Tutorial > Add a contour gradient to text

 

Add a contour gradient to text

A gradient displays subtle variations of a color or transitions between two or more colors. In FreeHand, you can create multicolor gradients that follow the contour of a path. In this tutorial, you'll use the contour gradient feature to add a bit of polish to ordinary text.

1

Turn to page 4 and select the text that reads "Egyptian."

2

In the Fill panel, select Gradient from the Fill Type pop-up menu.

3

Click the Contour Gradient button and click the swatch on the left of the color ramp.

4

In the list of swatches, select Gold Base-Tone.

5

Drag the swatch slightly to the right, as shown in the following illustration.

6

Click the second swatch, which you just created, and select Gold Low-Tone from the list of swatches.

7

Drag the first swatch to the halfway mark of the color ramp. Click it and select Gold Mid-Tone from the list of swatches.

8

Click the swatch on the right and select Gold Highlight.

9

Drag the swatch on the right toward the left, about a quarter of the length of the color ramp, as shown in the following illustration.

10

Drag the taper slider to 20.

The taper slider controls the ramp of the gradient.

11

Drag the center-point control toward the upper left corner, as shown in the following illustration.

The Egyptian text in your document displays all of the colors you specified in the Fill panel applied as a contour gradient.

Note: You can use the Subselect tool in the Tools panel to select an individual letter within the Egyptian text. You can then adjust the taper slider for that letter to produce a more even gradient effect. The Tutorial_finished.fh10 file shows how the contour gradient appears when adjusted for individual letters.

12

To move the objects on this page to page 1, choose Edit > Select > All.

13

Choose Edit > Cut.

14

Turn to page 1 and choose Edit > Paste.