Creating and Modifying Gradients, Hatches, and Bitmaps Note To use one of these items to fill text, see Formatting Text With Bitmaps, Gradients, and Hatches on page 772. You can change or add to what the program provides for object area fills. As with colors and lines, you can add or modify individual fills , and you can add or modify lists of fills . These lists also are stored in the config folder, with the file extension names .sog , .soh , and .soe for gradients, hatches, and bitmaps, respectively. Gradients -
Open the Area window by choosing Format > Area. -
Click the Gradient tab (Figure 30-16). Figure 30-16. Creating and modifying gradients -
Use the Load Gradients List icon to load the appropriate gradient set, if necessary. -
Create a new gradient or modify an existing one: -
To create a new gradient, click the Add button and enter a new name ; click OK. -
To modify a gradient, select a gradient and click the Modify button, leave the existing name in the field, and click OK. If you want to save your changes in a different list, click the Save Gradients List icon and save the list under a new name. Hatches -
Open the Area window (choose Format > Area). -
Click the Hatching tab (Figure 30-17). Figure 30-17. Creating and modifying hatches -
Use the Load Hatches List icon to load the appropriate hatch list, if necessary. -
Create a new hatch or modify an existing one: -
To create a new hatch, click the Add button and enter a new name, then click OK. -
To modify a hatch, select a hatch and click the Modify button, leave the existing name in the field, and click OK. Keep in mind that when the hatch is applied, you can choose a background color for it, or leave the background blank. If you want to save your changes in a different list, click the Save Hatch List icon and save the list under a new name. Bitmaps You can fill an area with a graphical design of your choosing. You can create one in the Bitmaps tab, import one, modify one, or use existing ones provided with the program. Note Some formats, such as . WMF , lose some colors when imported. -
Open the Area window (choose Format > Area). -
Click the Bitmaps tab (Figure 30-18). Figure 30-18. Creating and modifying bitmaps -
Use the Load Bitmaps List icon to load the appropriate bitmaps list, if necessary. -
Select the source of the bitmap. -
To draw a new bitmap , select foreground and background colors and click in the bitmap field to design it. -
To import a new bitmap , click Import and select any graphics file, then enter a name and click OK. To add a specific bitmap from the Gallery, select the item in the Gallery and note the location. Then just browse to that location and select the file to import as a bitmap. -
To modify a bitmap that you created using the pixel editor (not an existing or imported bitmap), select the appropriate bitmap, click the Modify button, leave the existing name in the field, and click OK. Note The bitmaps you create with the pixel editor are going to be a little rough. You'll generally get better results by using Image or Draw to create a raster file, then importing it by clicking Import. |