Editing Fractal art (section)

==Techniques==
{{main|Fractal-generating software}}
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140">
File:Electricsheep-14525.jpg|Fractal image generated by [[Electric Sheep]]
File:FWF Samuel Monnier détail.jpg|A [[Fibonacci word]] fractal
File:Mandelbulb072a.JPG|A 3D [[Mandelbulb]] fractal generated using Visions of Chaos
File:Lai4d fractal tetrahedron fantasy.jpg|3D fractal fantasy generated using LAI4D
File:AmidstFractalArt.png|A piece generated by Mandelbulb3D.
Image:Julian fractal.jpg|A piece generated in [[Apophysis (software)|Apophysis]]
</gallery>
Fractals of all kinds have been used as the basis for digital art and animation. High resolution color graphics became increasingly available at scientific research labs in the mid-1980s.  Scientific forms of art, including fractal art, have developed separately from mainstream culture.<ref name="ciem">{{cite book |title=Critical issues in electronic media |last=Penny |first=Simon |year=1995 |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=0-7914-2317-4 |pages=81–82 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vzFJnyBjaLMC |access-date=October 29, 2011}}</ref> Starting with 2-dimensional details of fractals, such as the Mandelbrot Set, fractals have found artistic application in fields as varied as texture generation, plant growth simulation, and landscape generation.

Fractals are sometimes combined with [[evolutionary algorithms]], either by iteratively choosing good-looking specimens in a set of random variations of a fractal artwork and producing new variations, to avoid dealing with cumbersome or unpredictable parameters, or collectively, as in the [[Electric Sheep]] project, where people use [[fractal flame]]s rendered with [[distributed computing]] as their [[screensaver]] and "rate" the flame they are viewing, influencing the server, which reduces the traits of the undesirables, and increases those of the desirables to produce a computer-generated, community-created piece of art.

Many fractal images are admired because of their perceived [[Principles of art#Harmony|harmony]]. This is typically achieved by the [[pattern]]s which emerge from the [[Principles of art#Balance|balance]] of order and [[Chaos theory|chaos]]. Similar qualities have been described in [[Chinese painting]] and [[Penjing|miniature trees and rockeries]].<ref name="caftc">{{cite book |title=Chaos, complexity, curriculum and culture |editor1-first=William E. |editor1-last=Doll, Jr |editor2-first=Jayne |editor2-last=Fleener |editor3-first=Donna |editor3-last=Trueit |editor4-first=John |display-editors = 3 |editor4-last=St. Julien |last=Wang |first=Hongyu |chapter=Chinese aesthetics, Fractals and the Tao of Curriculum |year=2005 |publisher=Peter Lang Publishing |location=New York |isbn=978-0-8204-6780-1 |page=301 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fROt7Yjz3xgC |access-date=October 28, 2011}}</ref>