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4 - Edit a Gradient

The easy way to make a gradient is to adapt one of the existing gradients.

Be sure to check off as you go along.

Gradient Tool

1) Select the Gradient tool.

2) Select the Foreground to Transparent gradient from the Gradient Picker window, as described in the first section.

Foreground to

Transparent Gradient

3) Click Edit on the options bar.

The Gradient Editor window will open.

The box-like shapes, above and below the gradient in the window, are called stops.

The stops on the top change the opacity of the gradient.

The stops on the bottom change the color.

Edit the Opacity Stops

1) Click the stop on the top left of the gradient in the Gradient Editor window.

Below the gradient, you can see that the opacity for this stop is 100%, and its location is at 0%.

2) Change the opacity to 50%.

You can see that the gradient no longer starts as a solid black, but as a more transparent black.

3) Click just above the gradient to create a new opacity stop.

4) Click the new stop, and change its opacity from 100% to 25%.

5) Click, hold, and drag the new stop to the left, to a location at 25%.

The gradient now starts at an opacity of 50% at the first opacity stop.

Then, it drops quickly to an opacity of 25% at the second opacity stop.

Finally, the gradient fades more gradually to an opacity 0% on the far right, at the last opacity stop.

Edit the Color Stops

The above gradient started with black because black was the foreground color.

You can change the foreground color to another color before you create a gradient with the new color.

Or, you can do the following.

1) Click the color stop on the far left that's below the gradient.

You can see that this color stop is black, and it's location is at 0%.

2) Click the black box to make the Color Picker window appear.

Or, double click the color stop.

3) Select a new color using the Color Picker.

If you haven't already done so, go to Color Picking.

Here, red was selected.

The gradient now starts with red and fades to black.

4) Click the area just below the gradient to create a new color stop.

5) Change its color from red to another color by clicking the red box, or double click the color stop itself, to open the Color Picker window.

Here, orange was selected.

6) Click, hold, and drag the stop to the left, to a location at 50%.

The gradient now starts out with red, changes to orange, and ends with black (the color stop at the right end is still black).

Deleting a Stop

To delete a stop, click it, hold, and drag it away from the gradient.

Or, you can click a stop, and click Delete in the Gradient Editor window.

Gradient Fill

Adjustment Layer

In the previous sections, gradients were applied to a Levels adjustment layer, and to selections.

You can also use a Gradient Fill adjustment layer.

Click the the Create adjustment layer icon, the half-dark, half-bright, circle at the top of the Layers panel (Layers palette), and select Gradient.

Don't select Gradient Map.

Saving a New Gradient

To save a gradient that you created, do the following.

1) Click Edit in the options bar to open the Gradient Editor window.

2) Replace Custom in the Name box with a name for your new gradient.

3) Click New.

The icon for the new gradient appears in the Gradient Editor display.

4) Click OK to close the Gradient Editor window.

If you click Save instead, a window will open for saving the entire library of gradients under a new name, such as Untitled Gradients.

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