Illustrator :: Blend Tool Not Making Smooth Color Blend
Dec 4, 2013
I'm using Illustrator CC (on a Win7 Pro machine) at a beginner level, probably halfway to intermediate. I'm trying to learn how to blend colors together for highlights of various types (skin tones, clothing, light on objects, etc.) so that when I'm making a graphic for a project I'll have a decent idea of which tool/technique is best for the specific effect I need.
I'm trying to use the Smooth Color option in the blend tool. Late yesterday afternoon I recall creating two ellipses (one of which was a solid fill and one of which was a gradient going from black to transparent) and getting a smooth color transition between the two. It was a much harsher effect than I was looking for so I didn't keep it. This morning, while trying to replicate the same thing, I seem to be unable to use smooth color between two objects if one or more of them has a gradient applied. I only get what you see below, which is a step between the two objects.
I've done searches and found multiple references to blending gradients in this way and have followed those instructions (create the shapes, fill with the gradients, then either click on the Blend tool and click on the center of each shape, or click on Object -> Blend -> Make) but I can't seem to get a Smooth Color blend if either object has a gradient applied. Am I missing an important step somewhere? I'm 95% sure I accomplished it yesterday and nothing has been changed since then.
When using the blend tool to blend colour between two objects is there a way to see the anchor points so I know where to click the blend tool. I realise the cursor changes when over one but its seems very cumbersome to have to move it around until it changes rather than click directly on one which I could do if I could see it.
When I use the blend tool for a smooth blend, the blends comes out jagged and horrible, as if it is doing a step blend rather than a smooth blend. I have used the tool before by either using the shortcut (Alt+Ctrl+B) or using it via the Object>Blend pathway and it worked out fine, but now Illustrator doesn't want to create a smooth blend.
What I'm trying to say is; is there an option that is causing this to happen that I may have accidently turned on, or has my copy of Illustrator gone into stupidity mode and I need to reinstall it?
I've attached pictures of what I mean with the settings I'm using and outputs. I hope your collective minds can smack this one in the face. I'm sure I'm doing something ridiculously simple to cause this.
I'm using CS5 Illustrator and my relevant PC hardware is listed below. - Intel i5-2500 3.30Ghz - nVidia GeForce GTX 560
I am trying to blend two different art brushes with different colors using the blend tool. I'm trying to use two fixed-size line segments of the same length and then applying the two different brushes to those segments ( each art brush is a different color). Then I want to blend them the regular way so their colors transition. However, when I do this, the first shape is a different color, but all subsequent blend steps are the color of the second blended shape. Why is this? It doesn't blend the colors for some reason.
Well, I'm making a book cover...I have a background on top of which i put a label which will contain the name of the book but will "cut out" through the label to show the background.how would I do this in Illustrator, but with a actual object and a font instead of erasing out of a rectangle on an iPhone.
I have been having issues with using the blend tool on my object. If you look at the picture, I had one outer shape that was what I wanted shaded and a thinner shape that runs inside the other. It blends perfectly fine everywhere except at the bottom. I don't know how to explain it or what went wrong but I can't figure out how to make the blend fit inside the shape.
I am having diffuculty with the blend tool! I tried to upload the image but it said it was't allowed. Not sure how to correctly explain the problem but I'll do my best. I am have trouble getting the blend tool to recognize the images. I can only select the very edge of the images and then it doesn't look like it should when it does blend. How I can upload the file to show what I am trying to say?
I'm setting up several squares in rows that left to right the value will change (i.e. +5 % Cyan), and up and down the channel will be defined for the the value changes (as in CMYK).
Underlying each of these squares will be a named global CMYK swatch to easily change the color.
Above each of these will be a static box that overlays with 0-0-0-15 (with blend mode multiply) which would add 15% black to any color below.
My question here is how to do the opposite accurately within Illustrator, to subtract 15% interactivley from the colored box below, the closest I've come is to use; lets say I want to pull 10% from Magenta; is to: 100-90-100-100 with a blend mode of the top object set to Screen. It always seems to result in a jump that is 2 to 3% off.
Multiply allays seems to work corectly, in PS, Illustrastor etc... But I have yet to find a subtractive method that is reliable.
