Gradient

As I see it the Gradient Map (GM) and the Gradient Tool (GT) serve two different functions. The GM allows either the colorization of black and White images based on iluminationor or the conversion of a color image to a B&W image. The GT allows the creation of a mask that works similar to the Graduated Neutral filter.
I am no expert but I think I understand the GM and the Gradient Editor.
The GT can be accessed via the Tool Gradient or the layer/New Adjustemnt/Gradient. If (as an example) I create a curve dialog (layer/New Adjustment/Curve) and then click on OK, I have an empty layer mask. When I click on the GT in the tool bar the curve layer mask is filled with the gradient tool based on the gradient and area selected. When I adjust the curve, only the white portion of the layer mask is affected by the action of the curve. This effectively gives me the action of the Split ND filter. As the masking is in the curve layer, only the curve modifications are affected.
When using the GT, it seems that the only Gradient swatch that should be selected in the gradient picker is the foreground to transparency or B&W. I have no idea how the colors would be used with the GT.
I have no idea how the GT works when accessed via the layer/new adjustment/Gradient.
I have tried to locate where I can get some answers to my questions, but have been unable to locate a source.
If anyone can point me to where I can get my answerw or explain how/why colors can be used with the GT or how to use the tool in the layer/adjustment/gradient, it would be appricated.

Zeno Thanks for your answer. It lead me to more investigation. I suspect that my question was too broad.
Your links pointed me to the C4 online manual. As I am using CS3 I went looking for the CS3 manual. Both the CS3 & CS4 user manuals can be downloaded in PDF format or viewed on line Following is the online and PDF links:
http://livedocs.adobe.com/en_US/Photoshop/10.0/photoshop_cs3_help.pdf
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Photoshop/11.0/photoshop_cs4_help.pdf
http://livedocs.adobe.com/en_US/Photoshop/10.0
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Photoshop/11.0/
In the more like section off to the rignt side I found the following link to a site which talke about using Gradients on text which I found helpful
http://www.adobetutorialz.com/articles/65/1/Graffiti-Text
The CS3 and CS4 manuals are more for referance than tutorial. I found the Graffiti-Text to be helpfull as a tutoral.
If anyone knows of the links to Gradient tutorals, they would be appriciated.

Similar Messages

How can I create a new layer that is a gradient?

Hi, i'm very new to photoshop scripting and am having some trouble.
I'm looking for a way to take an image i have and set it to have a gradient opacity as it approaches the middle, my thought on how to do that was to just create a layer that is a gradient from top left to bottom right and then attach that as a vector mask.
Any ideas on how I could create this gradient layer in script, or a better method of doing this opacity gradient?
Thanks in advance,
Levianth

