How to paint gradients with the Gradient Tool in Photoshop (Video). What is Gradient

First, draw the outlines of the square on paper, then choose a darker shade of paint to make it easier to see the transitions of paint to light tones. Thin some medium-strength paint (30-50%) and blot the brush with it. On a clean part of your palette, dilute another watercolor mixture to about half the saturation of the original mixture. For this tutorial, I used a 1 Ѕ "(381mm) Winsor & Newton 965 series brush and Cobalt Blue watercolors (cobalt blue paint), paper from Arches # 140 CP.
Dip your brush in a darker paint (more saturated) and starting from the top left corner, touch the brush to the paper and gently draw a straight line towards the top right corner.

Bright hues

Remove the remaining paint from your brush with a sponge or paper towel, and then dip it in a less saturated (lighter) paint you diluted on a polish. Start your second stroke by applying paint to the bottom of the previous line. Note that the left side of the line has already smudged along with the top line. Let gravity do its job.


Even lighter.

Rinse the brush in water, dry with a sponge or paper towel, and dip it again in the lighter (lighter) paint on your polish. Draw an additional line, like the previous one.


Rinse your brush well again, and dunk it in the lightest shade of paint on your palette, draw another extra line.


Tip: 1
If your brush puts "broken" strokes i.e. streaks or uneven smudges, dip the brush back into the paint and immediately continue drawing the line.

Clean edge.

Rinse the brush again in clean water, and without drying, draw the last line along the edge of the previous stroke, then squeeze out all the moisture from your brush, use it to collect all the splashes and remnants of paint from the bottom of the paper, drawing the last stroke along the edge of the square.


Everything is ready!

Slight smudges in shades are smoothed out before the paint dries.

This is one example of how to add some grain to the work. You used cobalt blue paint in your work, and it creates a rough and heavy shade, thereby emphasizing the structure of the paper.

Tip: 2
Practice your colors using different colors and saturation levels. Each color has its own physical qualities, which are expressed in the way the ink flows and lays on the paper.

Tip: 3
Try using different colors in the shade transitions to create interesting multi-color effects.

original
translation: wienta

Color stretch is a smooth transition from one

colors to another, for example from green to blue.

Tone stretching - this is when a smooth transition goes from a light tone to a dark tone, most often of one color, for example, from light green to dark green. Or vice versa, from dark to light.

Stretch marks are sometimes referred to as gradient fills or gradients.

Color stretch can bemake from any two or more colors. Why do I say more colors, yeah

because smooth transitions of color from one to another can consist of three,

four, five colors ...

This stretch usedonly two colors: blue and green

And this one already has three colors: red, yellow and green.

it seems that the color flows over :-).

I hope the theory is clear. Let's go to practice.

An exercise

For exercises, we need A4 paper (landscape sheet size), gouache

and a synthetic gouache brush, watercolor and a soft core or squirrel brush for

watercolors.

Divide the sheet into four parts, like this:

Let's make two stretches (in the upper rectangles) using gouache, and two

(in the bottom) using watercolor, technique

the application of these paints is slightly different.

Let's start with gouache

Choose two colors for the first stretch. I chose purple and

whitewash, it will be a tone color stretch.

We spread on the palettea little purple paint and dilute with water to the consistency of sour cream,

next to the palette, place a little white. Now we type on the brush

purple paint and draw a strip along the edge of the paper in the first

small rectangle. After that, in purple paint on the palette

add quite a bit of white, mix, it turns out a little color

lighter than it was. With this new shade we draw the next strip,

literally by a millimeter grabbing the previous strip. After that again

add more whitewash to the purple mixture, mix and repeat

strip. And so continue until the rectangle ends.

It should look something like this:

Now select two other colors and stretch them in the same way.

principle.

I stretched from blue to red, then to orange, and this is what happened:

Now let's do a watercolor stretch

In the same way as with gouache, aim at

palette separately two selected colors.

I'll take yellow and green. Paint

the palette should look like two colored puddles.

Before applying watercolors, cover the rectangle with clean water without paint.

When the water has been absorbed so that the paper is damp but not wet, you can

start applying paint. First apply yellow paint, after each

adding a little green to the yellow paint, mix and again

we apply a strip. This should be done so that the edges of the strokes are not

dried up, then the color transition will be smoother and more delicate.

And the last exercise is going from white to any color in watercolor.

How to do it if you paint in watercolors

can not be used?

Very simply, we take the sheet itself for the white color, that is, the first page

we will write with ordinary clean water, and then we will go to the water a little bit

add the selected color. If, on the contrary, a color stretch is required.

to white, then we direct the desired color on the palette and after each application on

paper, slightly dilute the color with water.

If the watercolor stretch is applied in stripes and cannot achieve smooth transitions, then most likely you have thin paper that absorbs paint quickly. Then moisten the paper with a soft brush, wait until the water is absorbed, and the paper is wet but not wet (no puddles) and stretch across the wet paper, using a different gradient fill.

Lesson "Stretching color for the sky and dunes"

Why is the ability to stretch color useful?

It's long and boring to explain, better let me show you on

example.

After completing this exercise, you will immediately understand why

you have to learn how to stretch :-).

