Gradients

Gradients

Like all Photoshop presets, you can choose from the built-in gradient sets or create your own. It's rather simple to edit existing gradients or to create a new one, so let's get started.

Step One.

You'll need to open the Gradient Editor. First, press G to get the Gradient tool. Then click on the gradient thumbnail in the Options Bar to open the Gradient Editor (if you click on the down- facing arrow, you'll open the Gradient Picker, not the Editor). Note: You might think that you would create a new gradient by clicking the New button, but that's not the case. In fact, the New button should really be called the Save As New button, since you actually click on it when you're finished making your gradient, not when you're starting (I know, it's a little weird, but that's the way it works). By the way, the Save button is for saving a set of gradients, not individual gradients.

Step Two.

One simple way to create your own gradient is to pick one of the basic gradients, such as the Black to White gradient (it's the third one in the top row), and then change colors by clicking on the color stops and choosing new colors in the Color Picker that appears. Once you've edited the gradient, click the New button to save your new gradient.

TIP

Remember, once you've finished creating your gradient, change the name (if you don't create a name , Photoshop will save your new gradient as Custom) before you click the New button. Once you've created a number of gradients, you can save them as a set using the Preset Manager (as described earlier in "Swatches").

Here are the "tricks" to editing in the Gradient Editor:

• To change a color stop, double-click on the stop (under the gradient bar) to open the Color Picker.

• Click once on a color stop, then move your cursor outside the dialog, and when it changes to the Eyedropper, click to pick a color from your open image.

  

• Click on a swatch in the Swatches palette (Window>Swatches), then click to add a stop in that color. ( Note: Make sure the palette is visible onscreen before you launch the Gradient Editor.)

• To duplicate a color stop within the gradient bar, hold down Option (PC: Alt) and click-and-drag the color stop to copy it.

  

• To remove a color stop from the gradient bar, click-and-drag it downward until it disappears, or click on the color stop and press the Delete (PC: Backspace) key.

• To add a color stop that will use either the Foreground or Background color, click below the bar to add a stop, then use the Color pop-up menu at the bottom of the Editor to choose Foreground or Background. (The color stop will now show a checkered grid instead of the solid black " user -defined" square.)

  

• To create a gradient that contains a series of random colors, change the Gradient Type pop-up menu to Noise, then experiment with the color sliders. Use the Randomize button or the Restrict Colors and/or Transparencies checkboxes to experiment.

• To start over again (removing any edits you've made in the gradient bar), hold down Option (PC: Alt) to change the Cancel button to Reset, then click on it.

• To change the opacity of portions of the gradient, use the opacity stops at the top of the gradient bar (simply click at the top of the bar and they will appear). Position them and then use the Opacity slider to change their transparency.