You could try this:
// 2012, use it at your own risk;
#target photoshop
if (app.documents.length > 0) {
var myDocument = app.activeDocument;
var theLayer = myDocument.activeLayer;
if (theLayer.isBackgroundLayer == true) {theLayer.isBackgroundLayer = false};
// create gradient layer;
// =======================================================
var idMk = charIDToTypeID( "Mk " );
    var desc15 = new ActionDescriptor();
    var idnull = charIDToTypeID( "null" );
        var ref3 = new ActionReference();
        var idcontentLayer = stringIDToTypeID( "contentLayer" );
        ref3.putClass( idcontentLayer );
    desc15.putReference( idnull, ref3 );
    var idUsng = charIDToTypeID( "Usng" );
        var desc16 = new ActionDescriptor();
        var idType = charIDToTypeID( "Type" );
            var desc17 = new ActionDescriptor();
            var idType = charIDToTypeID( "Type" );
            var idGrdT = charIDToTypeID( "GrdT" );
            var idLnr = charIDToTypeID( "Lnr " );
            desc17.putEnumerated( idType, idGrdT, idLnr );
            var idGrad = charIDToTypeID( "Grad" );
                var desc18 = new ActionDescriptor();
                var idNm = charIDToTypeID( "Nm " );
                desc18.putString( idNm, "Custom" );
                var idGrdF = charIDToTypeID( "GrdF" );
                var idGrdF = charIDToTypeID( "GrdF" );
                var idCstS = charIDToTypeID( "CstS" );
                desc18.putEnumerated( idGrdF, idGrdF, idCstS );
                var idIntr = charIDToTypeID( "Intr" );
                desc18.putDouble( idIntr, 4096.000000 );
                var idClrs = charIDToTypeID( "Clrs" );
                    var list3 = new ActionList();
                        var desc19 = new ActionDescriptor();
                        var idClr = charIDToTypeID( "Clr " );
                            var desc20 = new ActionDescriptor();
                            var idRd = charIDToTypeID( "Rd " );
                            desc20.putDouble( idRd, 0.000000 );
                            var idGrn = charIDToTypeID( "Grn " );
                            desc20.putDouble( idGrn, 0.000000 );
                            var idBl = charIDToTypeID( "Bl " );
                            desc20.putDouble( idBl, 0.000000 );
                        var idRGBC = charIDToTypeID( "RGBC" );
                        desc19.putObject( idClr, idRGBC, desc20 );
                        var idType = charIDToTypeID( "Type" );
                        var idClry = charIDToTypeID( "Clry" );
                        var idUsrS = charIDToTypeID( "UsrS" );
                        desc19.putEnumerated( idType, idClry, idUsrS );
                        var idLctn = charIDToTypeID( "Lctn" );
                        desc19.putInteger( idLctn, 0 );
                        var idMdpn = charIDToTypeID( "Mdpn" );
                        desc19.putInteger( idMdpn, 50 );
                    var idClrt = charIDToTypeID( "Clrt" );
                    list3.putObject( idClrt, desc19 );
                        var desc21 = new ActionDescriptor();
                        var idClr = charIDToTypeID( "Clr " );
                            var desc22 = new ActionDescriptor();
                            var idRd = charIDToTypeID( "Rd " );
                            desc22.putDouble( idRd, 0.000000 );
                            var idGrn = charIDToTypeID( "Grn " );
                            desc22.putDouble( idGrn, 0.000000 );
                            var idBl = charIDToTypeID( "Bl " );
                            desc22.putDouble( idBl, 0.000000 );
                        var idRGBC = charIDToTypeID( "RGBC" );
                        desc21.putObject( idClr, idRGBC, desc22 );
                        var idType = charIDToTypeID( "Type" );
                        var idClry = charIDToTypeID( "Clry" );
                        var idUsrS = charIDToTypeID( "UsrS" );
                        desc21.putEnumerated( idType, idClry, idUsrS );
                        var idLctn = charIDToTypeID( "Lctn" );
                        desc21.putInteger( idLctn, 4096 );
                        var idMdpn = charIDToTypeID( "Mdpn" );
                        desc21.putInteger( idMdpn, 50 );
                    var idClrt = charIDToTypeID( "Clrt" );
                    list3.putObject( idClrt, desc21 );
                desc18.putList( idClrs, list3 );
                var idTrns = charIDToTypeID( "Trns" );
                    var list4 = new ActionList();
                        var desc23 = new ActionDescriptor();
                        var idOpct = charIDToTypeID( "Opct" );
                        var idPrc = charIDToTypeID( "#Prc" );
                        desc23.putUnitDouble( idOpct, idPrc, 0.000000 );
                        var idLctn = charIDToTypeID( "Lctn" );
                        desc23.putInteger( idLctn, 0 );
                        var idMdpn = charIDToTypeID( "Mdpn" );
                        desc23.putInteger( idMdpn, 50 );
                    var idTrnS = charIDToTypeID( "TrnS" );
                    list4.putObject( idTrnS, desc23 );
                        var desc24 = new ActionDescriptor();
                        var idOpct = charIDToTypeID( "Opct" );
                        var idPrc = charIDToTypeID( "#Prc" );
                        desc24.putUnitDouble( idOpct, idPrc, 100.000000 );
                        var idLctn = charIDToTypeID( "Lctn" );
                        desc24.putInteger( idLctn, 2048 );
                        var idMdpn = charIDToTypeID( "Mdpn" );
                        desc24.putInteger( idMdpn, 50 );
                    var idTrnS = charIDToTypeID( "TrnS" );
                    list4.putObject( idTrnS, desc24 );
                        var desc25 = new ActionDescriptor();
                        var idOpct = charIDToTypeID( "Opct" );
                        var idPrc = charIDToTypeID( "#Prc" );
                        desc25.putUnitDouble( idOpct, idPrc, 0.000000 );
                        var idLctn = charIDToTypeID( "Lctn" );
                        desc25.putInteger( idLctn, 4096 );
                        var idMdpn = charIDToTypeID( "Mdpn" );
                        desc25.putInteger( idMdpn, 50 );
                    var idTrnS = charIDToTypeID( "TrnS" );
                    list4.putObject( idTrnS, desc25 );
                desc18.putList( idTrns, list4 );
            var idGrdn = charIDToTypeID( "Grdn" );
            desc17.putObject( idGrad, idGrdn, desc18 );
        var idgradientLayer = stringIDToTypeID( "gradientLayer" );
        desc16.putObject( idType, idgradientLayer, desc17 );
    var idcontentLayer = stringIDToTypeID( "contentLayer" );
    desc15.putObject( idUsng, idcontentLayer, desc16 );
executeAction( idMk, desc15, DialogModes.NO );
// move layer below;
var theGradient = myDocument.activeLayer;
theGradient.move(theLayer, ElementPlacement.PLACEAFTER);
// clipping mask;
theLayer.grouped = true

How to add a gradient or 50% transparent fill to an .ai imported path?

Hello All;
I need some help. My task sounds simple enough but not sure how to accomplish it.
I created the following path in Illustrator (See attached illustration - the top one). This is actually for a lower-third graphic.
I have been successful at importating that into .ai. Though should I be using a solid or a shape layer or doesn't it matter ?
I can add a stroke which affects the color and thickness of the outlines OK.
However, I can't figure out how to add either a gradient fill or one that is 50% transparent ? Can anyone help ?
Oh ... I'll mention I'm using After Effects CS3.
Thanks.
Tim

Rick;
I've used Illustrator for quite a while both at home and at work but I really havn't had to do anything that complex yet. Same goes for Photoshop. I bought DVD tutorials for most of the productivity software I use and when you gave your first explanation, I watched the DVD tutorial on Importing into AE so I know what you're referring to when you say to import as composition. So far, I've only tried to import into AE by copying and pasting. I think that's why I just got the path and not the background. I'll try importing a composition shortly and see if I get the fill too. I actually found a tutorial on making the type of shape I need to in Photoshop so maybe I'll try that instead of Illustrator and then import that into AE.
Btw - It may not actually be a gradient fill I need to use but instead a solid fill with the top half lighter and buttom half darker.
In case you're interested, here's actually what I'm trying to create for a video project. I could actually buy the animation for $8 but I figured that this can't be that difficult and I need to learn this stuff anyway ... http://videohive.net/item/lower-third-15-different-colour-schemes/145337?WT.ac=category_th umb&WT.seg_1=category_thumb&WT.z_author=berol
Tim

