Make and edit gradients

Gradients are applied to fill objects. Fill options include solid color, linear gradient, radial gradient or bitmap. Linear and radial gradients can be made up of just two endpoint colors, or a whole range of colors. Each color in the gradient can have its transparency (alpha) set anywhere between 0 and 100%. If several gradients are to be used in a movie, it's often a good idea to open both the swatch panel (where solid colors and gradients may be saved) and the color mixer (where gradients are created/edited). In the picture above, they are open and docked to the right of the stage.

Create a gradient

A gradient is defined in the color mixer panel and applied with the paint bucket tool (or automatically if the object is already selected and the fill is changed in the color mixer). Select linear or radial from the dropdown box in the Color Mixer. The gradient bar will appear with two endpoints. More color points may be added by clicking along the gradient bar, or removed by dragging them away. The color of each point may be specified by clicking on it doing any of the following:

• typing R, G, B and alpha (transparency) values into the corresponding boxes
• using the color picker box in the upper left to choose a color, either from the color wheel, or with the eyedropper
• clicking on a swatch in the Color Swatches panel (and changing its transparency in the alpha box if desired)

To save a gradient swatch, just click in the bottom row of the Color Swatches panel.

Modifying a gradient

Once a gradient has been applied to a fill object, its size and/or orientation may be changed with the fill transform tool (the blue gradient rectangle with arrows over it, circled in yellow at left). Select the fill transform tool, click the gradient on stage, and symbols like those in the picture above will appear. Their functions (rotate, size, move center) are as marked.