Creating a "contour gradient" stroke effect

I've been trying to achieve this tracing gradient stroke in Photoshop. It might not even be a stroke but a bevel, but I can't seem to get the same effect. I have a picture with the effect.
http://www.the-games-blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/megamanzerologo.jpg
Is this possible to do in Photoshop?

but I can't seem to get the same effect. I have a picture with the effect.
Because it wasn't done in Photoshop. This very clearly is based on vector artwork and one would use e.g. Art Brushes in Illustrator to create the metallic shading. Of course you can do that in PS using gradient overlay layer styles and the gradient fill, but it's not gonna be something where you simply flip a switch in a layer style. Sorry to burst your bubble, but this will require to treat the individual contours separately and split them up in to, bottom and curved areas, each with individual gradients.
Mylenium

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How? Contour Gradient Work-Around/Controlling Blend Characteristics

I'm trying to create a contour gradient work-around, somewhat successfully, but not yet happy with the results. Here's my method: create a closed path with the pen tool, (in this case, a four point path shaped something like a banana with the ends cut off,) and offset the path with a negative distance. Now I have two closed paths, one "stacked" on the other, the top path identical to the bottom path only smaller. I fill the resulting closed paths with my color choices, then blend the closed paths. Viola! A contour gradient fill! Sort of... The problem is that the gradient bands are not really concentric. In fact, if I release the resulting blended object to layers or use the "Flatten Transparency" command, I find the components no longer consist of four points. Somewhere in the process points have been added to each gradient band and each successive band is a slightly different shape. The resulting blend is not uniform in one corner of my banana! I'm able to get somewhat acceptable results, much closer to concentric, but I have to rotate the paths through trial and error so the longitudinal axis of the stacked paths is oriented vertically, then blend them. Then I have to rotate the object back to its original orientation to fit it back in its place among all the other elements of my illustration. Tedious and inexact without a crib sheet full of rotational degrees and XY coordinates. SO... my question- Is there some way to control the blend without all the rotating and frustration? Illustrator 13.0.2, Mac OS 10.5.3, G4 Powerbook, 2 gigs RAM

> However, the more "out of square" or "curvier" the objects are, the more points offset path adds. I don't pretend to know how any of this works, but I suppose the added points are necessary....
Depending on the shape, simple geometry issues may require additional anchorPoints to be created. But that is not what Jesse is alluding to. CS3's included "improvements" made ostensibly to provide a frequently-requested ability to convert dashed strokes to closed paths. In the process, the longstanding and far more important normal offset path functionality was wrecked.
It's a serious and destructive bug, plain and simple. It's a product defect that evidently will not be corrected as it should. Users will no doubt have to just hope it gets fixed in the next pay-for major version.
> FH does the same thing.
FH similarly adds points where the geometry requires. But FH does not commit the kind of feature-debilitating path damage that AI CS3 does.
JET

How do I create transparent text with gradient stroke?

I'm creating text that will be printed on a deep gray to black tshirt.
I created text, added an offset path to it with a gradient, and a deep gray color fill on top, achieving the gradient stroke. However, I'm not exactly sure what color the shirt itself will be, other than deep gray to black. And I didn't want the deep gray/black fill in my text to appear and look awkward on the shirt. Unless that is something I shouldn't be considered about.
To be safe, how would you create transparent text with a gradient stroke? I'm using Illustrator CS5.

aimsrandom,
Based on a guess that you wish to have the stroke fade into the basic tshirt colour, you may use transparency rather than colour.
But the transparent text in the headline raises a few questions.
No fill colour for the Type/text, or different fill and (basic) stroke colour, or?

Custom gradient stroke

Hello
I was trying to get a gradient stroke to a text using the Photoshop Live Effects but it seems I can only set the gradient to be black/white
I would like to know how can I chage that
Below is what I did so far
Now I would like the cradient colors to be for example red and blue or to add 3 or more color to it!
Is it possible?