For the exercise, we need watercolor paper (the denser the better),

watercolor and a soft kolinsky or squirrel brush.

Attach a piece of paper to an easel or table with buttons (or masking tape),

to prevent the paper from curling when it gets damp.

Now imagine a desert with dunes.

With light (without pressure) pencil lines, apply

wavy lines. First define the horizon line and then

draw a desert with dunes.

By the rules of linear perspectivethan

Let's draw the sky

The sky is always brighter near the horizon than overhead.

First, we wet the paper so that the paint lays down more evenly and

spread more easily. Dip the brush in water, and wet

brush the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe sky to the horizon. Wait a few seconds, gotta

to allow moisture to penetrate the paper, i.e. the puddles disappeared, and the paper

just got wet, not wet looking. After that take

on a brush of blue paint, stir on the palette and apply a horizontal strip along

top edge of the paper.

Now, you need to work quickly, without letting the strokes dry out around the edges,

to form a smooth transition from a bright blue color to a transparent almost white color.

Just dip (do not wash, namely dip the tip of the brush in water,

so that water is added to the paint remaining on the brush) and

draw a new horizontal stripe with a more diluted color

just below. But draw each new horizontal line like this

so that it slightly captures the previous one,

so that they merge into a single space.

We draw the dunes

When the sky dries up, draw the desert in the same way.

We wet the distant dunes, and do

a stretch of yellow or orange, ocher or red

colors if you like Martian landscapes :-).

Just not as we wrote the sky from dark to light, but vice versa from light

tones to dark. The first stroke is done with slightly colored water (very

diluted paint), and in each subsequent stroke add

a little color.

Having written the dunes on the horizon, we let them dry, and

moisten the next row of dunes and prescribe them again with

using a stretch from light to dark tone.

We continue to write each

the next row of hills-dunes.

Don't forget the rules of aerial perspective: then

what is closer to us we prescribe more clearly, what is further from us

we write with less clarity, so to speak, do not worry if

the paint has spread a little, this will only enhance the picturesque

pictures.

Here's what we should get.

Nice, but not entirely believable. We forgot about the shadows.

For example, if the sun shines on the left, then the shadows will be on the right sides.

hills-dunes.

I remind you again about the rules of aerial perspectivethen what

in the foreground it is more contrasting that in the far

the plan is less contrasting, that is, in the background the shadows are softer, on

front sharper)

I've never been to the desert, but now I understand

that in bright sun the shadows should be much darker than I drew :)

I will not fix it :)

With the help of a column brush number 2 - we will outline the footprints in the sand, and

several vertical strokes will create the effect of a distant

caravan.

Instead of a caravan, you can draw a cactus, or a lizard, or something else.

And if you want to draw your own pictures, and not copy others' master classes, then in our online school for adults "EVERYONE can draw!" there are courses for beginners with a system-step-by-step training in drawing their own paintings:

A course for those who can draw with a pencil, and who dream of learning how to write with watercolors. Plunge into the magic of color :)

We study the techniques of ancient masters: Flemish layering, Italian, as well as ala-prima and pointillism. Suitable for those who do not know how to paint with oil, as they say from scratch. All friends and acquaintances will admire your pictures.

See you at our courses :)

Mila Naumova

Watercolors are among the most beloved by artists. Firstly, watercolor has a lot of different techniques, and secondly, with its help you can create a beautiful drawing, even if you do not know how to draw at all.

These techniques will help beginners learn to draw, and professionals brush up on them and find inspiration and ideas.

1. Drawing with a flat brush

Step 1

Draw a square or rectangle to mark the beginning and end of the layer.

Pick a darker shade (easier to see) and starting from the top left corner, brush down on the paper and gently draw a straight line all the way to the top right corner.

But: left-handers should draw from the right corner to the left.

Step 2

Fill the brush with paint again.

Start the next stroke from the bottom edge of the first, trying to cover the accumulation of paint that formed at the bottom of the first stroke.

Hint 1: If the accumulation of paint in the first stroke has not completely flowed into the second, then increase the angle of your easel to help the paint flow freely.

Hint 2: By increasing the angle of inclination, you also increase the chances of getting uncontrollable streams of paint. So try to work faster, or have something like a rag or sponge handy to quickly remove the drips.

Step 3

Repeat the previous step, also trying to cover the accumulation of paint in the top stroke.

Hint 3: you can use the flat edge of the brush to "cut" the beginning of the layer and make it even.

Hint 4: If you want to make the end edge of the layer smoother, then at the end of the stroke, pause and brush up and then down as you would with the start edge.

Hint 5: If the stroke is intermittent, then immediately fill the brush with paint and redraw it.

Step 4

Repeat the previous steps until the very end. Try to stick to the same paint tone.

Hint 6You won't believe how different the behavior of different brands of brushes, paints and paper can be. Usually, the more expensive and popular brands make your job easier by providing high quality products.

Hint 7: If your strokes are interrupted, even if the brush is full of paint, then you are using paper that is too thick or the texture is too coarse. If you come across such paper, then sprinkle on it with water, blot with a clean sponge and let dry. This will make the surface more receptive to your paint.

