooming into a Fractal means that you can light them from any angle. The 3D Lighting
panel contains all the controls you’ll need to set light color and
Like other fractals, a 4D fractal is infinitely detailed. The Zoom angles. Refer to “3D Lighting Panel” on page 30 for more on using
control lets you enlarge a portion of your fractal so you can see the panel.
more detail.

Rendering your Fractal

Viewing a Fractal in the Main Preview window Depending on whether you’re working with a 3D or 4D fractal,
The Main Preview window lets you rotate your rendered you can change the render quality of the fractal before you turn
sculpture by dragging it in any direction. it into an image.

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 KP T FRA X4D
4D fractals can be rendered using the High Quality option which
uses enhanced raytracing to produce a cleaner image.

To choose a render mode:

✤ Click the option arrow at the top of the 2D Slice of 4D Space
panel and choose either Quaternion: Normal or
Quaternion: High Quality from the menu.

Extremely Technical Notes

The general description provided earlier in this chapter explains
how KPT Frax4D works in laymen’s terms. What follows is a more
technically accurate description. Be fore-warned, the
paragraphs that follow provide information that won’t really
enhance your use of the filter, but it may give you a mild
headache.

KPT Frax4D lets you choose parameters that define a point in 4D

space. What you’re seeing in the preview windows is the fractal
that exists at that point. As you change parameters, you’re
exploring either 3D or 4D space locating either more of the same
fractal, or completely new fractals.

When you’re working with a 3D fractal, you’re defining a point in

3D space using R, I, and J parameters, which result in a 3D
object.

When you’re working with a 4D fractal, you’re defining a point in

4D space using R, I, J and K. The W slice parameter is then used
to fix the L parameter. This results in a R, I and J object which
can then be converted into a 3D object you can work with.

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KPT NOIZE

What’s in this Section:

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Generating Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Setting Up Noise Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

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 KP T NOIZE
Overview
The KPT Noize filter lets you explore a wide variety of noise
patterns. Noise patterns are mathematically generated
turbulence. Noise can be used as textures, patterns, or as noise
maps in one of the other KPT filters, like KPT FiberOptix.

Generating Noise
The KPT Noize filter is set up like an explorer utility. Noise is
divided into a number of families, listed in the Style panel. After
you select a noise family, you can explore its many variations
using the Mutator. When you’ve got a noise you like, you can use
one of the apply options to add it to your image.

Examples of different noise families.

To choose a noise family:
✤ Click a family name in the Style panel.
Choose Random if you want to randomize the families
themselves.

The KPT Noize Style panel.

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Using the Noise Mutator The preview at the center of the Mutator represents the parent
noise and the smaller windows that surround it are derivatives,
Noise is generated using complex mathematical equations with or cousins, of the parent. Every time you mutate the parent, you
a wide number of parameters. These parameters are like genes generate different derivatives.
that go into making the final noise. You can change the noise
pattern through genetic mutation (i.e. mutating parameters).

Examples of mutated noise.

To mutate a noise pattern:

1 In the Noise Mutation panel, click the center preview until
you see a noise pattern you like.
2 Click the small preview of the noise you want to explore.
Your selection becomes the parent noise and is displayed
in the center of the Mutator.
3 Click the center preview again to generate derivatives of
the selected noise.
4 Continue clicking the Mutator and selecting derivatives
The noise in the center is the parent noise. The smaller previews display until you get the look you want.
derivatives.

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 KP T NOIZE
Scaling Noise RGB noise can be colored either randomly or using a gradient. It
can also be transparent or opaque. When you turn it off, any
The Frequency slider controls how many times the noise is alpha noise you generated is combined with the source image.
repeated within an image. Higher scale values create more
turbulence in the noise pattern.

RGB noise colored using a gradient.

Noise using low and high Frequency values.
Alpha noise creates transparency within the source image.
Setting Up Noise Components Noise is only applied in opaque areas.

