What it does

How to Install

Controls

Versions

Questions

 

Cumulus

 

What it does

Cumulus draws puffy clouds.

 

How to install

To use this software, you need a paint program which accepts standard Photoshop 3.0 plugins.

Just put the plug-in filter into the folder where your paint program expects to find it. If you have Photoshop, the folder is Photoshop:Plugins:Filters or Photoshop:Plug-ins. You must restart Photoshop before it will notice the new plug-in. It will appear in the menus as Filters->Flaming Pear->Cumulus.

Most other paint programs follow a similar scheme.

If you have Paint Shop Pro: you have to create a new folder, put the plug-in filter into it, and then tell PSP to look there. In PSP's menus, choose File-> Preferences->General Program Preferences (PSP versions 5 and 6) or File->Preferences->File Locations (PSP version 7). Next, click the Plug-in Filters tab. Use a "Browse" button to choose the folder. The plugin will appear in the menus as Image->Plug-in Filters->Flaming Pear->Cumulus.

 

Controls

When you invoke Cumulus, a dialog box will appear:


Quick start

   
If you just want to see some effects quickly, click the dice button until you see something you like; then click OK.

Using the dice is the easiest way to use Cumulus. If you want to hand-tune your own effects, it helps to learn the controls, which are arranged in three groups.

Shape

Color

View

Light

...and there are some other controls that affect the whole image.

 

dice


a cloud

 



Shape

   
The clouds Cumulus draws are 2D fractal shapes. Fractals graphics tend to have lots of unintuitive settings, but the settings are exposed if you want to wield control.

Puffs: each cloud is made of one to ten sub-clouds called puffs.

Lump scale: Each puff is a lumpy circle. You can change the size of the lumps.

Flatness: Makes the cloud flat on the bottom, as if it we resting atop a layer of cold air.

Density: Ranges from a tiny wisp to a thick, fat cloud.

Lumpiness: The lumpier, the more irregular the cloud's shape.

Detail: High settings produce fussier detail.

Dispersion: Low = featureless lump, medium = realistic cloud, high = a cloud that has exploded.

 

 
low flatness


low density


low lumpiness


high dispersion

 



Color

   
Cloud color is the color of the cloud gas itself.

Sky color is the color of light that bounces into the cloud's shadows. It should resemble the background that the cloud will be used against.

Brightness boosts a cloud from "just white" to "freshly bleached."

Smokiness makes the shadows darker.

Harshness makes the transition from light to shadow stronger.

Mottling strengthens the detail in the cloud's interior.

 
color button


high smokiness


low harshness


low mottling

 



View

   
Zoom

Makes the cloud bigger or smaller without changing anyrhing else.

If you zoom in and find that the cloud lacks detail, try increasing the Complexity slider.

 

   


Light

   
The Light Ball controls the light direction

Backlighting puts the light behind the cloud instead of in front.

 

 
backlighting
 



Other controls

 
Dice The dice choose a random effect. Click as much as you want to see different effects.

Random seed This changes only the arrangement of all the random elements. Think of it as the same-but-different button.

The Cloud button discards all settings and gives you a standard nice cloud.

Plus, % and minus buttons: If the selected image area is larger than the preview are, these buttons will let you zoom in and out. You can also reposition the preview by dragging it around; your cursor will turn into a hand.

Load preset Cumulus comes with some presets, which are files containing settings. To load one, click this button and browse for a preset file.

Save preset When you make an effect you like, click this button to save the settings in a file. 

Undo backs up one step.

OK  Applies the effect to your image.

Cancel  Dismisses the filter, and leaves the image unchanged.

 

dice



random seed



cloud



load preset (top)
and save preset

 



undo

 



Hints

One cloud is OK, but several are better. Make several clouds, each in its own document layer, then arrange them for best effect.

 



Version History

Version 1.0 March 2003

The first release.

 



Questions

Answers to common technical questions appear on the support page.

For bug reports and technical questions about the software, please write to support@flamingpear.com .