Thoughts on automation for gradient mesh illustrations....

So I've been looking around at various tutorials on creating gradient mesh illustrations. The general theme that keeps popping up is how time consuming it is to colourize the mesh, point by point. Some clever programmer out there could surely find some way of automating this process no?
The way I see this potentially working would be to initiate a filter of some kind that would take a selected object, in this case a gradient mesh, collect all of the x/y coordinates of all of the points into an array. Then, using that array of points, one by one, determining what the visible CMYK values are of the pixel that is below and then setting that point to said colour. Sure, the user would likely have to go back and adjust some points manually here and there where a point is on the edge of a fold between a light and dark area - but I have to think that the bulk of the points would be visually correct on the first pass.
This can't possibly be an insurmountable task? Clearly well beyond my skills but if such a thing could be created it would drastically speed up the illustration process associated with this tool.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
Jeff

...and aside from what Monika said, consider the limitations of transparency handling in web image formats as well as what impact the differences in handling of transparancies between browsers may have on the web site design.
Mylenium

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Yeah, I tried Unite, Exclude and Divide to try and achieve what I was after however none of them worked.
Let's say it's this logo. It isn't but it will do for illustrative purposes as it is similar to the one I am working on. Let's say the logo itself is one of the objects and the 'TM' underneath is the other object. In my case the 'TM' is the brand name so it's a bit more important and much larger. I can select the logo and apply a gradient mesh. I can select the brand name and apply a gradient mesh. However I can't select both and apply a gradient mesh. In the case of the starbucks logo, how would I knock out the crown i.e. make it white out of the green, without using a compound path? Using pathfinder commands result in a compound path.

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Hi,
I recently invested in CS6 Production Premium and I've just tested legacy support by saving an Illustrator CS6 image in CS4 format.
The image contains a number of semi-transparent gradient meshes used for highlights.
Having loaded the saved CS4 .ai file in CS6, white lines appear along my semi-transparent gradient meshes (see the attached screenshot).
What's happening is that the anchor points with 0% opacity in CS6 suddenly have 100% opacity when I load the saved CS4 files in CS6.
Is this a known error?
If so, how/where do I report it?
Here are the relevant CS6 and CS4 files:
http://snk.to/f-chcig8s9
P.S. There are no white lines when I save the image in CS5 format and load it in CS6.

The image contains a number of semi-transparent gradient meshes used for highlights.
CS4 doesn't support semi-transparent gradient meshes. So they are simulated by using opacity masks. The masks are generated atuomatically from the meshes in the file, so they have the exact same size, which causes the fringes. If you would create this manually, you would make the opacity mask slightly larger in order to avoid fringes.

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I created a shadow using a gradient mesh but I can't seem to figure out how to set the mesh points to multiply. As a result, when I do save for web, the white parts get saved as opaqe areas and the shadow png can't be placed on a colored background. Help.

...and aside from what Monika said, consider the limitations of transparency handling in web image formats as well as what impact the differences in handling of transparancies between browsers may have on the web site design.
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Group vector points for easy gradient mesh color control

I'm working with some gradient mesh shapes, and am finding it a pain to have to individually select the points in the middle of the shape to select their color, and then deselect them when I want to change the points on the outside.
I've tried grouping when the appropriate points selected, but doesn't seem to stick. Is there a better workflow method to keep adjusting the color of gradient meshes?
Thank you!

With the points you want to be able to re-select selected, go to the select menu -> save selection. Then you can get to that selection at the bottom of the selection menu.

Gradient Mesh Photorealistic Automatisation

Hi everybody,
I'm a vector artist and normally use Adobe Illustrator CS3 to make photorealistic vectors: I usually vectorize human faces with the help of the gradient mesh tool. I often create a mesh first and then sculpt it to follow the features of the face. The result may appear as a coordinate frame projected on a human face. After that, I have to painstackingly color the mesh, that means that I have to select every knot of said mesh individually, and with the knot selected, sample the color of the pixel beneath it with the eyedropper. This process is very time consuming, and I would like to ask this question:
Is there a way to automate it. i.e. to make a mesh automatically sample the colors of the bitmap directly beneath it, each knot to its corresponding pixel ? A patch, a plug-in, something of the sort ?
Thank you in advance.

