Modify a Gradient?

[Glennsart]

G'Day. I have made a gradient fill on a pixel layer in AF Photo V2. Then I made a new layer and added content using a different tool (brush in this case, but I don't think it matters). Next I wanted to come back and edit the gradient I made previously, and this is my issue. When I click on the layer with the original gradient and select my gradient tool, it's as though it wants to make an entirely new gradient from scratch. Is there no way to bring up the Gradient Tool for that layer and simply edit it? Obviously if I don't select away from the Gradient Tool in the first place, the gradient is infinitely editable, but it seems if I do select another tool and then come back to the Gradient Tool (and making sure I'm on the layer the gradient was made on) I can only make a new gradient rather than editing the original gradient. Am I missing something here (quite likely I am)?

Thanks much in advance.

[prophet]

2 minutes ago, Glennsart said:

gradient fill on a pixel layer

There's the issue. A pixel layer is raster and thus the gradient, when released, will just be pixels.

The solution could be create a vector shape and use the gradient fill on it. That way it will remain "live" for further editing.

[Glennsart]

Ahhh, wonderful! Thank you for this. I'll take another shot at this with that in mind. Appreciate your help.

 

[prophet]

Happy to help.

[lphilpot]

I'd love to see a non-destructive gradient that could be applied to / as a layer mask and later edited. I've played a bit with gradient fill layers but only partially successfully in that context.

[walt.farrell]

12 minutes ago, lphilpot said:

I'd love to see a non-destructive gradient that could be applied to / as a layer mask and later edited. I've played a bit with gradient fill layers but only partially successfully in that context.

Same answer as above. You need to use a vector object as your mask, and then the gradient will be editable.

[Glennsart]

Thanks Walt. Yup, just went back and re-worked my project and the vector gradient worked fine. The only hiccup is I applied a mask to the vector layer and that works the same as a pixel layer of course, so that's not editable once you click away, but that's ok. I can manage with that.

Thanks again.

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, Glennsart said:

The only hiccup is I applied a mask to the vector layer and that works the same as a pixel layer of course, so that's not editable once you click away, but that's ok. I can manage with that.

You're welcome. 

If you create your vector with the shape you need to mask your other layer, and then just apply the gradient directly to the vector (not its mask) you should still have it editable.

[Glennsart]

So, quite by accident, I just ran across a tutorial that covered (in part) this very subject. The answer turns out to be to use a new Fill Layer to put your gradient on. Now basically this is much the same thing as @prophet and @walt.farrell said, so likely this is redundant, but it took me in a slightly different direction or at least gave me a couple of different options. Anyway, the link can be found here, and this particular subject is at roughly the 1:45 mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-7Yvw6Yt54

Hope this helps others.

[Glennsart]

"If you create your vector with the shape you need to mask your other layer, and then just apply the gradient directly to the vector (not its mask) you should still have it editable."

Excellent! Thanks again Walt.