Blending Gradient Fills
Creating bevels and a sky scene

This feature was first introduced in FreeHand 4 and some people didn't even know it was in there. This is a very cool technique that will add a touch of realism to art that may feel flat. It is also a fantastic method for creating inner or outer bevels without the use of an Xtra. First I go over the technique with a few bevel edge samples. Then I go into another tip on how to use this technique for creating a sky scene.

Version: 4 and above

Creating Bevel Edges

In this first example, I'm going to show the basics of this technique. As you can see above, I've created a simple group of shapes all with simple Gradient fills and no lines. Each of the circles have a Gradient fill consisting of only two colors, Black and the Brown color. By alternating the angle of the Gradient fills, it gives the illusion of depth. Now I want to add even more dramatic depth to the circles so I Select them both and apply the Blend command.

Instant rounded and smooth outer and inner bevel. Can you believe that this was the those two circles? FreeHand blends any shapes together with Gradient fills as long as (this is very important): Both shapes must have the exact same number of colors in the Gradient fill. By the way, you have to try the above example on your own, you'll just love the way it animates the Blend.

For this example, I wanted the edge of the inner most circle to have a more rounded bevel look. To accomplish this, I cloned then moved the circle just behind it then enlarged it slightly. Each circle has a total of 3 colors in the Gradient fill. Then I Blended them together and got a smoother looking edge on the example above at right.

For this example, I wanted the bevel edge of the rectangle shape to take on a sloping appearance. Each rectangle has a total of 4 different colors in the Gradient fill. As you can see in the example above at left, they are shifted as well. After blending them together in the example above at right, the shape now looks very three-dimensional and very shiny.

Now for something completely different, I decided to play around a little with different shape combinations (something you all should do when you have the time). Here I used Radial fills and moved the center points to different positions for each shape. Once blended, it created some weird thing I'd probably never use, but it sure made a very nice looking inner bevel. Can you believe FreeHand™ created this without the use of an Xtra?

You can somewhat modify the sharpness or roundness of the bevel edges by making the color transitions tighter in the Gradient/Radial fill palette. To do this, just add more colors to the top Gradient/Radial fill. Just make sure you give the other blend shape the same amount of colors in the Gradien/Radial fill, or it won't work.

There are many possibilities when creating bevel edges like this. Play with different angle combinations and radial offset values until you get something you want.

Creating a Sky Scene

Using the technique described above, I'm going to show you how to make a sky scene that includes a sun that will have a glowing halo effect.

First you create the background elements. Because the Sun will blend in with the gradient only, you must make separate blocks for the background. The top is a Basic Blue, the middle is the Gradient fill (Blue to a tint of the same Blue), and the bottom is a Basic tint of the Blue. Lines are shown for clarity only.

Now you create the Sun and fill it with a Gradient fill. Use a near White color for the start and the end of the Gradient. Since the background Gradient is only 2 colors, the Sun should only have 2 colors. If you don't make it a Gradient fill, the final Blend step will not work. Next, you make the halo circle that the sun will Blend into. You need to make this the same exact height as the Gradient filled rectangle behind it. You also want to give this circle the exact same Gradient fill as the rectangle. The fastest way to do that is to use FreeHand's Copy Attributes option under the Edit menu. Then use Paste Attributes on the bigger circle. Lines are shown for clarity only.

Now select the 2 circles and Blend them together. I still can't believe I haven't used this technique much. It works so nicely!

Don't stop with just the Sun and the sky, make some clouds and other special touches.

Two things you must remember:

1) Both shapes must always have a Gradient/Radial fill in order for the Blend to work.
2) Both shapes must have the same number of colors in the Gradient/Radial fill.

There are probably lots of other things you can do with this technique. If you have one you'd like to share, please send me an e-mail all about it.  

Example File Download (v7 format) Macintosh Stuffit File fhsource_blendgradients.sit Windows Zip File fhsource_blendgradients.zip