Drawing and Zooming

Fractal Forge opens up with a basic image. To zoom and draw, use the menu at the top of the screen:
Fractal >
        Image >
              Free Zoom.

Alternatively, you can click on the toolbar icons to perform the same operations. The first icon equals ZOOM IN from the drop-down menu; the second one, ZOOM OUT, and the third one FREE ZOOM.

Move the mouse over
each icon to get its function.

Choose FREE ZOOM either way, and the cursor will change to a magnifier with a small cross at the upper left corner (somewhat similar to the first toolbar icon). Drag the cursor in any direction to draw a box marking the zooming area.

The box shows four little squares in each corner. When you move the cursor over any of these squares, it turns into a directional arrow. When it does so, you can resize the box by pressing the left mouse button and dragging the cursor. Clicking once inside the box will zoom in that region.

You can also move the zooming area (the box) when using FREE ZOOM. To do this, just move the cursor to any of sides of the box, and it will turn into two biheaded crossing arrows. When it does so, you can press and hold the left mouse button and drag the box anywhere you want.

Drawing a box with either the ZOOM IN or ZOOM OUT options will do almost the same function, with the distinction that releasing the mouse button will automatically zoom in (or out) the selected portion. That area will become your new image, so be careful. In any case, you can undo any changes by using the PREVIOUS FRACTAL option under the EDIT menu.

You can bypass or undo several changes at the same time. Fractal Forge automatically keeps a history of all the changes you have made to an image while you're working on it under the HISTORY LIST tab. Using the PREVIOUS or RESTORE commands, you can return to any recorded state in the drop-down list. Each image's history list will remain available until you close it. Once closed, the History list will be erased.