Rotating the stroke gradient

[Gear maker]

I can create a gradient for a stroke using the left pull-down stroke panel.  But it only seems to make a horizontal gradient.  My stroke has a vertical and horizontal portion, I am trying to add the gradient to the vertical portion.  How do I rotate the gradient 90 degrees?  If that's not possible how do I limit the Layer Effect to the stroke only?

[MattP]

Hi Gear maker,

 

I'm a little confused about what you're trying to do to what - and in what dialogs? Is there any chance you could post a screenshot or two to help? :)

 

Thanks :)

Matt

[Gear maker]

Hi Matt, in the one picture there is a stroked line that is mainly vertical.  I've made it blue just to show it, it's actually to be gray.  I want to have the line have a gradient, lighter on the top and darker on the bottom.  The second picture is of the gradient panel.  It only seems to allow a linear gradient to be horizontal, but I need it vertical.

 

If it were the fill then the Layer Effect would do it because I can specify an angle.  But I only want the stroke changed.

 

Happy New Year.

[MattP]

No problem Gear maker, just go to the Gradient Tool (press 'g') and choose 'Stroke' from the 'context' on the context toolbar then just drag the handles with the mouse. If you want perfectly horizontal/vertical then use the Shift modifier to constrain it 

 

Hopefully that helps :)

Matt

[Gear maker]

Hi Matt,

 

That worked.  Shouldn't the gradient on the stoke have a direction option?

 

Thank you.

[MEB]

You can define its direction through the gradient's handle on the canvas.

[Dale]

Setting the direction of a gradient in a dialog is very clunky in my mind compared to live and instant tools that respond to clicks, drags, and drag and drop edits, but you aren't the first person to try and find the parameter there, GM. I suspect this is down to conditioning from inferior software, I can tell you it's OK, you will get used to things being... live. 

 

:)

[Ben]

Another little gem for certain applications where you have to set a gradient angle - and something I found from writing PSD import/export - the angle you specify for your gradient in PShop is not the actual angle that you get.  Try creating a vector rectangle, rotate it to 30 degrees with the free transform, then create another object with a linear gradient at 30 degrees - you will see that the angles are not the same at all.

 

 

So - would you rather have an app that pretends to give you a gradient at an angle, or an app that lets you place your gradient precisely in the context of your document???

[TatianKa]

No problem Gear maker, just go to the Gradient Tool (press 'g') and choose 'Stroke' from the 'context' on the context toolbar then just drag the handles with the mouse. If you want perfectly horizontal/vertical then use the Shift modifier to constrain it 

 

Hopefully that helps :)

Matt

That did not work for me on Affinity Designer for Windows. When I decide to add a gradient to stroke only just the way you have described, it adds inner gradient fill but leaves the stroke itself unchanged.

[R C-R]

That did not work for me on Affinity Designer for Windows. When I decide to add a gradient to stroke only just the way you have described, it adds inner gradient fill but leaves the stroke itself unchanged.

Do you not see a "Context:" item on the left side of the Context toolbar (the toolbar that changes depending on the tool you select) when you select the Fill Tool (also called the gradient tool)? It should have two popup choices, Fill or Stroke.

[TatianKa]

Do you not see a "Context:" item on the left side of the Context toolbar (the toolbar that changes depending on the tool you select) when you select the Fill Tool (also called the gradient tool)? It should have two popup choices, Fill or Stroke.

Oh, there it was! Now I see it! Thank you so much for help!