Glitterato

What it does

Glitterato makes starfields with nebulas.You can make realistic-looking vistas or vivid, surreal skies.

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->Glitterato.

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->Glitterato.

Controls

When you invoke Glitterato, a dialog box will appear:

Quick start
If you just want to see some effects quickly, click the dice button until you see an something you like; then click OK. Using the dice is the easiest way to use Glitterato. If you want to hand-tune your own effects, it helps to learn the controls, which are arranged into two groups: Nebula Stars ...and a few other controls that affect the whole image.		dice

1. Nebula
Glitterato's nebulashave two layers. A in the back, and B in front. A sets the brightness of the first layer. Two color buttons set layer A's colors. B sets the brightness of the second layer. Where layer B is bright enough, it can replace the colors from layer A. Two color buttons set layer B's colors. The color-hex button changes all four colors, and leaves other settings alone.		color buttons   color-hex button for randomizing colors

Scale makes the nebulas larger and smaller. Texture adds small high-contrast details to the nebulas.

a nebula more texture

Fibrousness add swooping streaks.

more fibrousness

Contrast ranges from dim, smooth washes of gas to harsh, bright, isolated clumps.

more contrast

Opacity makes the nebulas block out the stars.

more opacity

2. Stars
Density gives you sparse or plentiful stars. Brightness sets the stars' average brightness. Scale makes the stars small or large. Depth makes most of the stars small and dim, which makes it look like the stars lie at different distances from the obersver. Color produces all-white stars at zero, natural "blackbody" colors at 50, and super-vivid color at 100.		some stars more brightness and scale more depth and color

3. Other controls
Dice The dice choose a random effect. Click as much as you want to see different results. Random seed This rearranges the random quality of the nebulas while leaving their settings unchanged. Glue mode popup menu Lets you combine the result with the underlying image in various ways. Modes other than "normal" produce special effects. 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 Glitterato 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. Three more buttons: OK  Applies the effect to your image. Cancel  Dismisses the filter, and leaves the image unchanged. Register Allows you to type in a registration code.		dice random seed load preset (top) and save preset   undo

Hints If you don't need the nebulas, set A and B to zero. The software will run much faster. Apply the filter two or more times, using the "screen" or "add" glue mode, to make extra-dense starfields.

Version History Version 1.0 December 2000 The first public release.

How to Purchase

You can place an order online here. A secure server for transactions is available.

If you do not wish to purchase online, you can use the "Register" program that came with the software.

Questions

Answers to common technical questions appear on the support page, and free upgrades appear periodically on the download page.

Trouble with your order? Orders are handled by Kagi; please contact them at admin@kagi.com .

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