Using Gradient Fills

A gradient is a blend of two or more colors. Gradients are often used to produce lighting effects to give the illusion of depth. They are also used as backgrounds and as a fill for transparency masks when working with bitmaps. In this section, you will learn how to use gradient fills and how to edit them to suit your needs.

Filling with Gradients

You can add unique colorization to a graphic with the use of a gradient fill. Fireworks is shipped with 11 types of gradients and 13 preset gradient colors. You can see the 11 gradients listed below:

Linear	Radical	Ellipse
Rectangle	Cone	Starburst
Bars	Ripples	Wave

Satin

Folds

To fill using a gradient, follow the steps below:

• Select an object you want to apply a gradient to.
• From the Fill panel, choose one of the gradient options.
• Choose the color combination you like from the Preset gradient color sets, or use the gradient that is the default. The default is a combination of whatever color your brush is and the color of the Fill tool.
• You can adjust the Edge attributes in this dialog box; the choices are Anti-Alias, Hard, or Feather. If you choose Feather, you have the option to type in how many pixels you want the edge of your gradient to be feathered.

If your object is selected, it is automatically filled with the gradient. Test each of the presets and all the different gradient types to get an idea of how each one looks and performs.

Altering Gradients

This is where the real power of the Gradient tool becomes evident. Gradients can be customized by adjusting the pattern's center, width, and skew. To alter a gradient's position, follow the steps below:

• Click on the object to make it active, and the gradient handles will appear.
• To change the position of the gradient, drag the circular handle to adjust the gradient's starting point.
• Move the cursor over the control handles until you see the rotate cursor. You can now drag the handles to a new location.
• By dragging the square handle, you change the direction of the gradient.

Editing Gradient Colors

Existing colors in a gradient can be changed, deleted, or moved around, or new colors can be added with east to make the changes, follow these steps:

• Draw a rectangle to fill with a gradient style you like.
• Click the Edit button in the Fill panel (click the arrow circled below, then choose Edit Gradient). You will see color swatches below the gradient representation. There will be a swatch for each color in the gradient and the position that each color begins.

• To change any of the colors, simply click the swatch and choose another color.

• To add another color, place you cursor anywhere in the row containing the current color markers. You will see + sign next to your cursor; click and then select the color by clicking the swatch.
• To move the position of any of the colors, click and drag the swatch to the new location.
• To delete a color, click and drag the swatch toward the bottom of the panel.

Making a Gradient from a Photograph

• Open the picture you wish to make a gradient fill from. I used the picture below that I got from http://www.freestockphotos.com, a web site that offers free photos.

• Open a new file 360 pixels wide by 480 pixels high with a white background.
• Select the Rectangle tool and draw a rectangle over the white area of your canvas.
• In the Fill Panel, choose Cone for the Fill category, and then click Edit.
• I choose to make six different color swatches to make the gradient below:

• To choose the six different gradient colors from the sky picture above follow the steps below:
  • Click the first color swatch and with the Eyedropper tool, get a sample of one of the color from the sky scene.
  • Click the second color swatch and with the Eyedropper tool, get a sample of another color from the sky scene.
  • Click the edit panel, click below the color bar and add another color swatch and with the Eyedropper tool, get a sample of another color from the sky scene.
  • Continue until you have the gradient color to your liking.

Saving Gradient Colors

After you have produced a new gradient, you may want to use it again later. Unfortunately, saving a gradient in Fireworks does not make it available for another document; to save the gradient color, follow the steps below:

• Choose Save Gradient from the right-pointing arrow in the Fill panel.
• Name it, and click OK.

To save this gradient to use in a later project, follow the steps below:

• When you are ready to save your gradient, open the Styles panel (Window>Styles).
• Click the right arrow.
• From the pop-up menu, choose the New Style option; the New Style dialog box will open.
• Name the gradient, and choose which properties to save as a style.

Your new gradient style has been added to the bottom of your Styles panel. Now, when you want to fill with your new gradient, you simply have to click the style.

Add The Gradient to an Image to Create a Special Effect

• Open the image you want to apply the gradient to. I want to add an evening effect to the picture below using the gradient I have saved as a style, which was obtained from a free online photo web site (http://www.freestockphotos.com).

• Open the Layers Panel (Window>Layers).
• Insert a new layer by clicking the new layer button (it looks like a folder) on the bottom of the layers panel.
• Drag the new layer below the image layer.
• Draw a Rectangle on the canvas and choose the fill gradient previously save as the fill color at the Styles panel.
• Select Multiple Mode by clicking the arrow and choosing multiple from the drop-down list.
• Notice how dark it got. Click on the gradient level and drop down the arrow that reads 100 and give it a value of 75. Continue until you have the effect you want to achieve. The below photo has the gradient applied at 85 percent.