In this tutorial we are going to use Fireworks' twist and fade filter to create some fun abstract effects. You can use this filter to create very different effects, in this tutorial I was working towards a 3d-cone shaped logo. Start off by creating a new file, and drawing a circle using your ellipse tools.

Change the fill mode to gradient, and gradient mode to radial.

You can color your sphere with whatever colors you want, I used orange and yellow. Be sure to center the lighter of the two colors to create a rounded effect. Next add a light dropshadow.

Adjust the scale of your sphere depending on how large you want your abstract effect to be. You created a vector image when using your ellipse tool, which means you can resize the shape to any dimension without loosing quality. To adjust the size simply choose Modify > Transform > Free Transform, and pull the anchor points outward.

Click on your resized sphere, and choose Commands > Creative > Twist and Fade.

This will bring up a new window with 4 different adjustment options. The steps will dictate how long your faded image's trail is, the spacing will dictate how far apart each duplicate image is, the rotation adjusts the direction of the "twist" and the opacity will change how faded each duplicate image is. For an example , here are the settings that I used.

Press apply, and watch your image come to life! Here is an example of a logo that I created.

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