Step 5

Rinse the brush and squeeze out any remaining water from it. Carefully pick up any blobs of paint left over from the bottom of the final stroke, but do not take too much paint or you will discolor your drawing.

For a more pronounced texture in your design, leave it to dry at an angle. This will give the paint a more interesting look.

Gradient

Step 1

Draw a square or rectangle. Then dip your brush in a darker shade of paint (mixing is on the palette) and gently stroke with the brush.

Step 2

Dry the brush with a sponge or paper towel and dip it again in a lighter shade.

Then draw a new stroke, overlapping the bottom of the previous one. Notice that the left side of the layer has already merged with the previous stroke. Let gravity do its thing.

Step 3

Rinse the brush again and dry it off. And then refill the brush with paint and add another stroke. Repeat this process until the very end.

Hint 1: If the stroke is interrupted or does not lay as smoothly as desired, quickly refill the brush with paint and repeat the coat.

Step 4

Rinse the brush with clean water, wipe it off and pick up any remaining paint.

Hint 2: Try this technique by working with different colors and creating interesting transitions.

Watercolor glaze

Step 1

This technique requires improvisation and imagination. For example, we will draw an impromptu landscape.

First, paint the sky and the river with blue paint. Divide the paint with a little water, this will be a waterfall.

Step 2

Draw the clouds in dark pink and start drawing the mountain in yellow. Also, in yellow, we will mark the bottom of the picture.

The example uses light and transparency so you can see how the layers interact.

Step 3

Mixing cobalt blue and ultramarine blue, we paint the horizon of the mountain and shade the small yellow slope.

Hint 1: let each layer dry. You can use a hair dryer to speed up this process. Keep it at least 25-30 cm away, turn on the cold mode and set the hair dryer to the lightest air flow. No steam or hot air!

Step 4

To shade and add interesting colors, use orange. With its help, we will create the coastline in the foreground and shade the sky.

Hint 2: if you get blobs of excess paint, rinse and dry the brush as you did in the previous techniques, and pick up the drops with it.

Step 5

Please note that the images show different paint brushes. You can use the ones that you have in stock.

Take a dark blue color and shade the top of the mountain with it, varying the pressure on the brush and rotating it to create an interesting texture.

Step 6

Using the same blue color, let's play with the waterfall by drawing some circles. Sometimes, visual clichés become your friends.

Rinse the brush and pick a yellow color to add visual details to our shores.

Step 7

After the paint has dried, shade the bubbles in the waterfall with a shade of purple. This will make them more interesting.

Step 8

We need to link some elements and add trees. In the example, we used round patterns for crowns, but you can draw as you like.

Step 9

We will depict tree trunks in brown. Also, with the help of blue, we will shade the water and sky a little more. Then, using pink, blue and green, draw the grass in the foreground.

Step 10

Use a mixture of pink and red to add the final details. Our trees are bearing fruit now, and a few fruits lie under them.

If you look closely, you can see how each layer interacts with each other. The darker shade is more powerful, but when the colors overlap, they create an interesting and beautiful combination.

"Wet" technique

Step 1

Dampen paper with water

Step 2

Blot the paper with a clean sponge, removing excess water. Try to achieve an even distribution of moisture on the paper, you should get a satin effect.

If the paper is shiny, it is too wet, blot it again.

Step 3

We will paint the landscape again. Let's start with the sky, of course. Using this technique, it is easier to draw the background first, then move on to the foreground objects.

Step 4

Continue drawing the sky until we like it. The strokes will blur, creating an interesting effect.

Step 5

Now let's move on to the grass in the foreground. Using green, paint in some wide strokes, leaving room for the stones.

As the paper dries, the strokes become less blurred.

Step 6

Let's add shapes. To do this, use different shades of green and paint trees on the horizon.

Step 7

After adding trees, let's try to add texture to them. To do this, use a darker shade of green to create accents.

Step 8

Add stones using gray. We fill in the gaps in the foreground with this color, leaving some gaps.

Try to use either dark or cool shades. Using both dark and cool shades will create visual dissonance.

Step 9

Let's add accents to diversify the drawing. Using a purple hue, draw some floral elements in the foreground. Let the crimson spread as it pleases. Then, using a dry brush, remove color from the middle of the spots.

Step 10

Then drip clean water into the center of these spots to allow them to mix with the grass.

The hardest part about this technique is knowing when to stop. Overdoing it with blurs and colors will result in a messy drawing.

This technique produces a slightly odd but interesting result. The drawing made in this technique has a hypnotizing effect.

Dry brush drawing

Step 1

We think the name of the technique speaks for itself. We will need to draw paint on a brush, blot it from excess liquid with a paper towel or sponge, and only then draw.

First, let's sketch it out with a pencil. After that we roughly outline the sky by brushing over the surface of the paper.

Step 2

Let's draw the trees on the horizon in green, outlining what will become our lake.

Then, mixing purple and blue, paint the first layer of the tree trunk.

Step 3

Let the drawing dry and add some elements: a reflection of a tree in a lake and a stream of water.

Mixing green and blue, shade the shore against the background of the image and let the drawing dry again.

Step 4

Mix the intense blue with ultramarine and paint a layer on the tree trunk to create shadows and bark texture.

