Hi Jim - I've got a walk thru tutorial that I've written that you might find helpful in learning UF. It goes into stuff like making and editing gradients, layering, texturing, making mask layers and also how to use the "mode switch", which is invaluable for finding the right seed numbers to get a fractal formula to "spiral up". Just send me an IM and I'll send it to you - or you can download it from Panny Brawley's WAY cool site - http://www.fractaldaydreams.com/renderosity_tutorial.zip c-ya! Rick