vPlasma v1.41
What it does

Creates a new image containing a random multi colour nebulous effect. Think of it like the clouds filter on steroids (but somewhat slower).

Getting Started

Run the script from Photoshop's File/Scripts menu. You can also set up a keyboard shortcut for the script through the Edit/Keyboard Shortcuts... menu..

Options

Image Size
This is the size of the output image - you can change the width and height seperately for odd sized images. You can enter basically any size you want, but if Photoshop deems the value invalid it will open up a real New Image window when you try to run the script.

Get From Selected Image
Copies the size values from whichever image was active when the script was envoked. If no image was active this does nothing.

Cycles
A slider with a valid range of 1 to 100. This is the number of itterations the effect will run. Fewer is faster, but more gives a denser and muddier image. The larger the image the higher this will need to be to get a similar result.

Plasma Type
Chooses the technique used for creating the effect. For more information on this see below.

Contrast
Adjusts the contrast of the plasma - 0 will give the standard result, 100 will give a posterised style result.

Randomise Cycles
This generates a random number of cycles for each colour channel, up to the maximum set using the cycles slider. Generally it doesn't make a lot of difference to the result, but it can produce some interesting ones on occassion.

Greyscale Result
Converts the resulting plasma to a greyscale image upon completion.

Plasma Types
There are nine plasma types, each of which has a slightly different looking result

For examples of each type, click here.

Cloud
Gives a multi-colour Difference Clouds effect

Gradient
Gives a similar effect to cloud, but less dense and twisty

Radial
Again similar to cloud, but this has definate circular tendancys

Angle
A sort of Multicolour Cubist Cloud

Line
Somewhere between Angle and Gradient

Bubble
Multicoloured bubbles! The larger the Cycles are set the smaller the bubbles appear

Spin
Similar to Radial, but focused around the image center (looks a little like pond ripples at times)

Twist
Much like Gradient, but focused around the image center.

How it works (plasma types)
This is actually very simple, and most PS users have actually done something similar to the Cloud type at some point.

Cloud runs the difference cloud filter on each colour channel seperately for the requested number of cycles. It also randomly equalises or auto contrasts the image to throw in a bit of extra randomness.

The other effects all use the gradient fill tool to some extent, randomly applying the fill to varying co-ordinates on each colour channel using the difference blending mode. The more controlled effects, such as bubble or diamond, use the same system, but with some of the random variables being within set limits.

 

 
 
 

 

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