Illustrator :: How To Add Blend Layer To A Shape By Creating A Square
Mar 21, 2013
I have a shape that I want to add a blend layer to by creating a square, adding a gradient then making it an overlay on top of said shape. The issue I am having is I cant find a way of masking out the unwanted areas of the blend layer. I have tried to follow the steps the official help and other internet help sections but it's not working. It's so easy in photoshop. How come it's so difficult in Illustrator? Is there something I am missing? Additionally, a blend layer (in most modes) wouldn't show any colour if overlaying upon white in photoshop. How come this isn't so in Illustrator?
In PS i can Magic wand selection shape from one layer, drop to sub layer and copy that selected shape from that sub layer. How do I do this in illistrator, and moreover, from multiple layer at the same time.
For instance, in PS = Import an image of gold - select a text phrse with wand - drop to gold - copy paste = gold text.
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've used the blend tool to make a series of lines between two other lines; I need to expand everything so that the whole thing becomes a fill-only object (no strokes):
- I expand it (Object > Expand; Object box checked, Fill box checked, Stroke box checked) and the object becomes strokes-only (no fill at all)
- I expand it again (Object > Expand; Object box greyed out, Fill box checked, Stroke box checked) and the object becomes fill-only (yay!) except the shape of the lines has changed (boo!). Unchecking the stroke box and leaving only the Fill box checked seems to have no effect, the object remains stroke-only).
So im attempting to square part of a rounded square, but leave some sides curved. The problem is I've got a small square to cover the curved square and I have aligned it and yet there is a blured edge that shows its not in line.
I am creating a shape that looks like a pill a rectangle with two circles on the ends, if you will. But it's all one shape. I want a gradient or blend (what exactly is the differnce?) that has a white middle and dark gray edges. The white goes along the pill horizontally but the dark gray is above and below this white "line" but the rounded edges of the pill shape are the dark gray. I'm using CS6.
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?
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.
Alright I am trying to create a shape made up of tons of instances of a symbol (best example of what I am trying to achieve is here )
I hoped I could just use draw inside mode and the symbol sprayer however I am not able to ensure the instances don't colide and that they actually completely fit inside the shape without being cut off.
I am obviously going about this the wrong way but have searched for unsuccessfully for any instruction on how this could be achieved.
Just doing my normal practise in Illustrator. Ive came across designing a dome sphere shape. And Im using the 3d revolve techniqe, So I have my symbol to map onto the 3d elipse. but towards the top of the sphere the symbol tends to get distorted, and it looks aweful. So I also tried another technique to envolope distort with top object but its hard to achieve making it look 3d, because the sphere faces dont go around.
I'm new to illustrator and I'm trying to achieve something I hoped would be quite simple. I want to take a bitmap, live trace it, then create an outline of 2px wide only around the outside limits of the shape. I want to then get rid of all of the live trace vectors and be left with my very simple outline of the original image. Eg.
I've tried image expand, I've tried outline, but nothing seems to work as I need it to.
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.
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.
Before, when I created lines or shapes in illustrator a small window would show the size of whatever I was creating. Now it does not show up and what the size is of the shape or line.
I want to create a stroke profile with a modified brush stroke. Is that possible? Or do I have to begin with a shape?This is what I am trying to assign, but the option to save as a variable width profile is greyed out.
I have tried the offset path, however it gets too large. I am looking to keep things simple but need a bit more definition that just a simple outline will give. On this particular image I am looking to create an outline or fill shape behind the words and pistol but wanting to keep roughly the same shape.
How do I make the edges of the top layer blend in with the bottom layer so you cannot tell that there is a line??? I want to make it look like a heart but I don't know how to smoothen the edges to make it look like it is part of the bottom layer so when I merge the layers there is no goofy lines looking like someone cropped another fire picture out...
Pic 1. I have an image I want to use as a background, however the image is not complete. I need a part of pic 2 to fullfill it.
Pic 2. The colors around the object doesn't match the colors of Pic 1.
Normally it would be best to cut the object out. However in this case it wouldn't look nice (the object is mixed out (in color) with the rest of the image). If I cut out something the object won't look "proper".
My question:
How can I blend pic 2 on pic 1, using the original object from pic 2 (as it is), and at the same time blend the colors around it, so that it matches that of pic 1 / or simply remove it somehow?
So I was in the midst of making blend-shapes for an animated wizards staff, but one leaf wouldn't deform like the rest.
I know I selected the vertices properly when altering it, but every time I try to create a blend shape deformer I get the error "Error:// no deformable object selected.
I have a scene with an object with multiple blend shape targets. I'm not using custom attributes to control these targets (since doing that makes the Blend Shape Editor nonfunctional). I'm just directly changing the value in the channel box's 'Input' section, under 'blendShape1'. By typing in the number directly, I can get it to work with any number I want, but if I try the Maya Cntrl-drag method to interactively change the number, I'm stuck between values of 0 and 1. Is there any way to change the min and max of these attributes? Its strange that I can type in whatever I want and it will work, but cntrl-dragging does not work that way.
I'm rigging a character for use in Maya 2011, which I'm not all too familiar with - How would I link the blend shape states for 2 objects, so when I increase the value of one blend shape for one object, it increases the value for another blend shape for another object?
I have a blend shape for the mouth open position & I need the teeth & tongue open blends to match as the value increases.
In 3DS Max I'd use the reaction manager - is there something similar for Maya?
I have run into an issue relating to the differences in the way Mudbox and Maya subdivide meshes. My workflow for creating blend shapes is as follows:
1. Create base head mesh in Maya 2. Import base head mesh into Mudbox and subdivide to level 2 3. Create a Mudbox layer on top of base head mesh to sculpt each blend shape (e.g., browsMidUp) 4. For each blend shape, export the level 0 mesh to Maya for use as a blend shape on the base head mesh
Here is where it all falls apart.
When I smooth the blend shape in Maya (either by choosing smooth preview or by selecting Mesh>Smooth), the smoothed mesh in Maya differs from that in Mudbox. In the case of browsMidUp, the blend shape created in Mudbox only modified the brows. However, in Maya when the blend shape is smoothed the mouth opens up (i.e., the lips smooth differently in Maya than Mudbox, causing the mouth to open).
This is incredibly frustrating because I did not discover this problem until after I created approximately 35 blend shapes in Mudbox!I believe I can work around my current error. However, I would like to know how others approach the creation of blend shapes.Do you use Mudbox? If so, how do prevent issues associated with smoothing differences?
I am trying to create a 3d object with depth and lighting that I can export to After Effects for a 3D logo with movement. I assume that this is pretty easy with text or an object created in photoshop but the image I am trying to extrude and make a 3d object is a layer I cut out from a jpeg. I am aware that I can wrap that layer around an object, but I am looking for the cut out object to be 3D. Do I need to convert the cutout layer to a vector? Is there a simple way to do that? Is this possible through illustarator or photoshop?
I recently had to buy a new computer and re-install CorelDraw X5. I've been using the software for about 3 years now to run a laser engraver, so I'm not new to dealing with vectors. For some reason though when I draw something like a square, click "convert to curves", then right click the segment I was to delete, the delete option is grayed out and the only thing I can do is add a node. I'm not too sure what I'm doing wrong or if it's a setting somewhere they didn't get checked off when I installed the software.