Printing a graphic with a gradient mask in Flex 3-problem

Hello, I am fairly new to flex development. I am puting together a little program that allows the user to upload a picture add a vignette mask in order to achieve a soft edge, and have a problem I cannot find an answer anywhere, maybe someone could help me please.
I want to print a the user photo with a gradient mask or vignette from flex. I managed to show the image correctly on screeen with the gradient mask using this class but the output to paper is a rectangle without the soft mask.
//package to add the mask for display
package com.dm.graphics
   import flash.display.Graphics;
   import mx.containers.Canvas;
   import flash.display.GradientType;
   public class FrameBorderSoft extends Canvas
      override protected function updateDisplayList(w:Number, h:Number):void
         super.updateDisplayList(w,h);
         var g:Graphics = this.graphics;
         g.clear();
         g.beginGradientFill(GradientType.RADIAL, [0x000000, 0x000000, 0x000000, 0x000000],
         [1,1,0.8,0],
         [1,128,195,255],
         horizontalGradientMatrix(0,0,w,h) );
         g.drawRect(0,0,w,h);
         g.endFill();
It works beautifully until I try to print the graphic. The image prints but without the gradient edges (soft) instead it is just a sharp edge rectangle.
Does anyone know how to do this?
Here is my print function:
private function doPrint():void {
                // Create an instance of the FlexPrintJob class.
                var myPrintJob:FlexPrintJob = new FlexPrintJob();
                // Start the print job.
                if (myPrintJob.start() != true) return;
                // Add the object to print. Do not scale it.
                if (tabnavigator1.selectedChild == img1) {
           //switchcolor is a variable to detect if the user changed the background to white or clear.
                         switchcolor = 100;
                      //printCF is the card front container with the photo masked
                   myPrintJob.addObject(printCF, FlexPrintJobScaleType.NONE);
                   myPrintJob.printAsBitmap = false;
                } else if (tabnavigator1.selectedChild == img1b) {
                   switchcolor = 100;
                   myPrintJob.addObject(printCB, FlexPrintJobScaleType.NONE);
I hope this helps to visualize,
I would greatly appreciate any assistance or advise.

Hello, back on my issue, i tested a little bit more the message dispaching.
I read the lazyLoadPolicy class and noticed that it always has to have a ModuleId property in the message to work, that's why the broadcast message didn't work to awake the module with the lazy loading policy.
So i added copy of my module:
     <cairngorm:ParsleyModuleDescriptor objectId="test"
          url="TestModule.swf"
          applicationDomain="{ClassInfo.currentDomain}"
     />
     <cairngorm:ParsleyModuleDescriptor objectId="testbis"
          url="TestModuleBis.swf"
          applicationDomain="{ClassInfo.currentDomain}"
     />
Set them both with a basicLoadPolicy, and tries to dispatch a message to only one of them using the ModuleId metatag. I then noticed that both modules received the message and not only the one i expected.
I then changed the ModuleMessageInterceptor configuration to dispatch to only one kind of module:
<cairngorm:ModuleMessageInterceptor type="{ OpenViewMessage }" moduleRef="test"/>
and this worked as expected. Only the first module catched the message. I am obiously messing with the ModuleId metatag but i cannot see what's wrong...
I compiled with
-keep-as3-metadata+=ModuleId
but this hasn't changed anything...

Monitors with Gradient Problems?

Hi All,
Further to my recent post "monitor screen display terrible!"
Finding a monitor without spending a lot with excellent picture quality is proving differcult! I have tried a Philips 22" monitor Model 220CW9FB and now a BENQ T900HD 18.5 WS monitor all not as sharp with good contrast as my 4 year old G5 iMac. Also has a gradient problem e.g. as you get up off your chair and continue to look down at the screen the white background of the screen turns light blue then darker and colored parts turn white!? Also looking at an angle to the side anything light blue turns a light brown!? Then as I'm viewing something as in Apple Discussions each box of replies alternate white then light blue and so on but looking at normal distant as you type each box are white. You have to lean back in your chair, twice the distance back to actual see the blue box then white box!?
What's that all about? I have noticed this on the new 20" iMacs too but the three new 24" iMacs are great just like my Rev A G5 iMac of 4 years. Are these inferior screen problems anything to do with them being TN panels as I've just read about?
I really don't know where to go from here as the screen quality is important. I'm use to the great screen quality of my old G5 iMac and don't want to go down in quality for the sake of moving from a Mac PowerPC to an Intel Core 2 Duo even though I need this for EyeTV hybrid and all the features of iLife '09 etc.
I don't want to spend a huge amount for an Apple display as I might as well get the entry level 24" iMac. The main reason for not getting the new iMac is I don't like the glossy screen, although today I heard there is an option for a 24" matt screen... any truth in that? Then again will I be able to return the new Mac mini I've only had for 6 days for a 24" iMac?
Other suggestions seen here is turning my G5 iMac into a stand-a-loan monitor or maybe a 20-year-old CRT 19" TV I have can be used as a monitor and if so what connections are needed? Any ideas on these options?
So buying the new Mac mini has created a lot of unexpected problems. I thought as asked about before getting it was told any monitor would have the same picture quality as my old G5 iMac, but after the fact found out this is not the case.
Thanks for the read & any ideas/thoughts much appreciated...

AFAIK Hmmm Googled "As Far As I Know"... So far I've tried three monitors (all with gradient problem) so it looks like you are correct. I'll try a couple more today as if I need to return my Mac mini with Philips monitor need to do soon for a 24" new iMac even though the Mac mini is not at fault. I'll have to get use to the glossy screen. While writing this an item "iMac or MacBook display too glossy? Apply inexpensive non-glare LCD protective film" has appeared in MacDailyNews.
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/20561/
Thanks for the idea using my G5 as a monitor but maybe quite an involved process?
It's a shame in all my research before buying a monitor no salesperson mentioned TN display panels. Mind you since the problem no salesperson has said they know about TN display panels or better monitors, just saying any monitor will work with the new Mac mini. Very frustrating!