A gradient you can't change isn't very useful, is it. Odd.
Well, I managed something much more complicated, but it will allow you to create a color gradient even if you want bold text.
It's a Fireworks .png, so you can copy it and open it up. Layer 2 is the visible result; Layer 1 has copies of the components so you can see them individually.
Start with three copies of the word "Text." The green one does not have the Photoshop Live Effects gradient stroke. For the other two, one has white text and one has black text. Make sure to copy and then not move any of the text elements. Turn off their visibility for working, because you need them to stay aligned.
For the one with black text, the gradient stroke is white on top. If we use this for a mask, we can create the gradient fade where the object is white, going to transparent where the object is black. I layered this over a blue rectangle then used the text object as a mask. (Select black text object with stroke and blue rectangle, then menu Modify > Mask > Group as Mask.) This gives me a fading blue outline at the top of the text.
To make a mask for the lower part of the gradient, we need that to be white, but it's black. Take the text object with the white text and invert it with menu Filters > Adjust Color > Invert. This will create a bitmap from the vector object, but it will work just fine. I took this bitmap and used it as a mask for a red rectangle. This gives me a fading red outline at the bottom of the text.
Pretty complex, but it gets the effect on bold text as well as any other shape you might apply the filter to.
Hmm. A fading blue outline over a straight red outline would probably work too! Just thought of that.

Photoshop stroke effect transparency - non-additive

I am building a specialized map for my local area with territory borders that need to have 8-pt strokes around them. Because each territory needs to live on it's own layer (to be printed seprately after the overview map is done) I found the easieast method to be selecting each territory with the polygonal lasso tool and then make a new Layer via copy and then gve the top layer the stroke effect I need. I worked fine when the strokes were at 100% opacity, but I later decided that each stroke should only be at ablout 60% opacity so that you can see the roads, rr track and other detailes beneath. In this case, the problem arises when territory boundaries overlap (as pictured below) because the stroke transparency of becomes additive where the 2 strokes overlap.
Can anyone tell me what setting I may use to make these strokes so that they can overlap and appear with absolute 60%transparency?
Thanks in advance,
-James Strawn

Another idea is to stroke the center line at about 20 pixels, and blur the line. Then reload and invert the selection, and delete the pixels outside the selection. That would give a nice gradient on the inside, but a hard sharp edge on the outside. It might look OK from a design point of view.
I can't remember if I have shown this here before, but I sometimes use the same idea to add specular highlights to edges in photographs.
In this image the RNZAF Strikemaster was being lost against the background because its outline was tonally too close to the background. So I ran the Pen tool around its upper outline, and stroked it with white (on a new layer of course. I then blured the line, reloaded the selection, inverted it, and deleted the pixels outside the line. This works here because the windows in the background could easily have created the secular highlight on a shiny surface with an extremely flat reflecting angle. The eye picks on points like that intuitively, and on a subconcious level.
View Larger

How do I create a vertical gradient in a table, not with an object?

How do I create a vertical gradient effect for alternating rows in a table?
I'm trying to get my table cells to alternate and look like this:
Thanks,
freecondomap

Hi, BTJT:
We are starting work on a large catalog project where we will need to change the gradient fill to -90 on every other row in the table - excluding the header, footer and first row of each table.
How would you adjust the script you mentioned above to do this? and would the script work in Indesign CS5.5 versus Indesign CS6
It does get a bit more complicated. Not super-complicated, but not as simple.
The above idiom only works for all the rows in a table. If you want to do any specific subset, then you need to use a loop.
But is it necessary that you change the gradient angle on every other row? Isn't it sufficient to set the gradient angle on all rows, and then apply the alternating gradient on alternate rows using the the alternating fills feature, as suggested by Jeffrey?
I guess you also want to apply to...all the tables in your document? That would then be:
app.activeDocument.stories.everyItem().tables.everyItem().cells.everyItem().gradientFillAngle=-90;
Unless you need to be more selective? But I don't think you do?

How do you increase the Brush Size past 50 on the Stroke Effect?

Hey Everyone,
I created a photo in Photoshop and I imported it to AE, and I've been trying to create a Spray Paint effect by using the Stroke effect and Reveal Original Image to look look like as if I'm spray painting the the picture on the wall. All is going well until I get to the brush size, and it only goes up to 50. Does anyone know how to increase it past 50? 50 is to small, it won't cover what I want it to cover for the stoke. I can't seem to figure out a way to get it higher than 50, and I don't know any other way to create the effect I'm trying to go for. Anyone know how to either get past this or know a different way to get make it look like I'm spray painting the picture on the wall? Any help at all would be great.
Thanks in advance!
-Raven

The After Effects CC (12.2) update increases the maximum size of the brush for the Write-on effect and Stroke effect to 200 pixels (from the previous maximum of 50 pixels).