Hey JET, thanks for the reply.
I got your point. I'm not an expert about Illustrator's ins and outs so I'll just lay out what I initially thought and maybe you could let me know if it's possible at all, with or without plugins and JS coding (though I have the strong feeling it is not doable).
The way I see it, AI gradient mesh handles are akin to polynode bisectors in UV mapping or CAV's (Color At Vertices) for (light, bump) maps in 3D. In Illustrator, gradient mesh handles are ristricted to four (since it's a matrix, thus allowing only quads), as you said, or three when it's a border handle. In 3D there's one bisector per polygon per vertex, generally the average between each poly's coordinates.
What I wanted to do was to export a 3D mesh wire-frame as a vector file and then use that matrix as the gradient mesh in Illustrator. Unfortunately, by exporting into EPS it means I turned the mesh into a two-handle per vertex matrix, which is no good. The only idea which occurred to me, considering the integration between Illustrator and Photoshop is that maybe now that the latest supports 3D layers for some sort of light UV map editing, maybe a matrix or the UV set could be exported (or copied and pasted) from PS to AI's Mesh sublayer... does this make sense??
Anyways, if that could be done, I'd instantly have perfect gradient meshes to work on for every 3d object I have. Then, like the first poster asked, it'd be a matter of waiting for CS5 (CS4 won't cut it!) so that maybe we could have some automated color picking from the render underneath the mesh. But for the time being, I'd be happy to start with a perfect gradient mesh matrix and do the coloring myself.
So... what do you think?

Need help with adding shadows to a shape (gradient mesh?...blur tool?)

Hello. I'm an Illustrator novice, as you will be able to tell from my question. I'm somewhat familiar with the gradient mesh tool as well as the raster effects that Illustrator CS3 offers, but I can't figure out how to use them to do what I have to do.
Here's my situation. I'm creating a logo design. It is a musical note with a flame coming off of it. I want to add the appearance of the shape having shadows (yellow for the light areas, and red for the shadowed areas).
I can't get the gradient mesh tool to work because I'm assuming the shape is too complex. I understand that I could probably just create a bunch of different gradient mesh areas and just try to mesh them together, but is this necessary? ...and is chopping my shape into mulitple sections really the best method ? (it sure doesn't seem like the logical solution).
Then I tried using Illustrators blur effects. I'm concerned to even use them for a logo design, because the "blur" effect is raster, and with a logo; it's probably not wise to use anything raster, correct? Anyway...i can't get it to work. I created a shape using the pen tool to replicate the shape of the shadow. When i blur it, the blur is visable outside the original logo shape. I don't know how to make it stop at the path edge. Does anyone know how?
If anyone can please help me here, I would be more than grateful. I realize these questions probably stupid ones, but I just can't seem to figure out how to do this, despite reading tutorials and watching numerous youtube videos on the gradient mesh tool; I can't seem to figure out how to adapt it to my situation.
Here is the image I created in Photoshop. I am trying to duplicate it in Illustrator CS3.
[URL=http://img515.imageshack.us/my.php?image=surefiremusicnote.jpg][IMG]http://img515.ima geshack.us/img515/9348/surefiremusicnote.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Thanks Steve and Jet. I've spent the lasts 2 hours calling around to different print shops in hope that I can maybe trade labor for insight into their printing process. Problem is there seems to be a lack of 4 color offset printing companies who also offer spot colors. I really wish I had the money to take a class, but when I do, I will. I just contacted a few freelance designers who seem to have a lot of print work in their portfolios. Maybe they can teach me a thing or two, and in return I can drop them a few bucks or help them with something.
Jet, you've got me very concerned here. What do you mean by "It's not just a matter of selecting colors; it's also a matter of selecting the number of inks necessary to render them in the various reproduction methods in which the mark will be used"? Are you just stating the importance in using swatch books (Pantone)?
You mention the importance of a design being rendered in different forms (apparel, signs, promotional items..). So how should I go about doing this? Lets say a client wants a "mark" printed on all of the things you stated. Is it my duty to find out what printer they will be using before I submit design files to them? Is it the job of the designer to contact the print shop and get their profiles for different prints (glossy paper prints, matte paper prints, t-shirt printing, vehicle graphic printing)? This is all very time consuming, so should there not be extra charges when dealing with setting up different print settings for particular print jobs?
I've read the blogs of some successful logo designers. David Airey for example just submits his logo design to his client in eps form I believe (plus any requests). Should he be submitting a separate file for each intended use, or is this the job of the client and printer to work out?
You've got me extremely worried that I am going to really deal someone a bad hand here. As far as I know, this hasn't happened yet; but I'm glad you have me concerned. The sad part is that I do have a 2 year degree in graphic design and I didn't learn one thing about printing and it's association with color. The little I have learned is from the internet. I've checked out Amazon(dot)com for a good book on learning about color and print, but there seems to be a lack of recently written books (with reviews) regarding the subject. Can you recommend any?
I started doing freelance work because people would ask me to design a t-shirt for them, or a flyer for their small business. So I did. Now I have more people requesting my services. It's hard to turn down the money, especially in these times. But at the same time, I don't want to cause major headaches for anyone either. Until recently, I had no idea the complexity of the design to print process. Just 3 days ago, I purchased a monitor calibration device and my first set of Pantone guides. They should arrive shortly. I know, don't laugh.
My lack of knowledge regarding this whole thing has really got me questioning what I am doing. I figured all i really needed to know in Illustrator was to use the pen tool, since my use of Illustrator has been strictly for shaping logos.
There are just so many questions I have, and all can't be answered through a google search. I really don't like wasting your time with my ignorance, but I do appreciate your assistance. It takes some time for my little brain to absorb all of this, but I have been reading all I can from the endless tutorials and forum discussions available on the web. The problem I've found is that alongside the large amount of great info on the web, there is seemingly an equal amount of contradictory or partially inaccurate info as well. which only confuses me more. For example, most people say to design in cmyk for print (300dpi higher or vector). A rep from Pantone told me to create my designs using Pantones color swatch groups. Why would I want to start in Pantone? Don't all of their colors cost extra money (spot colors require a new printer plate and ink to be set up). Starting in cmyk seems like a more logical approach. Is he just trying to sell me Pantone?
Sorry for my redundant question regarding the concern for non-single colored paths not being able to join. You obviously answered my question with your example.
For your time, I would like to show my appreciation. If you wouldn't' mind leaving your paypal address, I can send ya a couple/few bucks. Books are great, but they can't answer all questions. Forums like this one are really very helpful and a great learning tool. I do realize I have to continue educating myself as much as possible. I'm not going to give up, that's for sure.
So, do you work for Adobe, or are you a graphic designer? Do you have a website with tutorials or a book I can buy lol?
It would be great to be able to see a walkthrough in the design process of a successful designer and the proper methods of designing for different forms of print.