Step 5

Then, using shades of orange, paint the autumn landscape by painting over the background trees.

Step 6

Having finished with the previous step, we will depict the reflection of trees in the water with a light orange tint.

Also, by mixing gray with blue, we will add dark accents to the trees.

Also add trees on the other side of the horizon. Let's mark the tree shapes with orange.

Step 7

Let's deal with water. Use dark green and brown to achieve the desired color. And with undulating movements we will draw water in the lake.

Step 8

When painting a lake, vary the pressure on the brush to add texture.

Prompt: if the brush is too wet, the paint will look flat. Dry the brush to intensify the colors.

Step 9

Add some grass under the tree using the same color as for the background grass.

Step 10

Let's add some details to the foreground.

Also darken the lake a bit by adding a blue tint. And also shade the sky with the same color.

We remove moisture

This technique will require several sponges. It is suitable for images of clouds, soft light. And it can also control the behavior of paints.

Sponges

Makeup sponges work best. They absorb well and give an interesting effect.

Try not to rub the paper with a sponge, and if you do, do it very carefully so as not to damage the paper.

Paper towels

With their help, you can create clearer highlights. But paper towels absorb a lot of paint very quickly. Therefore, they can completely absorb fresh paint.

Paper towels can come in handy if you make a mistake. Then you can quickly remove the paint.

Dry brush

You can use a dry brush to paint with this technique. To do this, rinse well and wring out the brush. With its help, you can create clear lines.

Other methods:

• You can spray water where you want to remove the paint and then soak it with a sponge.
• Use a variety of fabrics to add texture
• You can use your fingers or other body parts. The skin can also absorb moisture.

Discoloration of dried paint

Watercolor paint brushes

Use clean water and a cloth, wet the desired areas, rub the design gently and remove moisture with a dry brush. This method allows you to control the areas that you brighten.

Oil or acrylic paint brushes

The stiff bristles allow you to quickly scrape paint off the desired area. But it's worth noting that this method can damage the paper, so keep control.

Here, just as in the first method, you must first moisten the area, and then work with a brush.

Spray and towel

Take a spray bottle and spray on the desired area, then attach a paper towel to it. This method leaves large light spots and has an interesting effect.

Sandpaper

Very rarely used, as it can damage the paper. It is best used at the end to add texture. You don't need water for this method, just rub the drawing in the right place.

Blades and knives

Can be used to brighten small areas and create crisp lines. This method is also very risky, as it can damage the paper.

Sponges

You can also use sponges. Wet the area you want and pat dry with a sponge.

A smooth transition from one color to another is called color stretching. The presence of several colors distinguishes our heroine from the tonal one. Foundation can be done with one paint. What is it for? It is impossible to imagine painting without mastering this technique. Color play forms the basis of most paintings. Let's learn how to do it with two dissimilar colors.

Stretched watercolor

It takes a lot of exercise to learn how to make subtle color changes. For this, there are simple exercises for filling gradient tables. It's best to try tonal stretch marks with one color first. Then you can gradually switch to multicolored exercises. Let's go through one of the simple exercises step by step:

1. Take a blank piece of Whatman paper and draw 4 long rectangles on top of each other.
2. Divide each strip into 8 equal pieces.
3. Now take your watercolor and brush. Dampen the brush well with water and paint with black paint. Fill the entire top rectangle with it.
4. Fill the next strip with blue paint.
5. The next one is red.
6. The last one is yellow.
7. After the first coat is dry, apply the second coats in rectangles with the same colors, again heavily diluted with water. Only this time it is not necessary to fill in the entire rectangle, but only seven of its parts. Leave one part of the same color and tone.
8. We do this according to this principle until all parts of our strips run out.

As a result, you will have a tonal grid of all primary colors, and a black rectangle will clearly show how the overlay of a new watercolor layer affects the tone. Now let's move on to our heroine, how to make her in watercolor. To do this, you can use the principle of the previous lesson. Only now we paint over the rectangles with two different colors towards each other. We start the first layer with five parts. As a result, at the junction of colors, we will get a color transition from one color scheme to another.

After a simple one, you can move on to a more complex one. For example, we work with watercolors on wet. Moisten the paper with water, and then brush with one color and side by side so that they can bond on the wet paper. For such activities, you can come up with different topics to make it more interesting to do the work. For example, come up with compositions to associate with a word or event.

Stretching with gouache

Never stop practicing with watercolor if you want to master this material well, but do not forget about other colors. Gouache is very different from watercolor, so stretching using the same methods will not work here. Let's do the first exercise from the watercolor school, but with gouache:

1. We repeat the first two points. Draw rectangles in the same way as for the watercolor exercise.
2. Paint over the first of the eight parts in each strip with a solid color. The top one is black, below it is blue, even below it is red, the last one is yellow.
3. Add a little white to the pure color, paint over the following parts.
4. We repeat the operation with adding white and painting the next parts until we write down all the cells. The main thing in this process is to add more and more white for new squares.

