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Tools of the Trades

Justin Sanchez

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April 21st, 2014 - 06:23 PM

Tools of the Trades

I thought i'd write a quick blog concerning the tools I use to make what I make. Firstly, when it comes to fractals, I've used a few very different applications. I started with Apophysis which had one really obnoxious obstacle to overcome. Its lack of Mac compatibility and my use of a Mac. It took a while but I did figure out how to make Apophysis run on a mac using the notorious wine tricks. To be fair, overcoming that obstacle was extremely rewarding and it allowed me to realize how great a tool Apophysis is. I used Apophysis for quite a long time until I discovered that it was possible for me to animate fractals. I started to learn how to write scripts so that Apophysis would do this but it soon became apparent that to achieve my goals I needed something more efficient. The age Fractal Architect II had arrived. An effective application with mac support, Fractal Architect did its job well and allowed me to make Form and Color. I continued to use it for quite some time afterward making still fractals because of its greater control of colors and its native mac support. However, the company that made Fractal Architect messed up with their newest release of Fractal Architect 3D. To put it simply, the application didn't work which brings me to the third age. The ongoing age of Chaotica. This application worked, had a much greater render quality than Fractal Architect and was Mac Compatible. Chaotica was also extremely unique compared to Apophysis and Fractal Architect with its continuos rendering and animation support. I'm currently in the process of making a new fractal animation with Chaotica in addition to all of my still fractals.

Secondly, I'm also a photographer! To pursue this hobby, I use a Nikon D90. I've found this camera to have great image quality and a sturdy build. However I think it may have an issue with noise. Fortunately, this isn't too big of a problem after a little editing which I use Lightroom 5 for. To be honest, I would love to use Apple's Aperture 3 instead with its more appealing UI and much better integration of all things Apple. Unfortunately, Apple has not released the next big update for Aperture which makes me hesitant to buy it. Lightroom 5 on the other hand receives fairly frequent updates and has some neat features that Aperture just doesn't have like lens correction. Maybe after Apple releases Aperture X I'll make the switch but for now Lightroom 5 is definitely the way to go.

Lastly and most importantly, videos! To make a video requires a massive amount of time and effort compared to making still fractals and photographs. So to make my videos I require a durable tool. Final Cut Pro X is that tool for me. I know that a few years ago Apple messed up with Final Cut and removed a ton of features which gave it a bad reputation that it still contends with today. Fortunately, I was using iMovie when that happened so judging Final Cut now leaves me with good things to say. Firstly, the biggest issue that some people have now with Final Cut is that "it looks like iMovie." After using Adobe Premiere for a few months, I can honestly say this is a good thing. Final Cut's UI does not leave you wondering what combinations of buttons needs to be pressed in order to do what you want and is free of clutter. Also, as far as price, to use Adobe Premiere requires a subscription. This is amazing if you plan on using all things Adobe, since the subscription gives you access to every Adobe application, but not so amazing if you plan on just using one application. You can however use Lightroom after one purchase!

If you want to see all of my work both old and new then be sure to check out my website dustnova.com which has been updated with a new look and a store! If my website isn't enough of me then follow me on twitter @dustnovas!

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