Painting and Drawing > Using the gradient tools > Creating or editing gradient fills
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Creating or editing gradient fills


The Gradient Editor dialog box lets you define a new gradient by modifying a copy of an existing gradient. You can also edit fills by adding intermediate colors to a gradient, or creating a blend between more than two colors.
A. Palette menu B. Opacity stop C. Color stop D. Adjust values or delete the selected opacity or color stop E. Midpoint

To create a gradient:

1 Select the gradient tool ().

2 To display the Gradient Editor dialog box, do one of the following:
  • Click the Edit button next to the gradient sample.
  • Click the gradient sample in the options bar.

    • 3 Select a gradient from the list to create a new gradient based on the gradient you selected.

    4 To define the starting color of the gradient, click the left color stop under the gradient bar. The triangle above the stop turns black, indicating that the starting color is being edited.

    5 To choose a color, do one of the following:
  • Double-click the color stop, or click the color swatch below the gradient bar. Choose a color, and click OK. For information on choosing a color, see  Using the Adobe Color Picker.
  • Choose foreground from the color pop-up menu in the Gradient Editor dialog box to use the current foreground color.
  • Choose background from the color pop-up menu to use the current background color.
  • Position the pointer over the gradient bar (the pointer turns into the eyedropper), and click to sample a color, or click anywhere in the image to sample a color from the image.

    • 6 To define the ending color, click the right color stop under the gradient bar. Then choose a color as described in step 5.

    7 To adjust the location of the starting point or ending point, do one of the following:
  • Drag the corresponding color stop left or right to the location you want.
  • Click the corresponding color stop, and enter a value for Location. A value of 0% places the point at the far left end of the gradient bar, a value of 100% at the far right end.

    • 8 To adjust the location of the midpoint (where the gradient displays an even mix of the starting and ending colors), drag the diamond below the gradient bar to the left or right, or click the diamond and enter a value for Location.

    9 To delete the color stop you are editing, click Delete.

    10 To set the smoothness for the entire gradient, enter a value or drag the slider.

    11 If desired, set transparency values for the gradient. (See Specifying the gradient transparency.)

    12 Enter a name for the new gradient.

    13 To save the gradient as a preset, click New after you have finished creating the gradient.

    14 Click OK to exit the dialog box, and the newly created gradient is selected and ready to use.

    To add intermediate colors to a gradient:

    In the Gradient Editor dialog box, click below the gradient bar to define another color stop. Specify the color and adjust the location and midpoint for the intermediate point as you would for a starting or ending point. To remove an intermediate color, drag the color stop down and off the gradient bar, or select the color stop and press Delete.

    Painting and Drawing > Using the gradient tools > Creating or editing gradient fills