Color, Strokes, and Fills > Applying fills > Applying gradient fills

 

Applying gradient fills

Freehand provides three types of gradient fills:

Graduated fills apply color in a straight, graduated transition.

Radial fills apply color in circular gradations, regardless of the fill shape.

Contour fills apply gradations based on the shape of the selected object.

Left to right, graduated fill, radial fill, and contour fill
 

You can set preferences to control the number of colors displayed in gradient and radial fills to speed redrawing of the screen.

To set display preferences for gradient fills:

1

Choose Edit > Preferences. Click Redraw.

2

Choose a Better (But Slower) Display option:

Select the option to display as many colors as possible for gradient fills.

Deselect the option to limit the number of colors displayed and speed redrawing the document.

3

Click OK.

To apply a gradient fill to a selected object with the Fill inspector:

1

In the Fill inspector, choose Gradient from the pop-up menu.

2

Select the type of gradient by clicking the Graduated, Radial, or Contour button.

Graduated, Radial, and Contour buttons
 

3

Click the color swatch at either end of the color ramp, and then choose a color from the pop-up color menu. The left swatch sets the color for the top of a graduated gradient and the outside of a radial or contour gradient.

4

To adjust the fill, do any of the following:

To add a color, drag a color swatch onto the color ramp.

To change a color, click any swatch on the color ramp and choose a new color from the pop-up color palette.

To reposition a color within the fill, drag its swatch to a new position. If you drag an end swatch, a new one appears in its place.

To copy an existing color on the ramp to a new location, hold down Alt (Windows) or Command (Macintosh) and drag.

To remove a color from the color ramp, drag its swatch off the color ramp.

Note: Changing the fill from Gradient to Basic fills the object with the color displayed in the left color box.

5

For a graduated fill, set the following options:

Choose an option from the taper list. Linear tapers the color in equal increments. Logarithmic tapers the color in increasingly wide bands.

Linear (top) and Logarithmic taper
 

Set the taper angle using the dial or by entering a value. Hold down Shift to constrain the angle to 45° increments.

6

For a radial fill, drag the knob in the preview to set the center point.

Shift-click anywhere in the preview to reset the radial fill's center.

Note: To simultaneously set a radial fill's center position and center color, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Macintosh) as you drag a color swatch onto the object.

7

For a contour fill, set the following options:

Drag the knob in the preview to set the center point.

Shift-click anywhere in the preview to reset the contour fill's center.

Set the taper by entering a value or using the slider control. Lower numbers widen the area of the center color. and sharpen the transition to the edge color.

To apply a gradient fill to a selected object by dragging a color swatch, do one of the following:

To apply a color as a graduated fill, hold down Control as you drag a color swatch onto an object. Where you drop the color sets the angle of the gradient fill.

To apply a color as a radial fill, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Macintosh) as you drag a color swatch onto an object. Where you drop the color sets the fill's center.

To apply a color as a contour fill, hold down Alt+Control (Windows) or Command+Option (Macintosh) as you drag a color swatch onto an object. Where you drop the color sets the fill's center.