Gradient – not, or wrong applied

[thomaso]

In v305 and v293: With an empty rectangle or image frame selected I hit the "Fill" button and go to its "Gradient"section. A gradient appears in the options window made of white and my last used color swatch. But this gradient does either not become applied to the selected frame or it appears in the frame but with a wrong left points' position (as middle instead left).

1. Gradient does not appear in the frame:

      

 

2. Gradient appears but has its left point in the middle of the frame (while the gradient looks correct at two preview icons in the swatches panel) :

  

 

 

3. To make the gradient appear it may need additional steps, for instance a change of the gradients' shape (linear > elliptical) or to tab on "Reverse":

                 

 

[Sean P]

Hi Thomaso,

I've just tried to apply some gradients on my mac and they're all fine. Your screenshots show the Opacity at 0%, but the background of the gradient ramp doesn't indicate any transparency which is odd. Would you be able to use QuickTime to make a screen recording of you creating a new document and reproducing these issues please?

Thanks!

[thomaso]

Hi Sean,

I haven't noticed the 0% opacity before. To me every new gradient appears with that 0 first, it only changes when I select one of the gradient's single colors.

Here are two recordings. In the first the gradient midpoint does not become correct even with a change of the gradient type (different to my experience from the first post).

The second .mov shows the gradient process 3 times: at first (yellow & green rectangle) the midpoint looks fine but I still have to change gradient type to make the gradient appear at all. Then, with the third trial (blue), the midpoint issue is back and remains for new frames, though the color swatch preview in the tools panel looks correct.

I also had experienced (unfortunately not recorded) cases, where the gradient got created with wrong midpoint but when I drew directly afterwards a new rectangle then it got the same gradient (as last used swatch) and that gradient appeared with the right midpoint.

So, it is additionally weird that it does not behave exactly the same with every trial.

 

Second .mov, / midpoint issue at 1:10 min. (blue rectangle):

 

 

 

[thomaso]

WYSIWYG? – I'd like to know if you see the gradients like I see them in the attached document:  170305-gradient.afpub

and in its/my screenhot:

 

[Sean P]

Hi Thomaso,

Thanks for the video, I can see what is happening now. So currently switching to the gradient tab doesn't apply the gradient straight away to the shape when I believe it should. Because of this you are switching to the Radial which then applies a gradient to the shape and positions the 'gradient handle' (invisible if you're not using the Gradient Tool) so that it fits the shape.

However when you switch gradient type, we don't move this handle because we don't want to interfere with what a user might have set themselves. This means that when you switch back to linear the handle begins in the midpoint of the shape (because that's how radial gives the effect you see). The easiest thing to do is just to switch to the Gradient Tool and adjust your handle position. See attached video to help explain. 

As I said I think the confusion arises because the shape doesn't immediately switch to being a gradient so you have to do something in that dialog for it to apply. 

 

[thomaso]

Hi Sean P,

Thank you for your video, it shows the additional use of the Fill Tool – or simply the need to shake the midpoint when creating a gradient with "Fill" button instead of tool.

Now I stuck when I use the Fill Tool to draw a gradients line on a rectangle object and press the Fill button to get access to its options: the gradient section does not appear any more but a single color setting only instead.

So it appears I have to toggle between fill tool and fill button to define a gradient finally. – Why such hopping around? By design?

 

EDIT: your hints are definitely useful but don't explain the different results in my 2nd screencast of 3 trials to achieve a gradient. Especially in the last trial (3rd, yellow, 0:50 – 0:52 min) I'd like to understand what's going on when the "Reverse" button got used: it did not change the gradient direction only but its midpoint, too. – How comes?

[Sean P]

On 5/4/2019 at 11:17 PM, thomaso said:

Now I stuck when I use the Fill Tool to draw a gradients line on a rectangle object and press the Fill button to get access to its options: the gradient section does not appear any more but a single color setting only instead.

So it appears I have to toggle between fill tool and fill button to define a gradient finally. – Why such hopping around? By design?

EDIT: your hints are definitely useful but don't explain the different results in my 2nd screencast of 3 trials to achieve a gradient. Especially in the last trial (3rd, yellow, 0:50 – 0:52 min) I'd like to understand what's going on when the "Reverse" button got used: it did not change the gradient direction only but its midpoint, too. – How comes?

There was a change made that meant that if you had a node selected on the document (evidenced by the larger handle) then the Context Toolbar will just show as a solid colour (allowing you to change just this colour), but with no node selected it will show you the gradient as a whole. I believe this is what you are seeing.

I've looked through your second video at 0:50 and it shows a green rectangle rather than a yellow one. However the Reverse button will switch the direction/order of the nodes along the gradient path, and not rotate the handle (there is a separate button on the context toolbar to do that, it will rotate around the first point of the gradient). See attached screenshot showing the Gradient and after reversing.
 

[thomaso]

2 hours ago, Sean P said:

There was a change made that meant that if you had a node selected on the document (evidenced by the larger handle) then the Context Toolbar will just show as a solid colour (allowing you to change just this colour), but with no node selected it will show you the gradient as a whole. I believe this is what you are seeing.

Yes I see that. After dragging a gradient with Fill Tool I have to do one more click to deselect the last node. Instead I had expected to see the gradient options + a popup color window (instead of color window only). So it seems that with "Move Tool" the "Fill" options are more obvious - compared to "Fill Tool".

3 hours ago, Sean P said:

your second video at 0:50 and it shows a green rectangle rather than a yellow one.

Oh, sorry! At 0:50 yellow is in 1st mov. – In the 2nd it's at 1:30 – 1:37, blue.
What is happening there that the Reverse button does not switch the gradients direction only (and this way simply mirror the gradient) – but it seems to move its midpoint, too?