Gradient Color Picker

Dear Community,
i have a Problem with Illustrator CS6. I've attached an image below.
I have an object with gradient fill and i've selected the first color stop.
In previous Versions of AI i could the pick any color with color Picker while holding the shift-key.
In CS6 this changes the color only in the Gradient Panel but not the Object itself:
I have to admit that i'm glad not to be a creative cloud user so i'm able to switch between Ai cs 5.1 and 6
because both have some features missing in the other version.
My best,
Herr K. aus Berlin
System info:
OS: Windows
Version: 6.1
System Architecture: x86
Built-In Memory: 24501 MB
Components:
ACE 2012/07/26-17:49:18 66.512941 66.512941
Adobe APE 2012/01/25-10:04:55 66.1025012 66.1025012
Adobe Linguisitc Library 6.0.0
Adobe Owl 2012/08/14-22:22:39 5.0.3 79.514916
PDFL 2011/12/12-16:12:37 66.419471 66.419471
Adobe Product Improvement Program 6.0.0.1654
AdobePSL 66.840950_13.810430 66.840950_13.810430
Adobe Illustrator 1.0
Adobe XMP Core 2012/02/06-14:56:27 66.145661 66.145661
Adobe XMP Files 2012/02/06-14:56:27 66.145661 66.145661
Adobe XMP Script 2012/02/06-14:56:27 66.145661 66.145661
Adobe CAPS 6,0,29,0
AFL 1.0
AFlame 2012/01/20-14:36:51 66.493279 66.493279
AFlamingo 2012/01/20-14:36:51 66.485582 66.485582
AGM 2012/07/26-17:49:18 66.512941 66.512941
AdobeHelp Dynamic Link Library 1,7,0,56
AIPort 1.0 23.68434
Adobe EPIC (64 Bit) 3.0.1.10101 (BuildVersion: 53.364260; BuildDate: Wed Nov 05 2008 02:03:14) 53.364260
AMTLib (64 Bit) 6.0.0.75 (BuildVersion: 6.0; BuildDate: Mon Jan 16 2012 18:00:00) 1.000000
ARE 2012/07/26-17:49:18 66.512941 66.512941
AXE8SharedExpat 2011/12/16-15:10:49 66.26830 66.26830
AXEDOMCore 2011/12/16-15:10:49 66.26830 66.26830
AXSLE 2011/12/16-15:10:49 66.26830 66.26830
BIB 2012/07/26-17:49:18 66.512941 66.512941
BIBUtils 2012/07/26-17:49:18 66.512941 66.512941
DVA Product 6.0.0
DVA Product 6.0.0
DVA Product 6.0.0
DVA Product 6.0.0
DVA Product 6.0.0
DVA Product 6.0.0
DVA Product 6.0.0
CoolType 2012/07/26-17:49:18 66.512941 66.512941
DVA Product 6.0.0
DVA Product 6.0.0
DVA Product 6.0.0
DVA Product 6.0.0
DVA Product 6.0.0
DVA Product 6.0.0
DVA Product 6.0.0
ExtendScript 2011/12/14-15:08:46 66.490082 66.490082
Adobe XMP FileInfo 2012/01/17-15:11:19 66.145433 66.145433
FilterPort 1.1 66.512941
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System 6.1.7601.17825
International Components for Unicode 2011/11/15-16:30:22 Build gtlib_3.0.16615
International Components for Unicode 2011/11/15-16:30:22 Build gtlib_3.0.16615
International Components for Unicode 2011/11/15-16:30:22 Build gtlib_3.0.16615
International Components for Unicode 2011/11/15-16:30:22 Build gtlib_3.0.16615
JP2KLib 2012/11/05-11:16:34 66.246493 66.246493
LogSession 2.1.2.1640
MPS 2012/10/12-13:31:12 66.521571 66.521571
Microsoft (R) Visual C++ 6.00.8168.0
Microsoft® Visual Studio .NET 7.10.3077.0
Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2005 8.00.50727.42
Microsoft® Visual Studio .NET 7.10.3052.4
Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2005 8.00.50727.42
Microsoft® Visual C++ 2.10.000
Microsoft® Visual C++ 4.00.5270
PDFPort 2012/07/27-12:07:51 66.512941 66.512941
Adobe PDFSettings 1.04
Adobe Photoshop CS6 CS6
Adobe(R) CSXS PlugPlug Standard Dll (64 bit) 3.0.0.383
Adobe India Sangam Core Code 2012/02/07-10:51:05 66.240342 66.240342
Adobe India SangamML Import from Sangam 2012/02/07-10:51:05 66.240342 66.240342
ScCore 2011/12/14-15:08:46 66.490082 66.490082
ScriptUIFlex 2011/12/14-15:08:46 66.490082 66.490082
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System 6.00.2600.0000
SVGExport 6, 0, 0, 0 1.0
SVGRE 6, 0, 0, 0 1.0
Intel(R) Threading Building Blocks for Windows 3, 0, 2010, 0406
Adobe Updater Notifications Library 6.0.0.24 (BuildVersion: 1.0; BuildDate: BUILDDATETIME) 6.0.0.24
WRServices Friday January 27 2012 13:22:12 Build 0.17112 0.17112
ATE
Plug-ins:
Live Menu Item
Adobe AI Application Plugin
Control Groups
Color Conversion
Composite Fonts
New Cache Plugin
AppAnnotators
AdobeLicenseManager
ZStringTable
Window Menu
Main Filters
Main File Formats
File Format Place EPS
AI File Format
Debug Menu
SLO Text Tool
Mesh Object
Document Window Plugin
Sweet Pea 2 Adapter Plugin
AdobeActionManager
AILocalized Resources Plugin
Adobe Illustrator User Interface
FrameworkS
Art Converters v2
FlattenTransparency
FO Conversion Suite
Pathfinder Suite
PDF Suite
BRS Pencil Tool
Rasterize 8
AdobeSlicingPlugin
AdobeActionPalette
BeautifulStrokes Suite
AdobeBrushMgr
Adobe Color Harmony Plugin
Control Panel Plugin
Adobe Deform Plugin
AdobeLayerPalette
Adobe Planar Edit Plugin
AdobePaintStyle
PathConstruction Suite
AdobeSwatch_
AdobeToolSelector
Adobe Variables Palette
AdobeDiffusionRaster
SvgFileFormat
Snapomatic
Adobe Geometry Suite
ShapeConstruction Suite
ExpandS
SWFExport
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Unsharp Mask...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Crystallize...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Pointillize...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Pinch...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Extrude...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Fibers...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Lens Flare...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Ripple...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Shear...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Twirl...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Polar Coordinates...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Smart Blur...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Spherize...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Wind...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter ZigZag...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Mezzotint...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Radial Blur...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Wave...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Crop and Straighten Photos Filter
Photoshop Plugin Adapter De-Interlace...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Displace...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Tiles...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter BMP
