Gradient Palette

The Gradient Palette allows you to create custom gradients for use as line, fill or background paints within your drawings. It appears when you select New Gradient from one of the Line & Fill Palette's swatch pop-up menus.

When the Gradient Palette appears, it is dedicated to setting the paint for the attribute of the panel from which it was invoked (referred to as the calling swatch). For example, if you click on the Line & Fill Palette's Line Color Swatch, the Gradient Palette will set the Line paint for as long as it is open.

For a full explanation of gradients, see Working with Paints.

Type Selector Panel

The Type Selector allows you to change the direction in which one gradient color blends with another. Three choices are available:

• Radial - blends from one color in the center of the element to the second color at the edges of the element.
• Vertical - blends from one color at the left edge of the element to the second at the right edge of the element.
• Horizontal - blends from one color at the top edge of the element to the second color at the bottom edge of the element.

Radial Gradient

Vertical Gradient

Horizontal Gradient

Be Aware:

In MandalaMaker we've chosen to designate gradients as horizontal and vertical based on the dimension in which the bands of color appear to run, which we find more visually intuitive.

However, a vertical gradient blends the colors horizontally (from left to right), while horizontal gradients blend colors vertically (from top to bottom).

Spread Slider

The Spread Slider adjusts how quickly one color blends with the other. The Spread can range from 0 to 100. Larger Spread values represent a slower transition from one color to the other. MandalaMaker automatically scales the gradient Spread to the area being painted. The Spread value appears numerically in the Line & Fill Palette's Color Swatches.

Colors Panel

Color Swatches

The Colors Panel contains two swatches representing the two colors to be blended in the gradient. The labels on the swatches change when different types of gradients are selected in the Type Selector Panel. To change one of the colors or to add transparency to a color, click on a swatch to open one of the Color Pickers.

Reverse Button

The Reverse Button swaps the two color swatches, reversing the direction of the gradient.

Preview

The Preview provides a scaled preview of the current gradient.

Cancel Button

Clicking the Cancel Button closes the Gradient Palette and reverts the paint of the calling swatch to its value before the palette was opened.

Done Button

Clicking the Done Button closes the Gradient Palette leaving the gradient paint of the calling swatch set to its current value.

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