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Pools of light (or dark)


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It's often nice to be able to add a pool of light, for example under a lamp or generally around the image to create more contrast.

A simple way to do this:

  • Gradient tool (left toolbar)
  • Type: Elliptical (top context toolbar). Note: this will create a new pixel layer.
  • Click on colour panel in top toolbar. Leave left circle at white and set right circle at 50% grey.
  • Blend Mode: Overlay.
  • Control intensity with Opacity.

You can easily drag and shape the pool of light. Change the left circle to any hue to create coloured pools. Drag half-way mark on ellipse axes to change gradient, or even click on axis to add more points.

To do dark pools: Reverse gradient (top context toolbar button) and Blend Mode: Multiply.

Note: While these are non-destructive (on separate layer), you don't seem to be able to go back and re-edit the ellipse afterwards. Using the Filters/Lighting filter as a point would seem an alternative, but it doesn't appear to be able to do an ellipse.

Dave Straker

Cameras: Sony A7R2, RX100V

Computers: Win10: Chillblast i9 Custom + Philips 40in 4K & Benq 23in; Surface Pro 4 i5; iPad Pro 11"

Favourite word: Aha. For me and for others.

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12 minutes ago, MBd said:

If you use a rectangle and fill it with a gradient you can edit it afterwards which is not possible using a pixel layer as you said

Good move. However, I drew an ellipse set the fill to Gradient, Type: Radial, and the gradient is coming from the LHS, not the centre (as the top toolbar icon suggests it should. Bug?

Dave Straker

Cameras: Sony A7R2, RX100V

Computers: Win10: Chillblast i9 Custom + Philips 40in 4K & Benq 23in; Surface Pro 4 i5; iPad Pro 11"

Favourite word: Aha. For me and for others.

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11 hours ago, owenr said:

 

The tools named "Fill Tool" in Designer and "Gradient" in Photo can be used to manipulate a gradient, including dragging its centre.

 

Yes, you can drag gradients in the gradient tool, but can you do it when a gradient is used within a shape?

(Aside: oddly, the problem I was getting yesterday about centring of the radial gradient within a shape now seems to be ok)

 

Dave Straker

Cameras: Sony A7R2, RX100V

Computers: Win10: Chillblast i9 Custom + Philips 40in 4K & Benq 23in; Surface Pro 4 i5; iPad Pro 11"

Favourite word: Aha. For me and for others.

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6 hours ago, owenr said:

Yes. Did the gradient handles not appear in the shape when you tried it?

Grab handles in shape are at edges. No clues about centring radial fill gradient.

Dave Straker

Cameras: Sony A7R2, RX100V

Computers: Win10: Chillblast i9 Custom + Philips 40in 4K & Benq 23in; Surface Pro 4 i5; iPad Pro 11"

Favourite word: Aha. For me and for others.

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Sorry Owen. Not so obvious to me yet. I'm drawing gradients within shapes, not using the gradient tool. Where do I enable bounding box midpoint snapping? Appreciate your help here!

Attached is example of the problem happening.

 

affinity radial.png

Dave Straker

Cameras: Sony A7R2, RX100V

Computers: Win10: Chillblast i9 Custom + Philips 40in 4K & Benq 23in; Surface Pro 4 i5; iPad Pro 11"

Favourite word: Aha. For me and for others.

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16 hours ago, MBd said:

why you not just draw a rectangle that covers the whole canvas and then place a gradient with transparent end point in it?

no fuss :11_blush:

This is the idea. I started with the Gradient tool but picked up on MBd's first note about using shapes. I really appreciate owenr's time and concern, but it's shapes, not gradient tool I'm now using. In detail:

  1. Click on shape tool near bottom on left toolbar and select ellipse
  2. Draw the shape on the image
  3. Click on Fill colour box on top toolbar
  4. Click on Gradient tab
  5. Leave Type as Linear.
  6. Click on an end node, then the colour box and set to 50% grey

The drawn ellipse then has a correct linear gradient across it.

Now click on the Fill colour box again and change Type to Elliptical. The drawn ellipse is incorrect as the centre of the gradient is at the edge, not at the centre.

Now reset history, going back to the beginning.

Repeat steps 1 to 6, except for step 5, where you change the Type to Ellipse.

Now the drawn ellipse is correct, with the centre of the gradient in the middle, not at the edge.

Dave Straker

Cameras: Sony A7R2, RX100V

Computers: Win10: Chillblast i9 Custom + Philips 40in 4K & Benq 23in; Surface Pro 4 i5; iPad Pro 11"

Favourite word: Aha. For me and for others.

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1 hour ago, owenr said:

My advice concerned a vector ellipse containing a radial gradient (as shown in screenshot), and I was telling you how to use Gradient Tool to move the centre of the gradient to the centre of the ellipse (or any arbitrary location) when the gradient is not aligned the way you want it. By the way, I think you should use an elliptical gradient inside a vector rectangle to create a vector version of the gradient that you described at the beginning of the thread.

 

Aha! Found it! Many thanks for sticking with me on this, owenr. I've learned something today (at last) which makes me happy. Select shape and then Gradient tool. I'm guessing that using a rectangle container shape rather than an ellipse is to ensure the gradient can fade all the way out.

I still think there's a bug in the shape fill subsystem, but that's less of a worry now I have a fix.

For completeness, for anyone reading later, the sequence is hence:

  1. Draw rectangle with Rectangle Tool over area where you want a pool of light.
  2. Click Gradient Tool.
  3. Change Type on top context toolbar to Ellipse.
  4. Click on colour box on context toolbar and click on left node to set it to white then right node to set it to 50% grey.
  5. Set Blend Mode on Layer panel for Rectangle to Overlay.
  6. Adjust with Opacity, node colours and gradient axis tools.

Dave Straker

Cameras: Sony A7R2, RX100V

Computers: Win10: Chillblast i9 Custom + Philips 40in 4K & Benq 23in; Surface Pro 4 i5; iPad Pro 11"

Favourite word: Aha. For me and for others.

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