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How can I save gradients to swatch?


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Hi, I'm new using Affinity, but not new using photo editing software. I fell in love with this software, it's really awesome. But I don't know why, I can't save a simple gradient. I was just making a gradient and  then... there's not a single button to save the gradient, there is one who save just one color. 

 

I watched a video looking for an answer and some guy just click outside de gradient controls and then all the gradient appear in the selector color and he was able to add it to swatches, but no matter what I do, I never get the selected color be the whole gradient, it is just selecting one color everytime.

 

 

I attached a screenshot so you can see better what I am talking about.

 

Thanks

post-61572-0-07069600-1497023252_thumb.png

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  • Staff

Hi dexod,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

You can only save gradients from vector objects or from a Fill Layer (menu Layer ▸ New Fill Layer) to the swatches panel as those types of objects keep the gradient as an editable attribute. In your screenshot you are applying the gradient to a Pixel layer (see the label between parentheses after the layer's name in the Layers panel) which is baked to the pixel layer as soon as you deselect it.

So try with a Fill Layer (or a vector object) and you shouldn't have issues saving the gradient.

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Hi dexod,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

You can only save gradients from vector objects or from a Fill Layer (menu Layer ▸ New Fill Layer) to the swatches panel as those types of objects keep the gradient as an editable attribute. In your screenshot you are applying the gradient to a Pixel layer (see the label between parentheses after the layer's name in the Layers panel) which is baked to the pixel layer as soon as you deselect it.

So try with a Fill Layer (or a vector object) and you shouldn't have issues saving the gradient.

 

Hi MEB, thanks for the quick responde. Well I create a fill layer, but again, just one color is selected  :mellow:

 

16eDlQ5.png

 

 

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  • Staff

Ok, do the following:

With the document in the state you have in your last screenshot, zoom out, click somewhere with the Move Tool outside the canvas area to force-deselect the layer, reselect the Fill Layer again and try to save the gradient clicking on the palette icon in the Swatches toolbar. Does it save the gradient?

 

This is definitely buggy here and not working as it should.

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Ok, do the following:

With the document in the state you have in your last screenshot, zoom out, click somewhere with the Move Tool outside the canvas area to force-deselect the layer, reselect the Fill Layer again and try to save the gradient clicking on the palette icon in the Swatches toolbar. Does it save the gradient?

 

This is definitely buggy here and not working as it should.

 

Yes, it save the gradient, it just don't show the gradient color.

 

I made another one and save it.

 

rY5sNWV.png

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I just tried it, 

 

I set a rectangle, filled it with a gradient as you see. I then clicked on the little palette icon and added it to my own palette, called "mine" in swatches,

 

That worked perfectly and I can now add it to anything I draw with one click.

 

You can make up your own gradients first and if you put them in an application palette (maybe called "gradients") in swatches and they will be available whenever you want

 

BTW. It wont work if you have the gradient tool selected!  You have to add it to the swatches with the move tool selecting the graduated rectangle. If not you just get a solid colour.

post-59234-0-81305800-1497029864_thumb.jpg

Windows PCs. Photo and Designer, latest non-beta versions.

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Now I see what was happening, the problem was that the gradient color doesn't show in the swatches tab, but when I go to the color tab, there it is! And the problem of the gradients saving wrong was because the selected color was another gradient, so I guess it's working fine, BUT it really was confusing, maybe if the selected swatch and selected color work with the same value and show the gradient in the swatches tab, I don't know, something have to be improve.

 

Thanks MEB and toltec.  :)

 

1atSs8e.png

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  • 3 years later...

HELP!!  I must definitely be doing something wrong. I can't save a gradient following the steps above. I'm using Affinity Designer 1.8.4

1. make sure I'm in the move tool

2. make sure my fill layer is over my stroke layer with the gradient selected

3. make sure my object and layer with the gradient are selected

4. hit the add gradient and Nothing happened.

 

if you see the image you will notice that I have other gradients. don't know what happened since the last time I saved one, besides the last update!

 

 

Save a gradient.png

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  • 2 months later...

thanks to all, very nice post

one hour to save a gradient and lot of crashes (because working with pixel layer)
maybe a msgbox in assets help a lot when add a new gradient and you are working with pixel layers (like "only work on fill layers" )

:)

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  • 2 months later...

I have been trying to follow the directions here but when I get down to saving my gradient, I don't know what to choose from the Swatches menu that opens from the hamburger icon.

1. open a document
2. new fill layer
3. gradient tool--change the colours
4. move tool--select the fill layer
5. Swatches tab and click on hamburger icon--there are 14 choices and I don't know which one to pick.

Am I on the right track? Thanks,

Nancy

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35 minutes ago, Nancy6107 said:

Am I on the right track?

See in the online help ...

Quote

...

Add current fill to palette To save a color 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:
    • -click an object, then from the pop-up menu, click Add to Swatches and choose to add color from fill, stroke or both.
    • Select Add current color to palette. Use the Stroke/Fill color selector to target the color.

To edit a saved swatch:

  • Double-click a saved swatch.

To delete a saved swatch:

  • -click the swatch you want to remove and choose Delete Fill from the pop-up menu.

Generating a palette from document

You can generate a palette from the colors used throughout your document.

Panel Preferences To generate a palette from document:

  • Click Panel Preferences and choose an option from Create Palette from Document.

A new palette is created (named after the document) using all the colors currently in the document.

Sharing custom palettes

You can also share custom color palettes for use by other Affinity users.

Panel Preferences To export a color palette:

  1. Choose the palette you want to export from the palette pop-up menu.
  2. Click Panel Preferences and choose Export Palette from the menu.
  3. Type a name for the exported file, choose the disk location you want to save it to and click Save.

Panel Preferences To import a color palette:

  1. Click Panel Preferences and select a palette type from the Import Palette sub-menu.
  2. Locate the file you want to import and click Open.

The newly imported palette will now be available to choose in the palette pop-up menu.

...

 

☛ Affinity Designer 1.10.8 ◆ Affinity Photo 1.10.8 ◆ Affinity Publisher 1.10.8 ◆ OSX El Capitan
☛ Affinity V2.3 apps ◆ MacOS Sonoma 14.2 ◆ iPad OS 17.2

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To save a color 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:
    • -click an object, then from the pop-up menu, click Add to Swatches and choose to add color from fill, stroke or both.
    • Select Add current color to palette. Use the Stroke/Fill color selector to target the color.

Thank you very much. I looked in the Help and I searched online and in the forum, and I just didn't get it! Once you extract this little part from all the rest, it all becomes clear.

Nancy

 

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  • 9 months later...

I really struggled with saving a gradient. Then I wondered if it was because of the nature of the palette - you can save a palette as an 'Application', 'Document' or 'System'. When I stopped trying to save the gradient to a 'System' palette and saved to an 'Application' palette it worked fine.

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