Problems printing placed gradient mesh graphics

CS3 Illustrator and InDesign. Whenever a drawing is created in Illustrator using gradient mesh, and placed into an InDesign document, our printer (Ricoh Aficio 2232C with postscript) all the gradient mesh areas print from InDesign as solid black. I have tried changing every print setting I can think of, but it always comes out the same.
There are workarounds of course (like saving the illustration as a tiff) but I'd like to work with the original file if possible. Any ideas in how I can proceed in fixing this?

I wouldn't worry too much about trying to keep the original file intact. ... Of course you should, but there is nothing wrong with making a version "specially for print". It takes some discipline in that you have to edit the original file and always remember to save a flattened copy to update in your document.
You have to consider there are printers out there (the guys with the weathered faces and hot lead-resistant calluses, not the buzzing, ink-eating and paper spitting type -- okay, maybe they do that as well) with older RIP software or hardware that may have similar problems with very (very) complicated graphics. It's better to play safe than to re-make your image until it can just be processed by your own local printer.

Can i save a vector with gradient mesh as isolated .PNG?

Hi,
Can i save a vector with gradient mesh as isolated .PNG?
It has some effects, so if i'm taking it out from the blue background it becomes darker.
Any advice? I need it isolated png for using it in an iOS app.
Many thanks

I am using Illustrator CS6, on Mac.
I can't copy and paste the "cloud" into a new document to save it, because it looses the effect of those filters (since the background is no longer behind it).
Sorry if im not explaining it right, i'm a beginner in illustrator. Can i group both the "cloud" and the blue background, to get just one shape: the realistic white cloud?
P.S: i can make a link with the .esp file of the clouds, if it helps.

Using gradients with the gradient mesh tool

So I have a basic knowledge of using the gradient mesh tool, but in my current project I need the gradients within the object to fade from black to transparent (it will be used for a one-color tshirt). I've tried to do this a couple different ways. First, I created a solid white rectangle (no stroke) then created a 1 row 1 column flat gradient mesh on it. Added the points I needed, even added the color, and the fade is exactly the shape I need, but I can't figure out how to get rid of the white, and just have the black fade to transparent. I also tried creating a rectangle with a linear gradient fill, clicked expand and selected gradient mesh, but as soon as I press ok it changes it to solid black. I included a cropped picture of what I'm talking about. All the tail feathers need to have that black fade but without the white, it needs to fade out to transparent like the other gradients around it. I put a color background behind the image to make these areas easier to see. It seems like there should be an easy solution, but I'm not sure how to do it. Any help would be really appreciated.

