Handles??

[Branlid]

The highlighted mask i used for creating a gradient opacity with the fill tool.
My question is can i later go back and see the handles for this fill and change them , is that possible?

[Branlid]

Maybe its called nodes? Anyway, where are they? Can they only be used once?

[DM1]

2 hours ago, Branlid said:

can i later go back and see the handles for this fill and change them , is that possible?

Yes. Just select the layer and tap the fill tool to make it active. The existing fill handles will reappear.

[Aammppaa]

@DM1 I don't think that is the case with a mask. Masks are not retained as editable / vector objects, but rasterized as soon as you move away from the mask layer.

[DM1]

2 hours ago, Aammppaa said:

Masks are not retained as editable / vector objects, but rasterized as soon as you move away from the mask layer.

I can still come back and adjust the opacity gradient on the selected mask as shown below.

[Aammppaa]

At the start of your video you already have a gradient applied to the mask layer.

Around 11 seconds when you have both the Fill (Gradient) Tool and Mask selected there are no handles available to modify the existing gradient.

Instead you click drag a new gradient.

So on one hand you can say that the mask is "editable" because you do not need to delete the mask object to create a new one, but on the other hand it is not truly editable since you can't modify what already exists.

As an example: create a complex gradient mask with several additional nodes. Deselect the mask. Now try to go back and make a minor adjustment to one of the extra nodes.

You can't because the gradient doesn't exist as a vector object any longer. It has been rasterized to pixels, so there are no nodes or handles to adjust.

Contrast with a similar gradient applied to a vector object such as a rectangle. Here the nodes and handles remain available for ever.

[DM1]

15 hours ago, Aammppaa said:

As an example: create a complex gradient mask with several additional nodes. Deselect the mask. Now try to go back and make a minor adjustment to one of the extra nodes.

Correct, you need to recreate the gradient on the mask layer. The mask layer itself remains editable I.e I can use the gradient tool to restore or edit the original effect. The mask itself is completely editable as if a gradient had never been applied.

 

15 hours ago, Aammppaa said:

the gradient doesn't exist as a vector object any longer. It has been rasterized to pixels, so there are no nodes or handles to adjust.

Interesting observation. I have no idea how the effect is implemented. Usually rasterising an effect makes it permanent but in this case pixels rasterised on the mask appear to have no effect when the gradient tool is reapplied to the same mask layer.

[scdbs]

I was having this issue as well. Create a mask layer, add a complex gradient with multiple handles, then go about your work. If you then need to change the gradient you have to re-create it from scratch.

We need a way to access the gradient mask again if we want to edit it. Having to go through complex gradient setups all over again is very time consuming.

Another option would be to have gradient presets in the gradient menu. Then you could set up a complex gradient,  save it as a gradient preset, and just apply it again when you create the new gradient and tweak from there...

[Aammppaa]

1 hour ago, scdbs said:

gradient presets

You can save gradients.

From the help file…

To save a colour or gradient to a palette:

1. On the Swatches panel, select a palette from the palette pop-up menu.
2. Do one of the following:
   • right-click an object, then from the pop-up menu, click Add to>Swatches and choose to add colour from fill, stroke or both.
   • Select Add current colour to palette.

[scdbs]

13 hours ago, Aammppaa said:

You can save gradients.

From the help file…

To save a colour or gradient to a palette:

1. On the Swatches panel, select a palette from the palette pop-up menu.
2. Do one of the following:
   • right-click an object, then from the pop-up menu, click Add to>Swatches and choose to add colour from fill, stroke or both.
   • Select Add current colour to palette.

Great workaround. I was able to do a transparent rectangle and then create the mask gradient that I wanted then save it. Then, on my mask layer i just re-apllied the preset.

We should be able to access the mask gradient AFTER leaving it though.

[DM1]

 

20 hours ago, scdbs said:

Another option would be to have gradient presets in the gradient menu. Then you could set up a complex gradient,  save it as a gradient preset, and just apply it again when you create the new gradient and tweak from there...

We do have gradient presets in the Swatches panel menu Gradients, on the iPad. You can save gradients there too.