Photoshop Plugin Adapter CompuServe GIF
Photoshop Plugin Adapter PNG
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Targa
Photoshop Plugin Adapter IFF Format
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Paths to Illustrator...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter OpenEXR
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Color Halftone...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Pixar
Photoshop Plugin Adapter PCX
Photoshop Plugin Adapter NTSC Colors
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Legacy Gaussian Blur...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Filter Gallery...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Colored Pencil...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Cutout...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Dry Brush...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Film Grain...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Fresco...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Neon Glow...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Paint Daubs...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Palette Knife...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Plastic Wrap...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Poster Edges...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Rough Pastels...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Smudge Stick...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Sponge...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Underpainting...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Watercolor...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Accented Edges...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Angled Strokes...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Crosshatch...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Dark Strokes...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Ink Outlines...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Spatter...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Sprayed Strokes...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Sumi-e...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Diffuse Glow...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Glass...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Ocean Ripple...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Bas Relief...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Chalk && Charcoal...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Charcoal...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Chrome...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Cont^e Crayon...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Graphic Pen...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Halftone Pattern...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Note Paper...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Photocopy...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Plaster...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Reticulation...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Stamp...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Torn Edges...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Water Paper...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Glowing Edges...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Craquelure...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Grain...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Mosaic Tiles...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Patchwork...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Stained Glass...
Photoshop Plugin Adapter Texturizer...
VectorScribe
Twirl v2
Adobe Symbolism
Simplify
ShapeTool
Segment Tools
Adobe Scatter Brush Tool
Reshape Tool
Magic Wand
Liquify
Lasso
Knife Tool
Adobe Flare Plugin
AdobeTextDropper
Adobe Eraser Tool
Adobe dBrush Brush Tool
Adobe Crop Tool
Adobe Calligraphic Brush Tool
BoundingBox
AdobeArtBrushTool
Advanced Select
Smart Punctuation
TxtColumns
Spell Check Dictionary
TextFindFont
TypeCase
Adobe PSD File Import
Adobe PSD File Export
PSLFilterAdapter
Photoshop Adapter
ZigZagUI
VectorizeUI
VariablesPaletteUI
TwirlToolUI
ScribbleUI
TransformUI
TIFF File Format UI
TextExportUI
SWFExport UI
SvgFileFormatUI
Spell Check UI
AdobeSlicingUI
ShapeEffectUI
ScribbleFillUI
ScatterBrushToolUI
SangamFormatsUI
RoundUI
RoughenUI
RasterizeUI
PuckerAndBloatUI
PSLFilterAdapterUI
Adobe PSD File Import UI
Adobe PSD File Export UI
AIPreferenceUI
PlanetXUI
PerspectiveUI
PDF File Format UI
PathfinderUI
ParticleSystemUI
OffsetPath UI Plugin
ObjectMosaicUI
LiveBlendsUI
LiquifyToolUI
JPEGFormatUI
IllustratorUI
GlobAdjToolUI
FXG UI
FuzzyEffectUI
FlattenTransparencyUI
FlareUI
Find Replace UI
ExpandUI
DxfDwgUI
DropShadowUI
DistortUI
DeformUI
Adobe dBrush Brush Tool UI
AdobeBrushMgrUI
BRSPencilToolUI
ArtOnPathBrushToolUI
AI Toolbox UI Plugin
AddArrowUI
TIFF File Format
TextExport
AISangamMapper
PNG File Format
MPSParser
MPSExport
MPSCommon
Mojikumi UI
JPEG Plugin
JPEG2K Plugin
IdeaFileFormat
GIF89a Plugin
FXG
Adobe DXFDWG Format
Save4Web
ZigZag v2
Scribble v2
TextWrap Dlg
ShapeEffects v2
Adobe Scribble Fill
Saturate
Round v2
Roughen v2
Punk v2
AdobePathfinderPalette
Overprint
OffsetPath v2
AI Object Mosaic Plug-in
MaskHelper v2
Inverse
FuzzyEffect v2
Distort v2
Find
Expand
DropShadow
TrimMark v2
Colors
Cleanup
Adjust
AddArrowHeads v3
Add Anchor Points
Adobe Custom Workspace
Vectorize
AdobeTransparencyEditor
AdobeTransformObjects
Transform v2
Adobe Symbol Palette Plugin
SVG Filter Effect v2
Stroke Offset v2
Services
SeparationPreviewPlugin
Scripts Menu
ScriptingSupport
Print Plugin
Adobe Perspective Guides
Adobe Nudge
AdobeNavigator
Adobe Path Blends
AdobeLinkPalette
Kinsoku Dlg
KBSC Plugin
GradientMeshPlugin
Flattening Preview
FileClipboardPreference
DocInfo
Character and Paragraph Styles
AI Bottlenecks Plugin
Asset Management
AdobeArtboardPanel
Adobe Art Style Plugin
AppBarControls
Alternate Glyph Palette
AdobeAlignObjects
3D v2
ColliderScribe
PDF File Format

