So, you want some fractals? Heres how you make some.
First off, download the program here: http://www.apophysis.org/Apo202.exe
Install it, open it up. You will start with a basic flame. This is just the beginning, so it doesn't matter how horrible it looks. This is what im starting with here:



Next, I like to change the colours first, Thats just how I do it. To change the colours click this button:



Just select a gradient, it will auto apply.
Now comes the fun part. click this button here and this window will pop up.



Just start clicking on the images, and it will re-render a new set. Just keep clicking until you feel comfortable with one. This program is completely random. play with the settings, mess around, experiment.
If you click the center image, it will re-render everything around it without changing the base picture if you like it.
So I pushed a bunch of buttons, let it full-render the image, and this is what I got.



Now to save: Go Flame > render to disk. (ctrl + R)
I changed it to the preset 1024.png file. I didn't fiddle with the other settings. The settings are self-explanitory, so If you want the render to look different, change them.
Click render, and go! Yeah, sometimes it takes a while, oh well.



So this is what I got. Simple, easy, fast. Goes great.



Fiddle a bit with my soft light tutorial, you can make some nice sigs out of these things!




Extras:
If you find that you aren't satisfied with what you are getting in step 3, try fiddling with these options.
So how this works: Just grab a triangle, move it, squish it, mod it. The preview will appear. Mash it around, then try step 3 again. This is the base of how apophysis works, is these settings right here.



So there you have it, apophysis quick as that! It's awesome, and easy to use. Don't forget the key words: Experiment.