Noise can have different components, depending on the

contents of the source image:

• If your source image is flat (i.e. without layers), KPT Noize can
generate RGB noise that can be colored using a gradient.
• If your source image has more than one layer, KPT Noize can
generate both RGB noise and Alpha noise.

An image with both RGB and Alpha noise.

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If you use RGB noise combined with a gradient and alpha noise, Generating RGB Noise
you’ll get a noise that not only has mathematically generated
turbulence, but also a wide variety of colors and transparency By default, KPT Noize generates RGB noise. The Mutator sets
patterns as well! the type of noise you generate.

The Main Preview window displays the final noise. If you’re

combining noise types, the window shows the final result. If you Setting RGB Noise Opacity
turn off RGB, the window shows how the alpha noise combines
with the background image. The Opacity slider lets you control how much the generated
noise affects the background image. The more transparent the
noise, the less it affects the image. Setting RGB Noise Opacity to
0%, is like turning the noise off.

Using a Gradient
When this component is enabled, the RGB noise is colored using
the colors in the Gradient panel.

The Gradient panel appears when you select this component.

Use the panel to choose and mix colors. Refer to “Color Gradient
Panel” on page 35 for more on creating gradients.

The Main Preview window displaying a combination of RGB and Alpha

noise.

To choose noise components:

✤ Click the arrow icon at the top of the Noise Component
panel and choose a component from the menu.

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 KP T NOIZE
Generating Alpha Noise
When this component is enabled, KPT Noize generates alpha
noise that creates transparency in the noise pattern.

T he Noise Component panel expands when you enable the Using Alpha
Noise option.

To generate alpha noise:

1 Click the Alpha Noise preview.
2 Use the Mutator to generate a noise pattern.

Setting Alpha Noise Opacity

Like RGB Noise, you can control how much the alpha noise
affects the image, by setting is transparency. Setting Alpha
Noise Opacity to 0% is like turning alpha noise off. The RGB
Noise you generated is completely opaque.

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KPT ORB-IT
What’s in this Section:
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Creating Orbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Lighting Orbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Setting Up Orb Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Adding an Environment Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

108
 KP T ORB-IT
Overview Setting Orb Packing Density
KPT Orb-It creates a field of 3D orbs over a background image. Packing Density controls how many spheres are produced. Low
Each orb is an individual object with its own surface properties values produce an orb field with few orbs spaced farther apart.
and position in space. Since the spheres exist in 3D space, they High values have the opposite affect.
appear to have depth. As well, they can be lit from any direction
using various light sources.

Spheres can be colored using lights, tint colors, or by picking up

color from a background image.

Creating Orbs
A sphere field is automatically generated the minute you enter
KPT Orb-It. Every time you change a parameter, a new field is
created. The Orb Controls panel lets you control how that field is
generated. The panel’s controls let you set the size of individual
spheres as well as the density of the sphere field.
Examples of high and low Packing Density values.

The Orb Controls palette.

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Setting Orb Size Setting Z-Axis Distribution
Orb Average Size controls the relative size of spheres. High Orb Z Spread controls the depth of the sphere field. What the
values produce larger spheres, while low values produce smaller control does is adjust the position of spheres along the Z plane.
ones. Higher values result in spheres that are more spread out along
the plane, creating a sense of depth. Lower values result in a
flatter looking sphere field.

Examples of low and high Orb Average Size values.

Examples of low and high Orb Z Spread values.

Size Variation
Orb Size Variance controls the amount of difference in sphere
sizes. Higher values result in spheres that range from very large
to very small. Lower values result in orbs that are all closer in
size.

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 KP T ORB-IT
Controlling Orb Density using Alpha Lighting Orbs
Information Since the spheres created by the filter are 3D, they can be lit
The Alpha Maksing option lets you use the grayscale values of from any angle. You can have as many lights as your system’s
an image to control orb density. When the option is enabled, memory allows. Each light can be positioned separately and it
larger orbs appear in areas of light and smaller orbs appears in can have its own color.
dark areas.

