gradient mesh ?????

[dmasters]

When I apply a gradient mesh to my object it is white in the center turning to gray. It will not let me change the color of the gradient - When I put the gradient mesh the two little color swatches for the gradient disappear- and I cannot get them back.
it only let's me change it as a solid

[B. Philippus]

dmasters:

Using the direct-select tool (open arrow), select one or more mesh point(s) and change their color as you wish. The regular gradient tool has nothing to do with the gradient mesh.

Also, take the plastic wrap off that red-and-black-and-white book which came with the program...

Bert

[dmasters]

Thanks for the fast response- I know how to add color to the gradient mesh- but when I apply it to my circle that has a gradation it automatically turns my gradation to gray- I cannot change the original color back

[Teri Pettit]

dmasters,

There is no relationship between a gradient mesh and the Gradient palette.

The Gradient palette controls gradient definitions. Gradient definitions are one-dimensional lists of colors with specified distance ratios between the color changes which are used to fill paths and text. (Even when it is used as a radial fill there is a single row of colors from inside to outside.)

In contrast, a gradient mesh is a two-dimensional rectangular array of colors where the color transitions are individual to each object and are controlled by the location of the mesh points. (Even when mesh does not look rectangular, it is a distorted rectangular grid.)

If you want to create a gradient mesh that approximates the appearance of a gradient-filled path, you can create your gradient-filled path, and then instead of clicking on it with the Gradient Mesh tool, use the Object>Expand command, and check the option to expand gradients into gradient meshes. The results will not look exactly the same, but they are fairly close. The original path becomes a clipping mask over the resulting gradient mesh.

For radial gradients, the mesh has a bit of a rayed "iris-like" appearance compared to the smoothness of a radial gradient. (The way a rectangular grid is distorted into rings is sort of like taking a rectangular strip, and twisting it around so that the left and right edges meet, and one of the other edges stretches to form the perimeter while the opposite one shrinks down to a point at the middle. This can be observed by pulling the mesh points apart with the direct-select tool after it is made. The slightly striated appearance comes from this underlying rectangular grid.)

Once the mesh is constructed, there is no link between the gradient mesh and the gradient that formerly filled the object. So adjusting the definition of that gradient in the Gradient palette, or choosing a different gradient, will not change the location or colors of the mesh points in the gradient mesh.

[Ed A. Ortiz]

>Also, take the plastic wrap off that red-and-black-and-white book which
came with the program...<<

LMAO

[Jesús Reséndiz]

try to change ur color options to RGB...

[Claire Hollady]

Did you figure out this problem? CMYK vs RGB doesn't seem to provide a fix.

[Teri Pettit]

Claire,

Doesn't my post on July 27 answer the question?

D. Masters was trying to adjust the colors of a gradient mesh using the gradient palette. You can tell this from his/her statement "the two little color swatches for the gradient disappear." Only the gradient palette has "two little color swatches for the gradient."

The gradient palette is not supposed to have any relationship to a gradient mesh. They are completely different things, which I explained more fully in my earlier reply. So when you select a gradient mesh, or part of a gradient mesh, the gradient palette is supposed to clear out, to indicate that there are no selected gradients for you to be adjusting.

[Toni Toomey]

Also, take the plastic wrap off that red-and-black-and-white book which
came with the program...

Hey guys,

In dmasters’ defense, and in defense of other less experienced users who don’t seem to use the documentation effectively, I want to say that after some years of using AI8-10, I find the User Guide and Classroom in a Book to be lucid, clear, impeccably comprehensible, and helpful documents. But for a long time, until I had a lot of “hunt and peck” experience with AI under my belt, I could make no sense out of the documentation whatsoever.

Also, any of you who’ve read some of my other posts may have noticed that I’m an editor/writer/wordsmith by trade and an artist by personal passion. As an editor, I’ve dealt with many, many graphic artists working in both traditional and electronic media; and to the person, I’ve found them to be highly visual thinkers who have a hard time processing information when it comes as text (such as art specs with written instructions even when accompanied by scrap and sketches). That’s no slam, folks, because I’m also a visual thinker and experience the same challenge processing information that comes in the form of text. It takes determination and patience with myself to wrap my brain around what someone else has in mind.

A lot of the questions on the forum that seem to be clearly answered in the documentation are coming from folks who may be primarily visual thinkers and may already be intimidated or overwhelmed by the complexity of this lovely AI program. I mention this only because it’s tempting to be impatient with these folks; and maybe we need to cut them some slack.

Now, wasn’t writing this post a constructive way to procrastinate today’s writing-under-deadline chores?

BTW, Bert, unless you're using British-English language conventions that allow "that" and "which" to be used interchangeably, you wanted to use "that" in your sentence. Sorry, couldn't help myself. >;-)

Cheers, T

[Teri Pettit]

Visual thinkers might want to check out some of the third-party books that rely more heavily on pictures, such as:

Visual Quickstart Guide to Illustrator 10:

<http://www.illustratorworld.com/books/book2.html>

Adobe Master Class: Illustrator Illuminated:

<http://www.illustratorworld.com/books.html>

Also the Illustrator 10 Wow Book by Sharon Steuer, but I don't have a short link to a review of that one. (The Amazon link is one of those humongous long ones full of code numbers.)

I usually find these third-party books to be more helpful than the User Guide, for learning just about any software product. They also tend to be more expensive. It would add to the cost of the application to ship with such a picture-intensive book.

[Ian A. Wright]

Toni:

Thanks for the well-balanced response. It's a great example of how to disagree constructively. As another professional writer/editor I appreciate what you did and how you did it. (s)

[Toni Toomey]

Thanks back at'cha, Ian.

T

[B. Philippus]

Toni:

I suspected that was incorrect, but I thought it looked and sounded better. I'm not a native English speaker, so occasionally I consider it my prerogative to write with a foreign accent.

Thanks for the correction!

Bert

[Ian A. Wright]

Bert:

> ... my prerogative to write with a foreign accent ... <<

And it's appreciated, too!

[Claire Hollady]

No, I don't think your response answered the question or I wouldn't have asked about it again. A little constructive help goes a long way, folks, so can you please work with me here?

Understanding that the gradient mesh and gradient tools are two different animals--believe it or not, some of us less experienced users actually read MANY books cover to cover--what's happening is that as soon as the gradient mesh tool is selected, the object defaults to a gray and white gradient and will not, I mean WILL NOT, allow the gradient mesh to be applied.

Thanks for your useful input.

Claire

[Teri Pettit]

Claire,

By "the object", do you mean a path object that has not yet been converted into a gradient mesh? Will Illustrator not allow you to assign a solid color to that path object and then turn it into a gradient mesh?

[emma.m....@gmail.com]

This is exactly the problem I'm having. I'm not looking at the gradient pallet at all. The color I have in the fill box of fill/stroke turns gray the second I click the gradient mesh.