I'm using this to create an simple pick a color and print similar swatches around it, as my workplace has a lot of materials and heat processes that change the final color, and color swatches are in a constant need.
I am using CS and the “blend” tool to create a train track but I cannot seem to get the spacing to look right. I tried adding a 3rd railroad tie in the middle but that didn’t work either. How I can get more spacing in the foreground and less in the distance?
I would like to animate a serie of objects I made with the blend tool in Illustrator. It is an object that transforms into another one, I am trying to put this into a small animation like a gif.
I have also Photshop but I know better Illustrator, so I tried to export each of these objects in separate jpg files but couldnt find a way.
I have "group1" and inside that group, only one layer: "layer1". The blending mode for "group1" is vivid light and for "layer1" it's "normal".
Now, if I change "group1" to "pass through" and "layer1" to "vivid light" ... the result is completely different, while it should be the same, shouldn't it?
I am trying to acheive the same angle gradient effect that can be done in Photoshop but in Illustrator. The actual thing I want to be able to create as a vector is the graphic attached...
Can this be done by somehow using the blend tool and replacing the spline with a circle?
Im having problems blending photos together. Here are the steps that Im doing.
1. click on file+new+select image dimensions. 2. select images 3. click on first image hit selections, then select all 4. click edit, paste as new selection
once it paste, the picture is huge, how do I resize it to make it fit on the canvas I selected.
I don't know if what I am asking is allowed because I am trying to make something adult oriented...
I want to turn a dragon picture into an adult furry picture by adding a ***ina to it, I have selected the part from another photo but I want to adjust the color of the part to match the dragon's skin color..
I'm learning to use Coreldraw for artistic metal cutting using a plasma cutter, so the file itself is important and not just what appears on the screen (or what prints out).
I've used the blend tool to draw some circles along a wavy path. I want the circles but I don't want the path. I remove the outline and the path dissappears on the screen but it's still in the file and when I export as a dxf file there is the path cutting right through the circles.
If I use Detach from Path then the circles simple come of my wavy path and end up in a straight line.
Are there any other techniques to give the same result but one where I can keep the circles/objects in their locations while removing the path at file level.
I know of a plugin available for Coreldraw that can take a bunch of dissimilar objects and place them on a path but at this point don't know if it can do what I need and delete the path afterwards.
Or is there any way I can copy the circles without copying the path.
I have a full colour photo that i want to use on my website...but i dont want all the colurs in there... i only really want blueish colours....
How do i edit the existing colours OR apply a kinda blue wash to the image while still maintaining all the lighting/shading aspecst of the original image?
I want to take a photograph and have it go from transparent to solid opacity. I believe the gradient tool can do that (maybe) but I don't want any color, just have the transparent blend to solid.
I'm trying to blend a couple of images together using the gradient tool.
I moved one image to the other using the move tool, I then added Layer Mask (in the layers palette), i then got my gradient tool and selected black,white.....I used the gradient tool on the left side of the image and it blended beautifully.
So, now that the left side is blended nicely, I attempt to blend the right side. The right side blends very nice.....but my left side went back to where it was originally.
I know what the documentation says that they do, but it doesn't appear to be the truth. For example, if I take my image and overlay it with a 50% gray layer set to Luminosity mode, I would expect to see the hue and saturation of my image, with the luminosity of every pixel set to 50%, but that isn't what actually happens.
Create a new document.Convert it to 48 Bit RGB mode.Fill the document with any colour.Create a new object and use a brush to apply some contrasting colour.Select the Blend tool and try to blend with it.On my machine the cursor will draw black instead of blending.
When I copy a selection from one image to another, I can't select the feather tool to blend it in the new image (it's greyed out). I have to first anchor the layer, then use the paths tool to re-select the pasted portion again, then feather. Is there another way?
Update: Looks like I can feather before copying/pasting the selection.
I have to blend the color of a mannequin onto a picture of a face blended into the mannequin. I am absolutely stumped as to how to do this. And don't remember what feature would accomplish this.
So, how do you blend the color of a mannequin onto a picture layered over the mannequin keeping the features of the pictures?