The effect of different lighting angles.

An orb field with Alpha Masking disabled and enabled.
Lights are controlled by the 3D Lighting panel. Refer to “3D
To enable/disable the Alpha Maksing option: Lighting Panel” on page 30 for more on using this control.
✤ In the Orb Controls panel, click the Alpha Maksing label.
When the checkmark appears, the option is enabled. Setting Up Orb Surfaces
An orb’s surface is made up of several properties. Its material
color, which is drawn from the background image; its tint color,
which can be used to alter the material color and create metallic
The Alpha Masking label .

111
effects; its refraction setting, which can make a surface look like To set the tint color:
glass, and finally its environment map, which can create a
✤ In the Material panel, click the color dot and choose a color
realistic-looking reflective surface.
from the Color Picker.
Refer to “Using the Color Picker” on page 29 for more on using
the Color Picker.

Setting the Tint Amount

The Mix Tinting Color slider in the Orb Color panel controls how
much of the tint color is applied to the orbs. Higher values shift
all orb colors closer to the tint color.

Orb surface properties are controlled by the Orb Color panel.

Using a Tint Color

The base color of spheres comes from either the original
background image or the Tint Color.
High and low Mix Tinting Color values.
Usually a sphere’s color is picked up from the image beneath it.
However, if there is no color, the sphere’s color is the Tint color.
This is rarely the case; more often the Tint color is used to wash
all the orbs in a uniform color.

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 KP T ORB-IT
Tint to Background Turning Metallic Reflections On/Off
The Tint to Background slider controls how much of an orb’s The Metallic Render option lets you tint orb reflections using the
surface color is taken from the pixel directly below it. At high material color, giving them a metallic look.
values, orb color is taken more from the background image. At
lower settings, orbs are colored more by the light and tint colors. To turn Metallic Render on/off:
✤ In the Material panel, click the Plastic button. The option is
disabled when the button is labeled “Plastic”.

Adding an Environment Map

An environment map is an image that’s projected onto the
surface of your spheres to produce realistic reflections. The map
is applied to each sphere separately, so you can see the
reflection again and again.

The effect of setting Tint to Background to 100.

Using Glass Refraction

When you apply Glass refraction, the orbs refract light causing
distortions in any reflection coming off their surface. Distortions
appear when the orbs are refracting parts of the background
image.

An image applied as an environment map.

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Blending the Environment Map with the Orbs
The Mix Environment slider lets you control how much the
environment map affects the surface of an orb. At lower
settings, the environment map appears faded. At higher settings,
the map is completely visible.

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 KP T RA DWARP
KPT RA DWARP

What’s in this Section:

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Setting Warp Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Adjusting Warp Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

115
Overview effect. All you have to know to use this effect is that adjusting
the parameter values creates a completely different distortion
KPT RadWarp simulates a camera effect known as a barrel effect.
distortion. The distortion causes the edges of your image to
become warped as if you were looking through a “fish-eyed”
lens. This filter can be used both to correct a barrel distortion
and to create it.

TiP KPT RadWarp is a quick way of creating cool text

effects.

Different X Center values. The Warp Parameters panel.

Setting Warp Parameters

The KPT RadWarp effect is created by adding
mathematically-calculated distortions to your image. The two
parameters control variables in equations used to calculate the

116
 KP T RA DWARP
Setting Warp Alpha Controls Setting Warp Beta Controls
The Alpha slider controls how much of an alpha curve is added The Beta slider controls how much of a beta curve is added to
to your image. The net result is that you should continue your image. Again, experimentation is the key to using this filter
adjusting this control until you get the effect you want. effectively. Adjust the position of the slider until you get the
effect you want.

An example of a high Alpha setting.

An example of a high Beta setting.