Re: Gradient Color Picker
created by Mike Gondek
This still works for me in CS6 mac, but more importantly try not to use Shift eyedropper. The topic has been discussed here many times. Shift eyedropper is not accurate and samples the screen values, not the actual color.
Try using global swatches more often. Try this instead
select a gradient stop
Alt click on a swatch
If the swatch is set to global, you can easily change/adjust/merge colors later with one command on a global document level.
Thanks for the advice. I never had problems with shift-click picker i sample colors from other objects and even if they have Spot colors assigned it works, at least in CS5. I've tried in CS6 it's just not working. I've been told that there has been many discussions and i've read some. I'll stick to CS5. I'm very disapointed with adobe. This is a known bug it has been reworked on Mac Versions but not on PC.

Animated gif and gradient color problem

Hi there,
I have been trying to create animated gif with gradient background. My animation works alright but the problem is that when I preview either in browser or in the preview mode, the gradient doesnt look smooth. I want to know if there is a way to work around this? I have seen some on other websites and it looks perfect. I'm wondering how they do it.
I'll appreciate anybody's help.

Cobby Fred wrote:
I have to thank you all for your assistance so far. I must say I only know how to put some few things together and I do not understand some of the technical words you used such as dither, geometric dithering, blending mode... But in all I understand that if I blend colors that are close I'll get something close to smooth.
Here's Wikipedia's page on dither: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dither Scroll down till you see the images of the cats on the right-hand side. It's a little over half-way. In the original, the cat's pretty much a gradient. If that image is saved as a .gif, see how you get wide areas of color? It almost looks like a paint-by-number picture. This similar to what happens to your radial gradient when you save as .gif. I used the word "geometric," because the radial gradient will produce arcs of grey colors. The third image of the cat has dithering. This means that, instead of setting the colors in the original image to the closest one in the restricted palette, the software tries to figure out how to speckle the image to produce an average that would look better at a distance. Turning on dithering when you go to output your gradient will help make your image smoother, just as the third cat image is smoother than the second. Here's where you turn on dithering if you go through File > Image Preview:
Here I have my unflattened .png file
No, it's flattened. It's a single bitmap.
Here's a noisy image I created. It has a radial gradient at the bottom then a texture layer that has it's visibility off, because I copied it to make a greyscale version to use. I've set that to have 25% opacity and a blending mode of Multiply. Both the opacity and blending mode controls are at the top of the layers panel. This is a FW .png (Edit, no, it isn't! The forum has stopped supporting that! ):
If I export the gradient alone, without the texture layer, I can get this (settings are "64-color" greyscale palette and no dithering):
or this (turning on dithering):
While the dithered image is better, it still shows the arcs. If I set the texture layer back visible, and export with dithering on, I get this:
The noise in the texture breaks up the geometric arcs, which makes the image look smoother. Any small texture will do that. Choosing the 64-color greyscale palette gives me either 22 or 26 colors.The 32-color palette gave me 12. You should experiment with the .gif palette settings to see what you like best. Remember that the more colors you assign to your background the fewer colors you have available for your foreground objects.
As a final point, the red text looks blurry. When I zoom in on it (400%), some of the lines are partially "broken," specifically the verticals on the L, T, and N. You might want to try a different font or adjusting the size so that the aliasing (mapping) to the pixels is cleaner. Italic text in small sizes is difficult to use.

Help with exporting gradient background as jpg

Hi there! I'm totally new to this forum & very new to
fireworks, so go easy on me!
I am designing for QVGA smartphone/PPc screens & find
that when I create a gradient in fireworks MX (version 6) &
then export it as a jpg, on the phone/PPC screen the gradient is
filled with big blocks of colour rather than smooth transitions
between them, making the overall effect more like lines or blacks
of colour than a smooth gradient. I am exporting the jpgs at the
highest quality settings (100%).
Can someone help? Is it just my lack of technique when
blending colours? If so is there a tutorial somewhere? Or can I
export in a different format? The screens I design are controlled
by an xml layout file, & will accept .jpg, .gif & .bmp
Thanks!

Yes, as I mentioned earlier in this thread, the bit depth
could be the
issue. Try setting your monitor to 16 bit and experiment with
gradients
at that bit depth. Keep the color range and the tonal range
less extreme
(light blue to dark blue for example, rather than white to
dark blue)
similar an you might be able to get something a little more
pleasing.
Jim Babbage - .:CMX:. & .:ACE:.
Extending Knowledge, Daily
http://www.communityMX.com/
CommunityMX - Free Resources:
http://www.communitymx.com/free.cfm
.:Adobe Community Expert for Fireworks:.
news://forums.macromedia.com/macromedia.fireworks
news://forums.macromedia.com/macromedia.dreamweaverdrblow
wrote:
> Thanks again for the replies y'all!
>
> As far as I can gather from web sources, the PPI of my
smartphone QVGA screen
> is 96ppi. Setting the canvas PPI does not seem to affect
the quality of either
> jpg, gif or bmp formats on export, once they are on my
phone screen. It would
> appear form web sources that the phone screen displays
16 bit colour depth.
>
> I have tried to make the gradient as smooth as possible
& on my laptop screen
> it looks really good. Any more suggestions?
>
> Thanks.
>

Multi color gradient for touch and selected color of spark mobile list

multi color gradient for touch and selected color of spark mobile list
how to get dat?

or how about a bitmap as the background for the touch and selected color for the items in a list.

Print quality for light gray gradients and shadows

Hello all,
I am putting together a single page flyer which will have light gradients and shadows on the objects.
Think Apple-ish light grays and shadows...
I would like to get an opinion here from someone in the know as I am much more of digital guy than print.
1) What is the lightest gray I can work with that would print well?
When setting up the CMYK color should I simply set it at say 10% 10% 10% 10% or is there some better mixture for light gray gradients. i.e. slightly blue for example, or rich black mixture.
2) When creating the gradients in illustrator, should I go from the gray to transparent or is it better to set up a gray to white gradient?
Finally,
When creating my supporting images with the shadows and gradients, would it be best just to create them in Photoshop and place them in my illustrator document and leave Illustrator for the text alone?
Thanks in advance, I really appreciate your help

Let's assume you are working in Illustrator. Here's my advice:
Hello all,
I am putting together a single page flyer which will have light gradients and shadows on the objects.
Think Apple-ish light grays and shadows...
"I would like to get an opinion here from someone in the know as I am much more of digital guy than print.
1) What is the lightest gray I can work with that would print well?
When setting up the CMYK color should I simply set it at say 10% 10% 10% 10% or is there some better mixture for light gray gradients. i.e. slightly blue for example, or rich black mixture.
- It should not be necessary to use 10% across the board. It comes down to how you want the shadows and gradients to appear. You ask what is the "lightest" Gray. That depends on the press and paper. Let's also assume you are planning for high end offset on a high end glossy "White" stock ( paper ). A 10% Black is fairly reasonable, but you could plan for 5%K ( again, depends on press and paper ). A nice warm Gray could be achieved with 7.5%C, 7.5%M, 7.5%Y, 0%K; a nice cool Gray could be achieved via 2.5%C, 0%M, 0%Y, 7.5%K. I would cross check a Pantone Process Color Guide for a reasonable choice. Do not rely on the monitor.
2) When creating the gradients in illustrator, should I go from the gray to transparent or is it better to set up a gray to white gradient?
- It should not be necessary to set your gradient to transparent. A typical scenario would be K > 0W; only specific requirements demand transparency.
Finally,
When creating my supporting images with the shadows and gradients, would it be best just to create them in Photoshop and place them in my illustrator document and leave Illustrator for the text alone?
- That depends on the file, the background, and a few other considerations. The key to shadows and gradients in Illustrator is they be applied as part of the final step in the file prep process. If you create the shadows, for instance, in Photoshop, the end file size may end up larger than you anticipated. And, the shadow would be resolution dependent ( less flexibility ).
Thanks in advance, I really appreciate your help"
Before you get started with your file, contact the print vendor to find out what type of press and what type of paper they plan to use on your job ( of you haven't already ). Don't forget to set your document resolution in Illustrator ( assumed ) and the Raster Effects resolution. Another important thing to remember is nail down the actual Gray ( i.e., lookup in Pantone Process Color Guide printed on the paper type you plan to use on press ).

