dorothy

A place to talk about anything else with other Pixelmator users.
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2018-10-08 04:03:02

I'm sort of new to Pixelmator. Can anyone tell me how to make a linear gradient into a diagonal position?
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2018-10-08 08:39:11

Hi Dorothy.

Pixelmator has two ways of creating a gradient: as a fill for a shape or using the gradient tool on a layer. The method is slightly different for each.

If you want to fill a shape with the gradient you describe:
1. Draw the shape.
2. Select the fill to be gradient.
3. Show the gradients pallette (⌘5)
4. Edit the gradient to have a dark colour at either end and a light colour in the middle (to create a new colour in the middle of a gradient, click on the graduated bar in the gradient palette).
5. Edit the two blue nodes on the image to set the start and end points of the gradient.

If you want to set a gradient on a layer using the gradient tool:
1. Select the Gradient tool.
2. Show the gradients pallette (⌘5)
3. Edit the gradient to have a dark colour at either end and a light colour in the middle (to create a new colour in the middle of a gradient, click on the graduated bar in the gradient palette).
4. Drag in the canvas from top left to bottom right to set the gradient.

Hope this helps.

- Stef.
Image
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2018-10-08 17:47:47

Thanks Sephanie. Yes it did help. I didn't know there was a "gradient" too. Now, that brought me to another question: As I am selecting the gradient colors and I want to delete one (say, I have two on the left, one middle and two right. I want to delete one from left and right. How do I do that? Also the with five I get strong banding. How to smooth?
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2018-10-08 18:40:51

To delete a colour from a gradient, just grab the colour handle below the gradient strip and pull it off the gradient palette. It'll disappear in a puff of smoke.

Preventing visible banding is a function of probably about three (or so) things:
1. How different the colours are. (Colours that closer to each other in tone blend better.)
2. How close together the colour handles are on the gradient strip. (The more distance there is, the smoother the blend).
3. How close to one of the colours the halfway handle (the grey handle above the gradient strip) is placed. (The closer to the midpoint the smoother the blend will be).
Lastly, if you have the gradient as you want it but it still looks too sudden or banded, you can hide it with a bit of gaussian blur (Effects (⌘3) > Blur > Gaussian) or noise (Effects (⌘3) > Stylise > Noise). Noise hides a multitude of sins :blush: .

Hope this helps.

- Stef.
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2018-10-08 19:06:28

Great. that is really helpful Stef. Thanks again.