Comments on: Illustrator 101: One Gradient Across Multiple Paths

By: 30 Tutorials That Will Teach You Illustrator | Arbenting

30 Tutorials That Will Teach You Illustrator | Arbenting — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:50:35 +0000

[...] the Pen Tool Duplicate a Shape Using the Rotate Tool Cropping in Illustrator One Gradient Across Multiple Paths Typing Along a Path Rotating Individual Characters Kerning and Tracking Text Creating Custom [...]

By: Lorraine

Lorraine — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 20:59:26 +0000

Thank you. Great tip. I’ll be a professional Illustrator in no time :)

By: 71 Gradient Resources for Web Design | Vandelay Website Design

71 Gradient Resources for Web Design | Vandelay Website Design — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:34:40 +0000

[...] Illustrator 101: One Gradient Across Multiple Paths from BittBox. [...]

By: Monty

Monty — Fri, 23 May 2008 11:32:43 +0000

Hello!

I have a problem. This is OFFtopic in this tip, but maybe you could help me.

So, I have 12 circle, and I would like to set them around a circle, and a gradient over them. Like as the hour numbers on a watch. And I would like the gradient start from the 12 with black for example, and finish on the 11 with white.

If I use the gradient painting on the circles when these are in one line, how could I put them around a circle? Or how could I make a new gradient style to paint them after the rotation?

Thanks in advance, and this is the best Illustrator trick page all over the web!

By: erica

erica — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:42:20 +0000

Wowee! Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is exactly what I need. You are a lifesaver. Thank you for posting this easy to understand tutorial. You rock!

By: Budd Raymaker

Budd Raymaker — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 20:27:05 +0000

Compound paths rule!

By: chandrashekar

chandrashekar — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 06:55:46 +0000

really nice tutorial

By: Britt

Britt — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:06:03 +0000

This seemed to not work with a US map over 24 objects? I wanted to apply a gradient so I had to click on each state and it worked with half the map! but it only offered me the clipping mask option and not the compound path after I clicked on all of them. Anything I can do?

By: JoBo

JoBo — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 06:15:20 +0000

Actually, you don’t need a group or a compound path. After filling your multiple objects with a gradient, if you select them all and use the gradient tool from the tool bar to click and drag, you can easily put one continuous gradient through all objects…

The only thing that would make this different is when moving various objects around after. Since the gradient is tied to all of a compound path, moving a single piece of the object you created above is going to affect the gradient in all other pieces where as, doing it the way I mentioned would essentially make a series of “dead” pieces that when moved, will not change.

By: Gary

Gary — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:51:46 +0000

Thanks for the tip - it was so simple but it would take me a long time to figure this out myself =)

By: JaysonX

JaysonX — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 22:24:07 +0000

thanks!! I got home work on making a grey scale…lol thanks!

By: Joe S.

Joe S. — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 14:21:25 +0000

You can also just pick the gradient tool after you make the objects a group. Drag the gradient in you desired direction over the objects. No need to make it a compound path.

By: KIM HUE JONG

KIM HUE JONG — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 04:34:11 +0000

By: Emma

Emma — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 19:09:47 +0000

Priceless stuff Bittbox….as always your tips are quite useful. The gradient tool is not exactly my favorite…thanks for making it easier to work with it.

By: Al Lemieux

Al Lemieux — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:48:08 +0000

I don’t see what the problem is with the Gradient tool. It’s not that different from what we have in Photoshop.

By: jimHere

jimHere — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 18:50:22 +0000

Laura is right (use the Gradient tool to make gradients). Plus you can eyeball the angle, or use the palette for a real directional number…

By: Esben Thomsen

Esben Thomsen — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 14:01:50 +0000

I really don’t see the problem with gradient tool.. perhaps im just used to it, on the other hand, a path to control your gradient could be useful.

On the other hand, I dont use PS much

By: theCarrotNetwork

theCarrotNetwork — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 11:14:18 +0000

Thanks Bitt, that looks like a very useful tip. Also thanks to the commenters with the tip about more mouse control using the gradient tool.

Brilliant!!

By: Jake Teton-Landis

Jake Teton-Landis — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 03:03:54 +0000

I agree that Illustrator’s gradient tool is rather lacking. The gradient tool in Inkscape, however, is FANTASTIC. You can change the ’shape’ of the gradient, like make instead of a perfectly radial gradient, an eliptical one. It also lets you play with two anchors to precisely set the gradient’s position on the shape.

Illustrator really needs that. I have to go back to Inkscape every now and then when doing lots of compound gradient work just to get Inkscape’s gradient.

Illustrator is a great full featured vector program, EXCEPT for gradient and pattern support. LIKE WHY CANT I GET A GRADIENT IN MY STROKE GUIZE??

By: Sundancer

Sundancer — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 23:59:06 +0000

I have to disagree on this one! I think the gradient tool is a huge helper. I didn’t discover it until recently and it has saved me a lot of time, trouble, and enabled me to do things with simple gradients I couldn’t find a way to achieve through the pallette alone. Like making the gradient start from any point of an object instead of going exactly from end to end. It’s also faster to change the angle of my gradient to just drag my mouse then typing in a numeral that may or may not be the angle I want.