Weird and unwanted color gradient after Photomerge

Hi all,
I got an annoying problem with a weird color gradient that appears where it shouldn't. My context is, that I'm producing underwater photomosaics. I use Photomerge for merging, which works great for the often uniform seabed sediment images.
[merge1.jpg]
The example is 65 images, btw. After placing the images manually within Photomerge, all looks great and ready for a perfect result after rendering (see above). However, when doing so, the final merge from within Photomerge (by clicking the OK button) creates perfect smooth blending, but a weird color gradient crossing the whole mosaic. this might originate in the fact, that the individual images also are not perfect, due to the uneven lighting situation underwater. In case all images are a bit reddish at the top and yellowish at the bottom, the final gradient over the full mosaic shows that as well. So to me it looks as if Photoshop just tries to be too smart and thinks, reapplying that pattern to the whole would be a great thing to do, which it isn't of course.
[merge2.jpg]
I discussed this "bug" with (indeed very helpfull) Adobe staff and they recommended, to create the merge with the "Blend Images Together" option in the "Load" dialog unchecked. This creates a mult-layer document after rendering, with the images being placed properly but not blended.
[merge3.jpg]
From here on, Adobe staff recommended, I shall use the "Auto Blend Layers" function (File menu), but the result is identical as image 2. Ok, then, they recommended, to uncheck "Seemless Tones and Colors" in the "Auto Blend Layers" dialog. Indeed, this gets rid of the gradient, ...
[merge4.jpg]
... but shows very hard edges of the images, which get very prominent after optimizing levels:
[merge5.jpg]
Was that understandable? Would anyone have experienced (and solved) the same issue? Or would anyone have an idea, how this could be handled in a way, that my resulting mosaic looks as perfect with respect to the original colors as in the initial merge window before rendering it (image 1)? Maybe it's a specific Color Setting (Edit menu)? I tried a lot so far but nothing helped and I might not have tried the right thing.
The problem appears, btw, in CS3 to CS6!
Any help appreciated, more information on request! Many thanks,
g

H there,
@TLL: you're right with what you said about the subjective element. Getting spoiled is easy, but staying ambitious is good as well. I do these mosaics since 2003, when Photomerge was part of Elements only. Then, in the first years with CS and CS2, I never had this bug with the color gradient being applied to the final merge. This started with, I guess, CS3 and I think it's due to enhancements Adobe made to the programm (making it more "intelligent"). Unfortunately, sometimes enhancements have dark sides and cause unexpected issues elsewhere. And since we are a minority (making large merges), these do not get fixed, since the majority, stitching what, 20 image panoramas of their home and garden do not suffer. Their images have strong contours and contrasts and the issue gets effective only on uniform images like underwater sediment or, in your case, landscapes shot from above. Going back to CS or CS2 is no option, since only the newer versions give me the processing power I need, also is the blending much smoother.
I played around with gradient masks but I haven't got the right touch yet. Even if I get rid of the color differences, there will always be a brightness gradient, since borders of the images are always darker. And then, the weird gradient is a bright / dark one, not a red / yellow one. Not much better. Also, each batch job has to work for thousands of images, so has to be a compromise. I just cannot spend more than a day for a 1000 image mosaic, or a week for 6000 images, time is money on a ship (and elsewhere).
I just think the solution would be, splitting the "Seemless tones and colors" function up into "Seemless Blending" (doing soft blending but not changing the colors) and "Seemless Color Transitions" (just dealing with the colors). And making both optional by check boxes...
So far,
g

When I paste as a Smart Object in Photoshop, the gradients are wrong!

Occasionally when I paste a smart object into a Photoshop document, my gradient changes colors from color-to-color, to color-to-white!
This never happened in CS3. This also happens sometimes when I save to .svg! What's going on here?
Thanks in advance,
Cheyenne

Hi Monika,
thanks for your response
The color mode is sRGB IEC61966-2.1 in both Illustrator and Photoshop CS5 apps. No spot-colors. One color is #485970 and the other is #243446, and it's the latter color that turns white when I paste it into Photoshop as a smart object.
When I went to 'color settings' I noticed that my "Creative Suite apps were un-synchronized". I'm wondering if this is part of the problem? I've synchronized them though, and it hasn't seemed to have made a difference.
Any help is greatly appreciated!
~c
Color Settings in Illustrator:
Here's the vector in Illustrator:
And here's it when I paste it into Photoshop:

How can I delete some of the gradients in my gradient palette?

Does anyone know an easy means of getting rid of some of the gradients in the gradient palette. I'm using Photoshop CS3. Sometimes the graients I create are added to the palette, sometimes they are not, (regardless of whether of not I save them.) The palette is full of gradients at this stage, (some of which are default gradients I would never use.) There doesn't seem to be any logical way to get rid of some of the gradients that have been stored in the gradient palette.

There is easy and very logical way.
1. Open dialog Gradient Editor.
2. Right click on gradient which you don't like/need.
3. Choose Delete Gradient. Repeat if needed. Add some new if you want to.
At that point you have gradients what you wanted. If you quit PS and start it again there will be no change in gradients editor dialog.
But sometimes things happen. Like someone else switches to other preset or use Reset Gradients or you need to use temporaly different gradient preset.
So to be able quickly set it your way.
4. When done, press "Save..". Name it somehow somewhere.
Now (after restarting PS) in at Presets list's bottom will apear your favorite gradient preset. Choose it and when it asks "Replace current gradients...." press "OK".
That's it.

How to create a halo gradient for web 'master page'

Working with PS CS5.5.
I am needing to create a 1000px x 650px background image for a web application. I would like the resulting file size (PNG) downloaded by the web-site to be in the 50kb realm.
What is the general strategy for creating a gradient like the attached file?
Should I start with a solid background color and overlay the solid with a white gradient layer (center being less transparent) ... this in my mind would result in the smallest file size given that I could decrease the resolution (of the exported PNG file) without any visible effects on the web-page.
Please advise,
Brad

There may be many ways to do it, but you could render a round radial gradient fill layer, adjust it to taste, then save as PNG and just resize it to whatever dimensions you like in the HTML, which could get you the oval shape. Or you could rasterize it in Photoshop and save as a "squashed" version for a possible small savings in file size.
The above 500 x 325 pixel gradient saved as a PNG is about 50 kb.
This one was cropped, rasterized and squashed vertically, and takes only 26 kb on disk.
-Noel

How can I get "distorted" gradient fills to copy & paste properly?

Here's the situation simplified: I create a document and draw a circle and fill it with a circular gradient fill. I then copy and paste that circle into a new document. It looks exactly the same, and importantly, the gradient fill is still editable, so I can change the colours making up the gradient, their positions on the gradient-slider, etc.
However, if I draw the circle in the first document, fill it with a circular gradient fill, and then I "distort" the gradient's shape to an oval shape, using the gradient tool — still keeping the circle itself as a circular shape (only the fill has changed shape) — and I then copy and paste this circle into a document, it does not get copied across properly as a "true" gradient fill.
At first glance, it looks the same. However, viewing the circle in Outline mode shows that the gradient fill has been expanded into 100s and 100s of flat solid coloured objects, each one laid on top of another, getting progressively smaller and smaller, and all masked in the original circle shape.
And of course, as the gradient fill has been expanded, it is no longer "live" and no longer editable, so I now can not edit its colours or positions on the gradient-slider, etc.
So, how can I make it so that Illustrator maintains and keeps the correct gradient fill when copying and pasting between documents? I've tried editing all the settings under Preferences > File Handling & Clipboard, but all without success.
At the moment, to overcome this "bug", I have to separate the two document windows by dragging its tab out of the main Illustrator window, so I now have two floating windows, rather than all windows tabbed in the one environment, and I then have to drag and drop the object from one window to the other. Slightly inconvenient, but it does get the job done.
Strangely enough, dragging and dropping DOES work, whereas copying and pasting does NOT. Weird.
However this slight inconvenience soon adds up when I have to do it many many many times over.
And it gets progressively worse, because dragging and dropping does not allow me to place the object in the position I want it, whereas with copying and pasting, I could ordinarily choose to "Paste In Front" to place my object exactly in the same position between the two documents.
In order to overcome this, I have to drag and drop to get the gradient fill across correctly, and then I have to copy and paste a non-filled duplicate version of the object to get it in precisely the same place, and then I have to use the alignment tools to get the two objects to line up. This = major inconvenience.
And all this becomes even worse when attempting to copy an Illustrator object into Photoshop as a Smart Object, because when I then double-click the Smart Object in Photoshop to edit it, the gradient fill has been expanded — because, obviously, the object had to have been copied and pasted to get it from Illustrator into Photoshop, and this is the problem that Illustrator seems to be having.

Thanks for the continuing answers guys, mucho appreciado.
However, to go through what's been said since my last post...
I tried launching Illustrator in another user account on this machine, but it wouldn't even launch! I got some error number (which I don't recall offhand, but I can re-check it later).
To clarify, this is an official install of CS4 (so no pirating here!), and Illustrator was not running in my other main user account.
And the InDesign thing wouldn't apply to me, as I don't use that app at all. I do invariably have a couple of other CS4 apps running though, usually always Photoshop and Bridge.
I CAN understand how copying and pasting from Illustrator to InDesign would cause this though, because InDesign doesn't support live editable gradients to the same advanced degree that Illustrator does, so it has to expand it when doing so, thereby losing its editability.
Copying and pasting whilst staying completely within Illustrator though is a different story.
You know what — I just had a thought... What if this is nothing to do with Illustrator, but is instead something to do with my Mac OS's system-level clipboard?
I actually had a 3rd-party multiple-item clipboard item installed some time ago, but then never used it. Maybe there's still remnants of that floating around and that's interfering with it somehow?
I'll see if I can clear out all traces of it and see if it makes a difference... Fingers crossed!

How do I import gradient map settings from one computer to another?

Quick Question,
How do I import my gradient map settings from CS3 on my old I mac into my new Mac that uses CS6? Is there a folder somewhere that I can just copy and paste?
Thanks,
Mike

1
Start Adobe Photoshop CS3 and open an image from your files to which you want to apply a gradient map.
2
Select the "Image" menu, point to "Adjustments" and click on "Gradient Map" to open the "Gradient Map" dialog box.
3
Choose the gradient you want to use for the gradient map by clicking on the "Gradient Picker" drop-down box. Click on the gradient preset you want to use for the gradient mapping. You will see that in the background the gradient has been applied to your open image.
4
Click on the gradient fill that you have chosen to open the "Gradient Editor" if you want to edit the gradient preset. Make any changes in this dialog box and click the "OK" button to close the box and return to your gradient map.
5
Set any final options to apply to your gradient map. Check "Dither" under "Gradient Options" to add noise to smooth the bands of your gradient and/or "Reverse" to switch the direction of the gradient map.
6
Use the "OK" button to close the "Gradient Map" dialog box and return your image to which the gradient map is now applied.
Is that what you were asking?
Hope it helps.

Gradient

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for