Edit: set all mesh point to black.
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Gradient mesh tool problem

On screen everything looks as it should, but when printed the shape with the gradient mesh doesn't come out correctly. It appears as a solid grey shape.
The strainge thing about this is that I have used this file several times before as a templete (for a product line) and never had an issue...

The printer gradient and meshes option did not do anything.
We also do not print directly from illustrator, we import this file into indesign and then we export as a finalized pdf to print. We have narrowed the problem down to the mesh gradient that was used in the file created in illustrator.
The mesh gradiant on the right side of the swoop in the black bar below "demon" is not turning to complete black where it should when we print. It almost looks like there is a gradiant on that side, which there isnt. It prints out as gray instead of black. When we printed the file directly from illustrator it seemed to mirror the gradiant over the whole black area to the right of the swoop.
Can you apply the printer gradiant and gradiant meshes option that you showed us in the printer dialog box to exports?

Gradient Mesh Tool won't work over a standard gradient

How can I get the Mesh Tool to work over a gradient? If I place an RGB image and create a gradient mesh over it I can select each individual point and then use the color picker to pick a color underneath by clicking the placed image. However, if I create a gradient mesh over a standard gradient I can not pick up the color in the standard gradient that is below. What the color picker does is pick up the entire gradient. It doesn't put any color into the individual points of the gradient mesh.

Thanks guys for the answers. I appreciate it. I did determine that I could rasterize the gradient so it would be treated like a placed image. That breaks the vector attributes but it does work.
I swear that I tried all the modifier keys (ctrl, shift, alt, ctrl+shift, etc.) but I guess not. I was crunching out a job at 4AM and I guess I missed something. I do usually try all of them before I look for other options. I thought that I might have overlooked a switch or preference. But I couldn't find one. Using "shift" does in fact work well. Thanks for redirecting me back to the most simple solution.
It always amazes me how the mind works, although frustratingly. I bet that I tried "shift" and maybe missed the key (I don't look at the keyboard most of the time as I do it by feel) or I didn't push it all the way down. Whatever the malfunction, once my brain thought that I'd tried the "shift" key I never went back and tried it again. It just goes to show you, you need to try each potential solution several times before moving on.
Thanks for the answers. It has me rolling again and having a great time exploring the world of the gradient mesh.

Fade to White Causing Gradient Mesh Rasterization

This may or may not be a bug, but let me explain what just happened to me. I'm using AI CS4 on a PC. Now, "Flattener Preview" kept showing all my gradient meshes as rasterized. This didn't seem right to me (but I've been using AI all of three weeks), and it seemed to have caused the borders of all my meshes to become jagged in view and print. So, I set out to find out what could have caused this. Through a process of elimination, I discovered a very tiny highlight that I had drawn with the "Blob Brush Tool" had been filled with the "Fade to White" color off the "Basic RGB" color swatch. I then filled that object with pure white, and now "Flattener Preview" shows all to be fine as judged by the fact that all selections within "Flattener Preview" are grayed out.
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Thanks,
Paul

After this experience, I'm just a little concerned that this illustration I've been working on for the last two weeks may either be ruined or I may now ruin it out of ignorance.
Why? That's why people use incremental saving and versioning. Just work on a copy of the current state. The rest is not clear, but I suspect you somehow inadvertently mixed RGB and CMYK or spot colors and thus the blending of the colors gives weird resuts. Expanding the artwork may offer a solution, if not the most practical one. Anotehr may be to run it through the Recolor Artwork process to get clean colors. the only real stinker with gradient meshes is, though, that you first need to select the gradient points for it to have any effect on them...
Mylenium

Attaching Gradient Mesh to Perspective Grid

Is this possible?
I am using Adobe Illustrator CS5. I have created a gradient mesh brain and would like to place it on a perspective grid. When I select the gradient mesh and choose "Object", "Perspective", the option "Attach to Active Plane" is not select-able. (see screenshot)
How to I attach a gradient mesh object to a perspective grid? I have tried expanding, but the same problem exists.
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Thank you for your comment. I have changed the location of the widget to the bottom left now so you can see it in the screenshot.
As you can now see I have selected the right-most (orange) plane, yet the problem still exists. I can't select "Attach to Active Plane" from the Perspective menu. I have also tried dragging the mesh with the perspective selection tool, but nothing happens...

Thoughts on automation for gradient mesh illustrations....

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