Strange Gradient Stroke Behavior on Some Path Corners

Hello All,
I'm a Photoshop user who has recently started learning Illustrator for a project. I am experiencing a strange behavior where some of the corners of a path with a gradient stroke overlap. In some of the corners, the stroke does not bend cleanly but leaves a strange artifact on the path (the stroke acts normally on the rest of the path including similarly angled corners). I am including pictures to illustrate what I mean.
The stroke I am using has a linear gradient applied across it. The stroke starts with a solid color (black) with a hard edge against a gradient from green to transparent. Sometimes the artifact is on the transparent side of the stroke (first image), but sometimes it's on the hard edge side (2nd image - this is actually the same corner with the anchors manipulated). In the third image, you can see the issue on both the "transparent" edge (though as you can see in this image, it isn't actually transparent in places where the stroke overlaps itself) and the solid edge.
I've done a lot of digging to try to find similar issues and tried many solutions - toggled snap to grid for the object, looked into miter limits, caps, and corners (I am using rounded corners), checked for stray anchors, changed points from corner to rounded, etc. Any advice is appreciated!
Thank you very much for your time and input!
Best,
Alexis

But you can get that effect by layering several stroke attributes in the Appearance Panel. For example, make the black on a different stroke layer, where you can control it separately from the green (ok, I'm color blind).

How to Create the Engraved/Carved Text Effect.

Hello everyone,
First I have search the forum for this topic but did not find it.
I am looking to create a Carved/Engraved Text Effect.
Something like this: http://www.patrickjudson.com/projects/example.jpg
There are other better examples but basically the text appeared to be engraved or carved in the background.
I have been struggling to learn this.
Any ideas?
Thanks for the help.

The short answer is to use layer styles which will do a pretty good fake of this effect. If you are looking to actually distort a texture, check out this tutorial: http://www.2morrow.dk/75ppi/3dtext/default.htm (you may substitute KPT3.0 with Photoshops shape burst gradient effect).

Cutting a gradient stroke in CS6

Is it possible to cut or erase part of a gradient stroke? The attached image shows a. the stroke I need to cut and b. the stroke as I would like it to appear - (at the moment I have just covered it(b) with white fill. I have tried Epanding, Outlining path and Flattening, but with no luck.Thanks in advance.

Jacob,
draw stroke
outline stroke
create shape to “cut” line ( I am showing black for example)
select all objects & minus Front
Also tried Divide won’t ungroup
Usually when you Minus front or Divide you would see the anchor points of the shape and intersecton of line would be visible.. but thy are not...

Illustrator CS6 Mirror or resize -100% messes up my offset path gradient stroke.

When I try to mirror a graphic using offset path to a gradient stroke(I use offset path so I can use "Apply Gradient Across Stroke" option) or use resize and type -100% to have it flip, it messes up my stroke.
Here is an image of what is happening when I flip my graphic.
I flipped the tear to the opposite side. I tried restarting Illustrator, my computer, using a new file, updated Illustrator, nothing fixed this problem.
Also, is there a better way to use gradient stroke, within, along and across and still being able to use the Align Stroke Inside, and Outside without having to use offset stroke and using Align Stroke to Center
- Patrick Daniels

use transform effect instead under the effect panel. in the transform effect select flip across x axis and make 1 copy.

How to create an OPACITY Gradient?

First, thanks to Andy Mees, whose very handy Gradient Filter I've just added to my FCP Effects arsenal. It came from this thread:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1526509&tstart=45
What I was actually searching for though is slightly different. Specifically:
Is there a way (an existing FCP feature; a clever workflow; or a 3rd party plug-in) to manipulate the opacity of a clip spatially, separate from the current ability to control a clip's overall opacity temporally (by keyframing different values)?
In other words, is there a way I can define (in both shape and size) an *opacity gradient* for a given clip?
As an example, let's say an effect where the clip's opacity progresses smoothly from 80% on the left edge of frame to just 10% opacity on the right edge -- allowing any video layer(s) beneath that clip to be very visible near the right edge of frame, but barely visible the closer you look to the left edge of frame.
Just to be clear: I'm not wanting to change the darkness or lightness (or color) of part of the clip in the way you normally think of a gradient operating -- just the opacity, but over a flexibly-definable gradient. Ideally, this opacity gradient could be linear or radial (or even other shapes?), with both its shape, and the opacity values assigned to its beginning and end points, all keyframe-able.
So -- does anything like this ability already exist (and am I going to exclaim "D'oh!" when I hear what it is), or is this an effect which is easier asked-for than achieved?
Thanks,
John Bertram
Toronto