You will soon understand how whitewash affects the change in tone and color. After that, you can start the color stretching. By adding one paint to another, you will learn how to determine how they interact when mixed. Try to paint a colorful spectrum with gouache. Color compositions develop very well the sense of color. Take three or four colors, then try to create a fantastic landscape in one color scheme. Such exercises train imagination well, help to master the technique of writing in gouache. In any case, your efforts will not be in vain. The more you paint, the faster you will master all the secrets of color stretch marks. Applying the skills in practice, you will be able to achieve a realistic transfer of not only volume, color, space. Even the mood will become subject to you with the help of the ability to influence the color on the viewer.

In this tutorial, we will learn how to paint gradients in Photoshop. They can be used in many ways, for example, the Gradient tool lets you paint gradients on layers, or on selections, or on layer masks to create smooth transitions from one layer to the next. We can fill texts and shapes with gradients.

We can colorize the photo with a Gradient Map Adjustment Layer, or add color effects with a Gradient Overlay Layer Style, and more! Gradients are an invaluable tool in Photoshop for dramatically enhancing designs or images that appear flat.

In this tutorial, we will learn the basics of painting gradients using the simplest (and arguably most useful) tool, the tool "Gradient"(Gradient Tool). In later tutorials, we'll look at other ways to apply gradients, but they all work the same way, so once you've learned the basics of using the Gradient tool, you can easily take advantage of the other gradient features in Photoshop!

In addition to drawing gradients, we'll also look at how to select gradients from the Gradient Picker and how to load additional gradient sets. We'll explore different gradient styles and take a closer look at several of the most commonly used gradients, including the Foreground to Background gradient.

After learning the basics of painting gradients, in the next tutorial we'll look at how to edit and save our own gradients using the Gradient Editor.

For this tutorial I'll be using Photoshop CC, but Photoshop CS6 will work as well. Let's get started!

Create a new document

Let's start by creating a new document. For this, I will go to the section "File" (File) in the menu bar at the top of the screen and select "New" (New):

Choose File\u003e New (File\u003e New)

As a result, a dialog box will open "New" (New). In this lesson, I will set the following parameters for the document: Width (Width) 1200 pixels, Height (Height) 800 pixels. There is no particular reason why I chose these parameters, so if you want, set other values \u200b\u200bthat you like. Parameter "Resolution" (Resolution) I'll leave the default 72 pixels / inch unchanged, and the "Background content" (Background Contents) - "White" (White). I'll click OK when I'm done entering the data to close the dialog and a new document with a white background appears on the screen:

New Dialog Box

Selecting the Gradient Tool

Tool "Gradient"(Gradient Tool) is located in the toolbar on the left side of the screen. I will select a tool by clicking on the appropriate icon. You can also select the Gradient tool by pressing the G key on your keyboard:

On the toolbar, select the "Gradient" tool

Gradient palette

After selecting the Gradient tool, you need to select a gradient, and this can be done in several ways: using the Gradient Palette or using the Gradient Editor. The difference between the two is that the Gradient Palette allows us to select a gradient from pre-made swatches, while the Gradient Editor, as its name suggests, allows us to edit and create our own gradients. In this tutorial we will take a look at the Gradient Palette, and postpone the study of the gradient editor until the next lesson.

If you want to select a ready-made gradient from the proposed samples or a gradient that you recently created and saved as a sample (and again how to do this - we will learn in another lesson), click on the small arrow on the right side of the gradient preview window in the panel settings. Make sure that you click on the arrow and not on the preview window itself (otherwise the gradient editor will open, and we do not need this now):

Click on the arrow to open the Gradient Palette.

This will open the Gradient Palette with suggested gradient swatches. To select a gradient, click on its thumbnail and then press the Enter (Win) / Return (Mac) or click on an empty space in the settings panel to close the palette. You can also double-click the gradient swatch thumbnail to both select a gradient and close the palette in one go.

Gradient palette

Loading additional gradients

By default, we have a small number of gradients available, but Photoshop includes other presets from which we can select gradients. All we need is to simply load them into the palette. To do this, click on the gear icon in the upper right corner of the palette:

Click on the gear icon in the gradient palette

If you look at the bottom of the menu that appears, you will see a list of additional gradient sets, each with a specific theme, such as metals, pastels, harmonized colors, etc. If you are into photography, gradients “ Neutral density"(Neutral Density) and" Photographic toning " (Photographic Toning) will be especially helpful for you:

Other gradient sets

To download any of the sets, click on its name. I chose the Photographic Toning set. Photoshop will ask us if we want to replace the current gradients with new ones. If you click on the " Add " (Append), then instead of replacing the current gradients, the program will simply add new gradients to the existing ones. As you will see later, it is easy to restore the original gradients, so I'll click on the OK button and replace the existing gradients with gradients from the Photo Shading set:

Click OK to replace the original gradients with new ones from the set

And now in the Gradient Palette you can see that instead of the original gradients, there are gradients from the Photographic Shading set. To learn more about the Photographic Toning Kit and its uses, see the Photographic Toning Samples lesson (http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-editing/photographic-toning-cs6/):

The original gradients have been replaced with gradients from a new set

Restoring default gradients

For a step-by-step study of the topic, we will return to the original default gradients. To restore them, click on the gear icon in the gradient palette again:

Click on the gear icon

Then select the command from the menu list Repair Gradients (Reset Gradients):

Selecting the Restore Gradients command

Photoshop will ask you if you want to replace the current gradients with the default gradients. Click OK

Replace the current gradients with the default gradients

And now, we are back to the original gradients:

Original gradients have been restored

Foreground to background gradient

Before we start drawing gradients, let's take a closer look at one gradient - "From main to background" (Foreground to Background). This is the gradient that the program chooses by default for us, but we can also select it manually if we need it by clicking on its thumbnail (the first one on the left in the top row):

As you might have guessed, the Foreground to Background gradient uses the foreground and background colors. You can see the current foreground and background colors in the respective swatches at the bottom of the toolbar. The top left swatch displays the color foreground(Foreground) and the bottom right is the color background (Background). By default, the foreground color is black and the background color is white:

Current foreground (top left swatch) and background (bottom right swatch) colors

Because the foreground-to-background gradient is based on the foreground and background colors, it is easiest to modify and often most useful. Let's use this gradient to understand how to draw gradients, and at the same time see how easy it is to change the colors of the gradient as needed!

Draw a gradient with the Gradient tool

Draw gradient with tool "Gradient" (Gradient Tool) is as easy as clicking on a mouse button and moving the cursor. Simply click where the starting point of the gradient will be, and then hold down the mouse button and drag your cursor to where the ending point of the gradient will be. As you move your cursor, you will see a thin line defining the direction of the gradient. When you release the mouse button, the program will finish painting the gradient using the selected colors.

For example, I'll click on the left side of the document and, while holding it down, drag the cursor to the right side. Note that for now we only see a thin line between the start and end points of the gradient. To make it easier for you to draw a flat horizontal gradient, press and hold Shiftas you move the cursor, thereby limiting the angle at which the cursor moves. Just remember that at first release the mouse button, and then Shift key, otherwise nothing will work:

Click the mouse button and move the cursor (keeping the mouse button pressed) from one side of the document to the other

When I release the mouse button, Photoshop draws the gradient. Since the foreground color was set to black and the background color was set to white, I drew a black to white gradient:

When you release the mouse button, Photoshop draws a gradient

Reverse colors (inversion)

You can swap the colors in your gradient by selecting the option in the settings panel "Inversion" (Reverse):

Select the "Inversion" option on the settings panel

After choosing the Invert option, if I paint the same gradient again, this time the colors will change location: white will be on the left and black will be on the right. This is a handy option, but remember to uncheck the Invert option when you draw the gradient, otherwise all of the following gradients will also be inverted:

The same gradient, only with a different color arrangement

Of course, you don't have to paint the gradients horizontally. They can be located in any direction you choose. I'll draw another gradient, but this time from top to bottom. Please note that I do not need to undo or delete my drawn gradient. Photoshop will simply replace the current gradient with a new one. I will click at the top of the document and, while holding down the mouse button, drag my cursor to the bottom. Just as with the horizontal gradient, it's easier to draw a vertical gradient while holding down the Shift key. Remember to release the Shift key only after you release the mouse button. Again, at first we only see a thin outline:

Click and drag a vertical gradient from top to bottom

When I release the mouse button, Photoshop will finish painting the gradient, replacing the original horizontal gradient with a vertical black and white gradient:

New black and white vertical gradient

Change colors in default gradients

Since the default gradient uses the foreground and background colors, all we need to do to replace the gradient colors is to select different foreground and background colors. For example, I'll choose a different foreground color by clicking on the appropriate color swatch in the toolbar (the one that is currently black):

Click on the foreground color swatch

As a result of this action, the color palette will open. I'll choose red as the new foreground color and then click OK to close the color picker:

Choosing red as the foreground color

Click on the background color swatch

This will open the color picker again. I'll change the background color from white to bright yellow and then click OK to close the color picker:

Choosing yellow as the new background color

Notice that the color swatches are now showing the new colors I've chosen for the foreground and background:

Swatches displayed new colors

The preview window in the settings panel also began to display new gradient colors:

The preview box in the settings panel also displays the new gradient colors:

I'll draw a gradient, this time diagonally, by clicking on the bottom left of the document and dragging the cursor to the top right. Again, we don't need to undo or delete the previous gradient, since the program will replace it with a new one.

Draw a new gradient from left to right diagonally

When I release the mouse button, the program finishes drawing a red-to-yellow diagonal gradient:

New red-yellow gradient

Restore the foreground and background colors

Notice that if I open the Gradient Picker in the Options Bar, I see that the foreground to background gradient thumbnail is red-yellow:

Updated foreground to background gradient thumbnail in the Gradient Picker

You can change the colors for this gradient at any time you want by clicking on the foreground and / or background color swatch icon in the settings panel and choosing other colors. If you need to quickly return the foreground and background colors to their default settings and make the foreground color black and the background color white, simply press the D (from English Defaults) key on your keyboard. Thus, the swatches in the toolbar will again be filled with black and white:

The foreground and background color swatches have again been replaced with the default swatches

In the Gradient Preview Window in the Options Bar and in the Gradient Palette, the gradient from the foreground color to the background color is back to black and white:

Everything is back to the original version

Drawing the gradient on a separate layer

If we look at the layers panel, we can see that so far I have painted gradients directly on the layer. background (Background):

You can see in the layers panel that the gradient is drawn on the background layer.

