Fountain fills gradually change from one color to the next, along a linear, radial, conical, square, or rectangular path. You can use fountain fills to create the illusion of depth. You can choose a preset fill, or you can create a two-color or a custom fountain fill.
To create a custom fountain fill, you can change the colors, adjust the center point, or change the angle of a fill. You can also adjust the size of the blended area between the solid colors. When you finish creating a fountain fill, you can save it for later use as a preset.
Linear, radial, conical, and rectangular fountain fills
To apply a preset fountain fill
1.
In the toolbox, click the Fill tool .
If you want to fill an object, you must select it using the Object pick tool before applying the fill.
2.
Click the Fountain fill button on the property bar.
3.
Click the Edit fill button on the property bar.
4.
In the Fountain fill dialog box, choose a preset fountain fill from the Presets list box.
5.
Click OK.
6.
Click where you want to apply the fill in the image.
You can also
Specify a value for the opacity of the fill
Type a value in the Transparency box on the property bar. Higher values increase the transparency.
Specify how the fill spreads based on the color similarity of adjacent pixels
Type a value in the Tolerance box on the property bar. A value of 100 fills the entire object or area.
Change the way colors are combined
Choose a merge mode from the Mode list box on the property bar.
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Merge modes control the way the foreground or fill color blends with the base color of the image. You can change the merge mode setting from the default (Normal) for specific blending purposes. For more information about merge modes, see “Understanding merge modes.”
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To apply a fill to a text object, you can first render the text as an editable area by selecting the text object with the Text tool and clicking the Create text mask button on the property bar. This produces a text-shaped editable area to which you can apply fills.
To create a two-color fountain fill
1.
In the toolbox, click the Fill tool .
2.
Click the Fountain fill button on the property bar.
3.
Click the Edit fill button on the property bar.
4.
In the Fountain fill dialog box, choose a fountain fill from the Presets list box.
5.
Choose a fountain fill type from the Type list box.
6.
Enable the Two color option in the Color blend area.
7.
Open the following color pickers, and click a color:
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From — determines the start color for the progression
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To — determines the end color for the progression
8.
Move the Mid-point slider to set the midpoint between the two colors.
9.
Click one of the following:
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Direct color path — blends the colors along a straight line, beginning at the start color and continuing across the color wheel to the end color
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Counterclockwise color path — blends the colors along a counterclockwise path around the color wheel
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Clockwise color path — blends the colors along a clockwise path around the color wheel
You can also
Specify the center offset of a fill
Type a value in the Horizontal box, the Vertical box, or both. Not available for linear fills.
Specify the angle of a linear or conical fill
Type a value in the Angle box.
Specify the number of transition colors
Type a value in the Steps box. Higher numbers create a smoother transition.
Specify how long the start and end colors remain solid before they start blending
Type a value in the Edge pad box. Not available for conical fills.
Save a fill as a preset
Type a name in the Presets list box, and click Add fill .
To create a custom fountain fill
1.
In the toolbox, click the Fill tool .
2.
Click the Fountain fill button on the property bar.
3.
Click the Edit fill button on the property bar.
4.
In the Fountain fill dialog box, choose a fountain fill from the Presets list box.
5.
Choose a fountain fill type from the Type list box.
6.
Enable the Custom option in the Color blend area.
7.
Double-click the area above the Color band to add a color marker, and click a color on the color palette.
If you want to change the location of a color marker, drag it to a new position.
You can also
Specify the number of transition colors
Type a value in the Steps box. Higher numbers create a smoother transition.
Specify the center offset of a fill
Type a value in the Horizontal box, the Vertical box, or both.
Specify the angle of a linear or conical fill
Type a value in the Angle box.
Adjust the size of the blended area between solid colors
Type a value in the Edge pad box. Not available for conical fills.
Adjust the midpoint between colors
On the color band, double-click between two colors to add a new marker. Drag the marker to adjust the transition between the two colors.
Save the fill as a preset
Type a name in the Presets list box, and click Add fill .
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Custom fountain fills can contain up to 99 colors.
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You can delete a color marker by double-clicking it.
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You can change the color of a color marker by clicking the color marker and clicking a color on the color palette.
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before applying the fill.
on the property bar.
on the property bar.
and clicking the Create text mask button 
on the property bar. This produces a text-shaped editable area to which you can apply fills.
— blends the colors along a straight line, beginning at the start color and continuing across the color wheel to the end color
— blends the colors along a counterclockwise path around the color wheel