Sure...
Create a Custom Gradient from the "A" (viewer window) RENDER - Custom Gradient.
Create one that goes from BLACK to WHITE left to right.
Change the BLACK color luma slider to something around 80% black and the WHITE color luma slider to something 10% White (or 10% black if you want to get technical!!)
THEN...
Put video in V1 and the gradient in V2 and the second level of video in V3. Right Click (control click) the V3 video and set it's COMPOSITE MODE to Travel Matte - Luma.
Remember, the BLACKER it is the more will show thru from the bottom layer.
Best of luck...
CaptM

Gradient mesh dying, CS 6 gradient stroke gonna take over?

Hi just wondering,
I had a look at the CS6 sneak peek video and thought to myself will there be any use for a gradient mesh now since you can use a gradient stroke to fill in colors to the contours of a shape?
Anyone played around with it enough to tell me what would be the major disadvantage or advantage between a gradient mesh vs a gradient stroke?

Can't do anythign close to this with a gradient stroke or gradient fill.
I think, if anything, they may elimiante the need for blends a bit and provide better options for some situations. With a gradient stroke you can easily blend two flat colors to each other simply via the stroke.
And it does make directional cradients a snap with the "along" setting.
And you can somewhat fake conical gradients with a thick stroke.

[svn:fx-trunk] 7155: Line bug fixes when using gradient strokes

Revision: 7155
Author:   [email protected]
Date:     2009-05-20 14:39:39 -0700 (Wed, 20 May 2009)
Log Message:
Line bug fixes when using gradient strokes
SDK-21272 - Lines with gradient (LinearGradientStroke) draw as solid color if perfectly vertical / horizontal
StrokedElement was not taking the stroke weight into account when passing the bounds to the stroke. The gradient strokes rely on the bounds to help them transform the gradient to fit the shape of the stroke.
SDK-21274 - Line with gradient stroke does not draw properly
This bug occurs when the Line has a non-zero x and/or y values and is sharing a DisplayObject. StrokedElement was passing the stroke the measuredX and measuredY position as part of the bounds. Instead, I've changed it to pass in drawX + measuredX and drawY + measuredY which accounts for the drawing offset position.
QE Notes: Test Line w/ gradient strokes
Doc Notes: None
Bugs: SDK-21272, SDK-21274
Reviewer: Evtim
Ticket Links:
    http://bugs.adobe.com/jira/browse/SDK-21272
    http://bugs.adobe.com/jira/browse/SDK-21274
    http://bugs.adobe.com/jira/browse/SDK-21272
    http://bugs.adobe.com/jira/browse/SDK-21274
Modified Paths:
    flex/sdk/trunk/frameworks/projects/flex4/src/spark/primitives/supportClasses/StrokedEleme nt.as

This bug figures out also when creating a custom spark ComboBox, then trying to programatically update the userProposedSelectedIndex property. The proposed selected index is selected, but does not apply the same skin as when mouse is on rollover or item is selected due to up and down keys.
The issue seems like updating the status of the item renderer to rollover or selected to get the same skin applied.
Please could you attach DropDow nList.as that you edited ?
Thank you so much.

Creating a (very) custom stroke

I'm trying to create a custom stroke. The effect that I'm aiming for is three parallel rows of dots, with the dots in the top and bottom rows directly above each other. The dots in the middle row are moved along horizontally such that they are midway between the dots in the upper and lower rows. The three rows together are the overall 'stroke' I'm looking for.
Does anyone have any idea about how to create this effect (whether by using stroke styles or any other method)?
(Yes, I know that I can create a grouped object comprising three independent strokes, but what I'm looking for is a way of easily applying the above effect to a great number of frames and/or tables.)
Any comments/observations welcome.
Using ID CS3 on Leopard 10.5.2.

Guys, thank you for your thoughts. It looks like my stroke effect isn't easily achievable. I can't really use Illustrator because the effect has to be applied to many ID objects (nearly always tables but sometimes frames). And this is just the first of about 250 publications.
My solution so far (for tables): I've experimented with putting two empty rows/columns around the tables concerned (with greatly reduced row heights/column widths). I've then applied dotted stroke to the (three) outermost row/column boundaries. I can get nearly the effect I'm being asked to render but not exactly.
Hope I explained that clearly. I'll think about it overnight.
Thank you again for your considered and intelligent comments.

Creating a "contour gradient" stroke effect

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