Drawing gradients on a background layer might be fine for our tutorial, but to get a better understanding of Photoshop, let's take advantage of layers and place each object on a separate layer. To do this, I will first remove the current gradient by going to the menu section "Editing" "Run Fill" (Fill):

We choose Edit\u003e Perform Fill (Edit\u003e Fill)

When the dialog box opens "Fill in"(Fill) I will set for option "Content"(Contents) value "White"(White) and click OK. This will fill the background with white:

Fill Dialog Box

While holding down Alt (Win) / Option (Mac), click on the "Create New Layer" icon

Holding Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) opens a dialog before adding a layer "New Layer"(New Layer) where we can enter the name of the layer. I'll name the layer "Gradient" and then click OK:

New Layer Dialog Box

The program will add a new blank layer called "Gradient" above the background layer. Now I can draw my gradient on this new layer and separate it from everything else ("everything else" in this case means the background, but still painting on separate layers is a good working habit):

Now I have a separate layer for the gradient

Jump area

In the process of drawing gradients, it is not only the direction of movement of the cursor that is important, but also the distance between the start and end points of the gradient.

This is because in reality, when you use the Gradient tool, you are defining not only the direction of the gradient, but also the transition area between colors. The distance that you move the cursor from the start point to the end point determines the size of the transition area between colors. Longer distances give us smoother transitions, while shorter distances create abrupt and abrupt transitions.

For an illustrative example, I'll use a foreground to background gradient in black and white. First, I'll draw the gradient from left to right, starting near the left edge of the document and ending near the right edge. The area between the start and end points of the gradient is the transition area between two colors (in my case, between black and white):

How to paint a gradient with a large transition area

I'll release the mouse button and the program will finish painting the gradient. Since there was a lot of space between the start and end points of the gradient, the transition between black on the left and white on the right was gradual and smooth:

Gradient with a consistent transition between colors

I'll undo this gradient for ease of reference by going to the section "Editing" (Edit) at the top of the screen and selecting Undo Gradient (Undo Gradient). I could also press Ctrl + Z (Win) / Command + Z (Mac) on my keyboard:

We choose " Editing\u003e Undo Gradient (Edit\u003e Undo Gradient).

This time I'll draw the gradient in the same direction (from left to right), but with a much smaller distance between the start and end points:

How to paint a gradient with a small transition area

When I release the mouse button, you can see that even though the gradient was drawn in the same direction as the previous one, the transition between black and white is sharp and abrupt. Thus, when drawing a gradient, the distance between the start and end points is as important as the direction of the gradient:

Similar gradient, but with a smaller transition area

Before we continue, let's take a look at the layers panel. Since I previously added a new layer, my gradient is now drawn on a separate “Gradient” layer, not on the background layer. And again, in this tutorial, this is not important to us, but if you accustom yourself to draw each object on a separate layer, it will be easier for you to work in Photoshop:

The gradient is now on a separate layer above the background layer

Basic to Transparent Gradient

So far, you and I have mainly studied the default gradient. - "From main to background" (Foreground to Background), however there is another commonly used gradient - "From basic to transparent" (Foreground to Transparent). I propose to consider it as well, because the principle of this gradient is slightly different from the others. I'll select a gradient from the Gradient Palette by double-clicking on its thumbnail next to the foreground to background gradient thumbnail:

Selecting the Basic to Transparent Gradient

A foreground to transparent gradient is similar to a foreground to background gradient in that it uses the current foreground color, and you can easily change the color of the gradient by choosing a different foreground color. What distinguishes this gradient is that it does not have a second color. Instead, there is a transition from a single color to transparent.

I will undo my current gradient by going to the section "Editing" (Edit) and selecting the item Undo Gradient (Undo Gradient). Then I'll select a color by clicking on the foreground color swatch in the toolbar, which is currently filled with black:

Click on the foreground color swatch

When the color picker opens, I'll select purple and click OK:

Choosing purple as the new foreground color

By choosing purple as the new foreground color, in the Gradient Preview in the Options Panel, I can see that I will be drawing a gradient from purple to transparent (the checkerboard pattern is responsible for the transparency image in Photoshop):

Gradient from purple to transparent

I'll draw a vertical gradient from the top of the document to the center:

Draw a vertical gradient from base color to transparent in the upper half of the document

When I release the mouse button, it looks like we have drawn a gradient from purple to white. However, white is not part of the gradient, but the color of the white background underneath the gradient:

Purple refers to the gradient and white refers to the background below it

To confirm my words, I'll temporarily turn off the visibility of the background layer by clicking on the visibility icon (in the form of an eyeball) in the layers panel:

Turn off the visibility of the background layer

As a result of this action, the white background in the document will cease to be visible, and the gradient itself will appear. Now you can clearly see that this is a gradient from purple to transparent. Again, using the checkerboard pattern, Photoshop shows transparency:

A valid gradient from purple to transparent

Another difference from a base to transparent gradient is that the program does not remove the previous Base to Transparent gradient if we paint a new one over the previous gradient. Instead, it just adds a new gradient to the original one. I'll draw a second gradient from the foreground color to transparent, this time from the bottom edge of the document to the center:

Add a second gradient "Base to Transparent"

I'll let go of the mouse button and Photoshop will add a second gradient to the first instead of overwriting the gradients. If I were to draw a third or fourth gradient (from the left and from the right, for example), the program would also add these gradients to the existing ones:

Both gradients blended together

I'll turn back the visibility of the background layer by clicking the layer visibility icon again:

Turn on the visibility of the background layer

And now we again see the gradient from purple to white (and again to purple), although we know that, in fact, white is the background color, showing through the transparent layer:

The same gradient with the background layer turned on

Option "Transparency"

Using a foreground to transparent gradient can darken the edges of a photo or the sky in an image to emphasize detail (we'll cover that in another tutorial). But for the transparent part of the gradient to be drawn, you must be sure that the option "Transparency" (Transparency) in the settings panel is selected:

Make sure the "transparency" option is on when you paint a gradient with a transparent part

If the transparency option is turned off while drawing the gradient, then in the end you just fill the layer or selection with the selected foreground color.

Without the "Transparency" option selected, the program will not be able to draw the transparent part of the gradient

Gradient "Black, white"

We will not go over every gradient that Photoshop offers us (since you can easily do it yourself), however if you need to draw a black and white gradient and your foreground and background colors are different from black and white, just select the gradient. "Black White" (Black, White) from the Gradient Picker (third from the left in the top row). Unlike a foreground-to-background gradient, the Black, White gradient always uses black and white, no matter what the current foreground and background colors are:

Black, White gradient thumbnail

Gradient styles

So far, you and I have studied examples of gradients in which there were color transitions from the starting point to the ending point in a straight line. This type of gradient is called linear, and is actually one of five different gradient styles that you can choose from in Photoshop.

If we look to the right of the Gradient Preview in the Options Bar, we see five icons representing the different gradient styles (from left to right): Linear(Linear), Radial(Radial), Cone-shaped (Angle), Mirrored (Reflected) and Diamond-shaped (Diamond)

Linear, Radial, Taper, Mirror and Diamond gradients

Let's explore what each of these gradient styles is capable of. I will press Ctrl + Alt + Z (Win) / Command + Option + Z a few times to undo the previous steps and return to a blank document filled with white. Next, I'll switch back to the Foreground to Background gradient by selecting it from the Gradient Palette:

Selecting the foreground to background gradient

I'll press the D key to return the foreground and background color settings to their default black and white. Next, to make it more interesting to work, I'll change the background color from white to light blue:

Foreground and background colors (last option)

Linear gradient

By default, the program has a gradient style "Linear" (Linear). You can also select it manually by clicking on the first icon on the left:

Choosing a Linear Gradient Style

We have already looked at several examples of the linear gradient style, which makes it possible to draw a gradient in a straight line from the start to the end point in the direction of the cursor movement. Option "Inversion" (Reverse) allows you to reverse the order of colors:

An example of a regular linear gradient

Radial gradient

The radial style (the second icon from the left) allows you to draw a circular gradient in the direction from the start point:

Choosing a Radial Gradient Style

I will remove the drawn linear gradient by pressing Ctrl + Z (Win) / Command + Z (Mac). To draw radial(Radial) gradient, I'll click in the center of the document to define the starting point, and then start moving the cursor towards the outer edge:

Draw a radial gradient from the center of the document

I release the mouse button and a radial gradient appears in front of us. It starts with the foreground color (black) at the origin in the center of the document and fades into the background color (cyan) as it approaches the edge:

Radial gradient

If I chose the option "Inversion" (Reverse) in the settings panel, then the colors would change: in the center there would be a blue color with a gradual transition to black:

The same radial gradient with reversed color order

Cone gradient

The cone style (middle icon) is more interesting to us (although perhaps not as useful):

Choosing the Cone Gradient Style

Just like the radial style, cone-shaped The (Angle) style uses the starting point as the center of the gradient. But instead of making a uniform transition in all directions, it begins to twist around the starting point counterclockwise. I'll press Ctrl + Z (Win) / Command + Z (Mac) again to undo the last gradient. Next, I'll start drawing a cone-shaped gradient in the same way as a radial one: by clicking in the center of the document to define the starting point and moving the cursor towards the edge:

Draw a tapered gradient from the center

The screenshot below shows the taper gradient after I release the mouse button. As with all gradient styles, choosing the option "Inversion" (Reverse) will replace the used colors:

Cone Gradient Style lets you spin the gradient around the start point counterclockwise

Mirror Gradient

MirroredThe (Reflected) style (fourth icon from the left) of the gradient is very similar to the standard linear style, except that it flips the colors on both sides of the starting point:

Choosing a mirrored gradient style

So, I'll click in the center of the document to define the starting point and then move the cursor up:

How to draw a mirror gradient

When I release the mouse button, the program draws a regular linear gradient in the upper half of the document from the start to the end point, but then flips it in the lower half of the document:

Mirror Gradient

And here's what the mirrored gradient will look like if we swap the colors: