Very often I sit on a fractal and zoom in and out and rotate, change/tweak gradients and merge modes although the first state of creation was finished already. And it can happen that I do not become content, that I duplicate the file and begin a totally new order of layers and make new gradients and change merge modes again. Sometimes I stop successfully (in MY eyes), sometimes not.
But when a fractal pleases me and every add-on makes is worse or at least not better, I know that the image is finished....

Boy, talk about a toughie!!!

Well, for me, the image has to have a good compositional balance, enough 'lines' to get the viewers' eyes moving around the whole image, and maybe a bit of drama.

I find that even if all that I desire in an image is not totally accomplished, I will sometimes call it 'done' just because I can't decide what else to do. I will release a pic knowing it isn't completely 'there' yet. Exhaustion can play a big part in this--my fractal play comes after long work days, and sometimes I get crosseyed just looking at the screen.

Completion of my fractal for me is when I've reached something pleasing. That's not to say I don't take it further or morph it a bit, I do. Sometimes I end up with a "series" of fractals I like equally well that are all spawned from the first one I liked. On the other hand, I can sometimes play away for days and not come up with anything that pleases me and all those bits of chaos are gone forever. This state would mirror my painting tangents where I just mix colour up for the sake of being able to touch it and psychologically fall into it. This process sometimes feels just as good as creating an image :)

uh huh... all those... sometimes theres a look that I'm going for... I have an idea in mind.. not a visual, just the idea.. usually these are the ones that I decide are finished 5 minutes after I should have stopped... then theres other times when I change a blend, load a different gradient, use a different function, whatever... and the image just appears on the screen daring me to change even one tiny little thing...

Well? I create a Technology report for the "WORK BASE" A "Work Base" starts off as a generic "UPC" barcode.the barcode is generated,Then I create a physical name for the "WorkBase".Usually the WorkBase is called WB plus the barcode number.However,The numeric part of the barcode isn't visible.The WorkBase contains a list of goals.The goals examples could be as follows;What type of computer software will be in use for this artwork?What formulas would I think about using????What colors do I wont to think about using????What extra processes do I won't to think about using for my outcome? These are some physical processes involved in generating a "WorkBase". Once this "WorkBase" is put together it then becomes a "Technology Report". A similar Thought process goes into the steps to completing the "TechnoBase". The "TechnoBase" get's a barcode and a set of goals are composed.However the main tool of the "TechnoBase" is the knowledge of the Art that has been achieved by the complex production processes that helped in creating the desired goals for the final art work.This file can then be logged into a library which the contents & a picture will be contained there in.The output product of this function produces a folder and a picture album. That's about it...

It's very hard for me to know when a picture is finished. It's mainly the fact that I get tired. Every time I start a fractal, I have a very good idea of what I want to do, and the hardest part of the work is getting that (choosing/writing a formula for the first layer is the toughest step!). Since I'm always aiming for this "perfect" picture in my head, I never get to it, so basically there comes a point when I say "this as good as I'll manage"