Well, I'm not exactly the person to answer that question. A fractal is a graphical representation of a mathmetical formula. That is a broad defination. A fractal replicates itself over and over. Don't worry about the math, you'll pick that up as you go along. Most people don't understand the math behind fractals anyway. One example that really made me realize the magnitude of the fractals, was when I read that a mandelbrot of about 400 x 400 pixels, after 16 zooms would be large enough to reach from Earth to Jupiter! We also use FV and have never seen any tuts on it. Just keep experimenting with it and youll eventually get the hang of it. If not try a different program. Some people work better with certain programs than do other people. You might want to check out Stephen Fergusen's page, there are some great free programs there!