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Adjusting Warp Center Setting Vertical Center
The KPT RadWarp filter can reposition the center of your image The Y Center slider lets you position the center of the effect
so that the center of the warping effect appears on different vertically.
parts of your image. By trying different center positions, you can
add a kind of perspective warp to the image.

Setting Horizontal Center

The X Center slider lets you control the horizontal center of the
warping effect.

TiP You can also adjust the center by dragging inside

the Main Preview window.

Different Y Center settings.

Rotating your Image

The Rotation slider lets you rotate the image in real-time. The
slider sets the angle in degrees.

Different X Center values.

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 KP T SHA P ESHIFTER
KPT SHAPESHIFTER
What’s in this section:
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Creating a Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Working with Bevels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Lighting your Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Adding Texture to your Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Adding a Glow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Working with Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Adding an Embossing Layer to your Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Adding an Environment Map to your Shape . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Previewing Your Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

119
Overview Using this feature, you can load a mask that has shapes for each
letter in a font set, and instantly turn them all into 3D objects, or
KPT ShapeShifter is the ideal tool for creating text effects, Web you can load a mask with all shapes for each of the buttons in
or software buttons and 3D artwork. your website and instantly create all the 3D buttons you’ll need.

By applying bevels to your shape, KPT ShapeShifter gives it that

3D look. The filter provides incredible control over the shape and
size of the bevels. You can even design your own bevel profile.
The filter also lets you add a second layer to a shape for adding
things like graphics or text. In addition, you can add
environment maps for reflections and bump maps for surface
texture.

A mask with three discrete shapes and the objects created using
KPT ShapeShifter.

Creating a Shape
KPT ShapeShifter makes 3D shapes from masks. It takes the
outline of the mask and adds a bevel, making it look 3D.

The mask can be either an imported mask or a selection created

A mask and the object created using KPT ShapeShifter.
in the host application.
One of KPT ShapeShifter’s most impressive features is its ability
If you use a mask image, it has to be black and white. The black
to make hundreds of objects simultaneously. For example, if you
areas of the mask are considered the background, while the
load a mask that looks like swiss cheese, each hole forms it’s
white areas are used to make the shape.
own shape. Each shape has exactly the same settings.
KPT ShapeShifter creates an object for each discrete shape in
the mask. So if you use a mask with two circles in it, you’ll get
two objects. Shapes created from a single mask all have exactly
the same properties.

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 KP T SHA P ESHIFTER
If you’re using a selection, your 3D object is the same shape as Working with Bevels
the selection.
A bevel is the profile of your shape. It’s what makes it look 3D.
To import a shape mask: The size of the bevel determines how thick your shape is, while
1 In the Main Shape panel, click the triangle icon in the title the shape of the bevel can produce ridges and creases in the
bar to open the options menu and choose Load Mask. shape’s surface. Bevels are controlled using the Main Shape
panel.
or
Click the thumbnail preview window.
2 Locate the file you want to use as a mask and click OK.
The mask appears in the preview window as a 3D shape.
You can also use the Load Preset option to load a preset
mask. Refer to “Working with the Presets Library” on page 38 for
more on the Presets Library.

Use the Main Shape panel to import a shape mask or set up bevels.

Bevel Modes
KPT ShapeShifter has three bevel modes you can use when
applying a bevel to your shapes. The first two, Arc and Diagonal,
are presets, while the third lets you create your own bevel
profile.

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To switch Bevel Modes: Diagonal
✤ In the Main Shape panel, enable one of the bevel options. This profile creates smooth angled plateaus along the edges of
your shape.

Bevel option buttons.

Arc
When you use the Arc profile, your shapes have a smooth
rounded edge.

A bevel created using Diagonal mode.

User-Defined Profile
This bevel option lets you create your own bevel profile by
editing the graphic representation of a bevel.

A bevel created using Arc mode.

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 KP T SHA P ESHIFTER
Think of the graph as a side view of the bevel. A straight line To edit the bevel profile:
results in a flat bevel. An arc results in a rounded bevel. A profile
1 In the Main Shape panel, click the User Defined button. The
shaped like a wave results in a bevel with grooves in it and so
panel preview displays the current bevel.
on.

Drag inside the preview to change the bevel profile.

2 Drag any point on the graph up or down.
3 Once you have a shape you like, use the smoothing tools to
soften the curve.
Sharp points in the graph produce hard ridges in the bevel.
The Smoothing option lets you make the bevel more
rounded, while maintaining the ridges you created.
As you adjust the graph, your changes are applied to the
A bevel created using a user-defined profile. shape in the Main Preview window so you can see what it
looks like.
To smooth a user-defined bevel:
✤ Press the Option/Alt key while your bevel is displayed in the
Main Shape preview window.
The longer you hold down the key, the more smoothing is
applied.
To magnetize the bevel curve:
✤ Shift-click a point on the curve to draw the curve to the
point where clicked.

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To reset the bevel curve: Setting Bevel Scale
✤ Control-drag to reset the curve to a flat line. The scale of the bevel determines your shape’s 3D depth. The
larger the bevel, the smaller the flat plateau on the top of your
shape and the more 3D it looks.
Using Bevel Masking
The Bevel masking options let you control how the bevel is
applied to the object in relation to the original mask.

Drag inside the preview to change the bevel profile.

Normally, KPT ShapeShifter uses the mask to generate the bevel The effects of low and high Bevel Scale settings.
contour. Depending on your Bevel Profile and Size settings, the
bevel may extend outside the area of the original mask. This
helps create a smoother drop-off. Setting Bevel Height
The Bevel Height control determines the sharpness of the bevel
However, when you enable the Bevel Masking option, the final
angle. The higher the setting, the more pronounced the bevel
3D shape will be exactly the same size as the mask.
becomes.
You’ll want to enable this option if you’re creating a shape that’s
going to be composited precisely with another image. You’ll also
want to enable masking when you’re designing elements on a
web page that need to be an exact size.

Low and high Bevel Height values.

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 KP T SHA P ESHIFTER
Lighting your Shape Texture can be added in one of two ways:

Since the shapes created by the filter are 3D, they can be lit • By using a noise algorithm, which creates a texture by
from any angle. You can have as many lights as your system’s applying mathematically generated bumps and dents.
memory allows. Each light can be positioned separately and can Algorithmic noise creates a more grainy surface with random
have its own color. bump patterns.
• By using a bump map which adds bumps and dents to a
The lighting you apply to the object can greatly enhance its 3D surface based on the light and dark values in the map image.
look. Lighting is controlled using the 3D Lighting panel. Refer to Maps are good for creating specific patterns on your object.
“3D Lighting Panel” on page 30 for more on this panel.
To choose a preset noise as a bump map:
Adding Texture to your Shape ✤ In the Bump Map panel, click the text label beneath the
preview window and choose a noise from the menu that
By default, your shape has a smooth surface. That may be fine appears.
for some purposes, but you can create much more interesting
effects by adding some texture to your shape’s surface.
Importing a Bump Map
A bump map is a black and white image that is used as a height
map to create bumps in the surface of your shape. A height map
creates bumps based on the light and dark values in an image.
Light values create bumps and dark values create dents.

To import a bump map:

1 In the Bump Map panel, click the triangle icon in the title
bar to open the options menu and choose Load Mask.
or
Click the thumbnail preview window.
2 Locate the file you want to use as a map and click OK.
The image appears in the preview window.
Texture is controlled using the Bump Map panel.
You can also use the Load Preset option to load a preset
mask. Refer to “Working with the Presets Library” on page 38 for
more on presets.

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Setting Bump Scale Setting Bump Height
The scale of your bump map can greatly alter the texture you The Bump Height slider determines how pronounced the bumps
finally create. A larger bump map creates a smoother texture. A in the bump map appear on the shape’s surface. Positive values
smaller map creates a very grainy texture since the map is create bumps. Negative values create dents.
repeated more frequently to cover the surface of your shape.

Texture created using a low Bump Scale value and the bump map used to Texture created using a high Bump Height value and the bump map used
create the texture. to create the texture.

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 KP T SHA P ESHIFTER
Adding a Glow To turn the glow on/off:
✤ In the Glow panel, click the eye icon. When the eye’s open,
The Glow controls let you place a colored highlight around your
the glow is enabled.
shape. This feature is great for creating highlight states on
buttons.

Glow properties are controlled using the Glow panel.

A shape with a glow applied. Setting Glow Color

You can pick a glow color using the Color Picker. The color you
choose won’t affect the color of the shape, but it should
compliment it. Refer to “Using the Color Picker” on page 29 for more
on choosing colors.

To choose a glow color:

✤ In the Glow panel, click the Glow Color dot and choose a
color from the Color Picker.

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Setting Transparency Working with Shadows
The Transparency slider controls how opaque your glow appears. The Shadow controls let you set the attributes for the shape’s
The higher the setting, the stronger the glow effect. drop shadow. Using these controls, you can set the shadow’s
position, size and opacity. Shadows are controlled using the
Shadow panel.
Setting Glow Size
The Glow Softness slider controls the size of the glow around
the shape. Higher settings make the glow grow larger and
fuzzier.

Setting Glow Position

The Glow X Offset and Y Offset let you control the glow’s
position along the X and Y planes.

You can also position the glow by dragging inside

TiPS the panel’s preview window.

If you hold down Shift, there’s a 1:1 correlation

between your movements in the preview and the
position of the glow in the Main Preview window. If A shape with a shadow.
you move your glow 5 pixels in the preview, the
glow in the Main Preview also moves 5 pixels.
To turn a shadow on/off:
✤ In the Shadow panel, click the eye icon. When the eye’s
open, the shadow is enabled.

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Setting Shadow Color You can also position the shadow by dragging

You can pick a shadow color using the Color Picker. The color
TiPS inside the panel’s preview window.

you choose only applies to the shadow. Refer to “Using the Color If you hold down Shift, there’s a 1:1 correlation
between your movements in the preview and the
Picker” on page 29 for more on choosing colors. position of the shadow in the Main Preview
window. If you move your shadow 5 pixels in the
preview, the glow in the Main Preview also moves 5
pixels.

Setting Shadow Size

The Shadow Softness slider lets you control the size of the
shadow. Higher values increase the radius of the shadow,
making it more blurred. Lower values decrease its size.

Setting Shadow Transparency

The Shadow Transparency control sets how opaque your shadow
appears. Lower values make your shadow more transparent.
Shadow properties are controlled by the Shadow panel.

To choose a shadow color:

✤ In the Shadow panel, click the Shadow Color dot and choose
a color from the Color Picker.

Setting Shadow Position

The Shadow X Offset and Y Offset let you control the
drop-shadow’s position along the X and Y planes.

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Adding an Embossing Layer to your You can also load a mask from the Presets Library. Refer to
“Working with the Presets Library” on page 38 for more on
Shape presets.
KPT ShapeShifter lets you add a second layer to your shape that To position the top mask:
can be used to create an engraving effect. Using this second
✤ Shift-drag the mask in the Main Preview window.
layer, called the Top Mask, you can add shapes on top of your
shape or text onto a button. The embossing effects can make
your second layer look like it’s been engraved into the shape.
Using a Tint Color with the Top Mask
Tint applies a uniform color to the shape. This tint color only
affects the shapes on the top mask.

To choose a tint color:

✤ Click the color dot and choose a color from the Color Picker.
Refer to “Using the Color Picker” on page 29 for more on
choosing colors.

Noise Masking
Noise masking protects your top mask from the texture below it.
This helps make text more readable since it won’t have any
texture applied to it.
The second layer is controlled by the Top Mask panel.
To turn noise masking on:
To turn the top mask on/off: ✤ In the Top Mask panel, click the Noise Masking toggle
✤ In the Top Mask panel, click the eye icon. When the eye’s button.
open, the top mask is enabled.
To load a top mask:
1 In the Top Mask panel, click the preview window. The Open
dialog appears.
2 Locate the mask you want to use and click Open.

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Adjusting Transparency Adding an Environment Map to
The Transparency control lets you set the opacity of the second your Shape
layer. The higher the setting, the more transparent the layer.
An environment map is used to create a pattern in the
reflections of your shape.
To adjust transparency:
✤ In the Top Mask panel, drag the Transparency slider.

Emboss Scale
Emboss Scale controls the radius of the embossing effect. The
higher the value, the softer the effect.

Emboss Height
The Emboss Height slider controls the intensity of the embossing
effect. Positive values create bumps in the shape of the mask.
Negative values create dents in the surface.

Environment maps are controlled by the Environment panel.

To understand how an environment map works, imagine that

your shape is made out of a shiny material. It would reflect
everything around it. So, if it was in the middle of a park, you

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would be able to see a reflected view of the trees and grass. The Blending an Environment Map
environment map simulates this effect. It’s used to project a
surrounding environment onto the surface of your shape. The Mix Environment slider lets you control how much of the
map is visible in the shape’s reflection. The higher the setting,
the more of the map you can see. At lower settings, the map
appears faded.

Using a Tint Color

Tint applies a uniform color to the shape. This color is in
addition to any color the shape picked up from a background
Before image.

When you apply a metallic surface to your shape, the tint color is
used to color all the reflections that come off its surface.

Once you have a tint color you can control how much it affects
the base color of your shape. The higher the tint value, the more
After the colors shift toward the tint color.
An object before and after an environment map was applied.
To choose a tint color:
You can load any RGB or grayscale image as an environment ✤ Click the color dot and choose a color from the Color Picker.
map, or you can use a preset from the library. Refer to “Working Refer to “Using the Color Picker” on page 29 for more on
with the Presets Library” on page 38 for more on presets. choosing colors.
Once you’ve loaded an environment map, you can control how To set tint value:
much it affects the shape by using the Mix Environment slider.
✤ Drag the Mix Tinting Color slider. At higher values you’ll see
more of the tint color and less of the base colors.
To load an environment map:
1 Click the thumbnail preview window. The Open dialog
appears.
2 Locate an image you want to use as a map and click Open.
Choose a photo-realistic image if you want to reflect a
natural environment.

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Applying Glass Refraction Setting Internal Reflections
The Glass Refraction control can be used to create a glass-type Internal Reflections cause the inside of the object to reflect light,
effect. When you apply refraction, the shape’s surface bends making it look brighter.
light causing distortions in the reflections.

An example of Internal Reflections.

An example of Glass Refraction.

The control can have both positive and negative values.

Previewing Your Shape
The render options in the Main Preview window let you control
the quality and speed of the preview. The options are a trade-off
between speed and quality. Faster previews have lower quality
and higher quality previews take longer to render.

To choose a render preview option:

✤ Click the triangle icon at the top of the Main Preview
window and choose an option from the menu.

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KPT SMOOTHIE
What’s in this Section:
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Smoothing an Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Working with Outer Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Working with Inner Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

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 KP T SMOOTHIE
Overview Previewing your KPT Smoothie Effect
The KPT Smoothie filter lets you blur the edges of any image and The thumbnail preview window in the Edges panel shows you a
then clip it, giving the final image a smooth-edged, rounded 1:1 representation (i.e. actual size) of a portion of your image.
look. The smoothing effect is created by applying a Gaussian The rectangular area in the Main Preview window lets you
Blur to the edges of the mask and then clipping it to make the change the area displayed in the panel preview. You can use this
edges cleaner. feature to see the effects of the smoothing on different parts of
your image.

A Little History...
KPT Smoothie is the evolution of a tip Kai wrote a couple of
years back called “How to Clean Up...a Fax or a Scan”. In it, he
described how to fix up a badly scanned image in Photoshop.
The process went something like this:

• First, you take the image and apply a Gaussian Blur. This
makes the image appear smoother which also results in
anti-aliased edges.
• Then, you go into the Levels dialog and adjust the grayscale
values to fix up any shading that may have been eliminated
when the image was faxed. You also use Levels to clean up
the edges.
Well, KPT Smoothie does all that and more. You don’t have to go
to a variety of dialogs and apply different effects. It’s all in one
place. What’s more, KPT Smoothie goes further than simply
consolidating controls, it provides a way to fix up specific edges.
As you drag the rectangle in the Main Preview window, the panel preview
Not only does KPT Smoothie simplify the touch-up process, but changes to show a 1:1 portion of the effect.
it can also be used to make special effects like outlines and
rounded rectangles.

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Smoothing an Image Smoothing Amount
Smoothing Amount controls how much smoothing is applied to
Before you start working with the specific edges in your image,
the entire image. This control has the same affect as adding a
you should apply the smoothing effect to the whole image. Then
Gaussian blur to your image, except that you can control how
you can use the Inner and Outer Edge controls to refine the
the blur is applied in real-time.
effect.

Smoothing Amount at low and high settings.

Applying a high Smoothing Amount to a solid

TiPS square is a quick way of making a rounded
rectangle.

The Edges panel controls all the settings for KPT Smoothie.

A rounded rectangle created using a high Smoothing Amount.

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 KP T SMOOTHIE
You can really see the effects of Smoothing Amount when you If you’re trying to fix a specific edge, use the
apply it to an image with sharp edges. On closer inspection, you
can see how the edges are rounded as you apply more
TiPS rectangle in the preview area to display it in the
Edge panel. That way, you can see if your settings
are making the edge cleaner.
smoothing.
Extremely high values of Grayscale Inversion actually invert the
shades in the image so that what was light is now dark and vice
versa.

Original Smoothed
Image Image

The effects of applying Smoothing to a sharp-edged image.

A completely inverted image.

Grayscale Inversion
This control adjusts the balance between the light and dark
grayscale values in your image (just like the Levels dialog in
Photoshop). Again, the advantage here is that you can see your
adjustments in real-time.

Grayscale Inversion can smooth out the transitions between

grayscale values to make edges cleaner, or it can eliminate
unwanted elements from your image.

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Working with Outer Edges Working with Inner Edges
As their names suggest, the Outer Edge controls let you apply The Inner Edge controls let you apply the KPT Smoothie effect to
the KPT Smoothie effect specifically to the outside edges of your the inside edges of your image.
image.
These are the controls you’ll use to clean-up images with thin
lines. The smoothing process can distort or eliminate lines, the
Outer Edge Smoothing Inner Edge size can help you redefine them.

Outer Edge Smoothing determines how much smoothing is

applied to the outside edges of the image.

Low and high settings of Outer Edge Smoothing. The effects of using the Inner Edge controls to redefine lines within the
image.

Outer Edge Size

Outer Edge Size sets how much of the outer edge of the image is
trimmed. Use this control after you’ve set the Smoothing
Amount. That way, you can see how much of the smoothing
effect you’re clipping.

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 KP T SMOOTHIE
Inner Edge Smoothing Inner Edge Size
Inner Edge Smoothing sets how much smoothing is applied to Inner Edge Size sets how much of the image’s interior is
the inside edges of the image. If you use Inner Edge Size to trimmed. This can clean up inside edges distorted by Inner Edge
hollow out the shape, this setting applies smoothing to the Smoothing. The higher the setting, the more hollow the image
inside of the shape. appears.

Low and high settings of Inner Edge Size.

Inner Edge Size is great for creating outlines out of

An example of Inner Edge Smoothing. TiPS solid shapes.

An outline created by applying Inner Edge Size.

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