Topic awaiting preservation: Illustrator and transparent gradients

I am still baffled as to whether one can use transparency within gradients. I can do it in Flash, not Illustrator. Reffering to adding a handle within the gradient pallete (along with some other hue) that is transparent. Red and transparent will fade from red to "nothing" (alpha 0%). Is this possible in Illustrator?

Thumper: I have been working with vector graphics for a little bit and I have been wondering how to do transparency too. Not sure if it could be done in illustrator.


The programmer's national anthem is 'AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH''

Wolfen's Sig Site

Short answer. No. You can't add transparent color stops to a gradient in Illustrator.

Longer answer. Yes, you can make a gradient transparent with a round about method. Create your object and then make a copy of the object or another object that overlaps it and apply a gradient to the second object. In the "transparency" palette click on the little drop down arrow options menu and choose "make transparency map". This will cause the new object's gradient to become a localized alpha channel more or less. Wherever you have shifts from black to white, you'll get transparency in the first object. So you end up using it the same way that you would use a cliping path in effect.

Hope that makes sense, I don't know why they indroduced transparency support into Illustrator without allowing for transparent color stops. Same thing with Flash for a long time, it was a PAIN to get transparent color stops into flash. Oh well.

I hadn't really played with it too much, but I wonder if you could use blends and have an object in the middle without any color data... that might work. Worth a shot also. It would certainly make the job of figuring out where the transparency is much simpler.


It's only after we've lost everything...
That we're free to do anything...

Mindbender, thanks for the input and nice workaround. It isn't horribly necessary that I use a transparent stop in the gradient, but I have a logo that I'd like to incorporate the white area as transparent in every application other than print (web basically). This really kept me stuck for some time, as I had RTFM many times to find this feature, to no avail. Anywho, thanks for the tip. I really hope Illustrator puts this into the next version as I would assume it could be helpful in print as well - instead of using the substrate's color as a spot color. It's weird, Illustrator being such a beautiful program and not having this capability.

It's strange the few weird features that Illustrator doesn't have. No rubber band, no transparent gradient stops, no way to reset your palette locations. It's just bizzare. And you're right, there are several areas where the manual is basically a useless paper weight. It seems like if it's not a strong or obvious feature, they ignore it and send you page hopping for obvious details. blah. Anyway...

You can adjust the transparency of specific objects in Illustrator 9 & 10 by using the features in the transparency palette. As for building a graphic that will be transparent in everything but print... well, you still have to be able to use other programs. The problem is because there isn't one file format that is common to all applications. So for web you're still using jpg, gif, and png. For print you're still using tiff, pdf, and eps. For video you're using PSD more and more. The feature sets for each of these are very different. So you will spend lots of time converting things back and forth. The best thing to do for something like a logo is to anticipate this and design version for each. This is why most useage books you get have multiple versions of the companies logo; to try to anticipate situations like dark background, common colors, transparency on the web or window printing, etc.

I hope that helps, we should be seeing a new version of Illustrator soon, so maybe they will have fixed it.

I did try using blends and it worked fine if you set the object's transparency lower. If you turn off the color data it doesn't work though, it just tries to blend the objects on either side. heh I guess that makes sense. Blends are still a better tool for complex gradients anyway as they give you infinite shape tweakability. i.e. you aren't limited to linear vs. radial. (plus it lets you do cool stuff like this)...

I still work with Illustrator 8 and that does have a little bit of transparency options in it. just thought i would let you know.

Wolfen - oh.. uh. ouch. I can't express how much more easy your life will be if you were on 9 or 10. I cut days literally off my work schedule by just being able to import PSDs with their transparency in tact into Illustrator and not have to build clipping paths for objects.

Yeah, there is no transparency support in 8 and earlier. You are pretty much SOL as far as I know. It just wasn't introduced until later. With 8 you'd probably have to do one of those fun background matching exercises where you build your backgrounds into your foreground artwork. Sorry.


It's only after we've lost everything...
That we're free to do anything...

Bender: Well, getting Illus 9 or 10 takes money, something that I do not have. Only have Illus 8 and Photoshop 4. Wish I had more cash though.... It sucks.

I know how that goes...

You might look into XaraX, I believe it's windows or maybe windows and *nix (so no luck if you're on a mac) but it's got a lot of power for the tag of only $100-$149 I believe. I haven't used it too much, but it seems fairly solid and it's rediculously fast when you're using it. Missing a few of Illustrators nicer features I think, but nothing you couldn't live without. They do have a free trial download you can check out and see the features. That might be a good alternative to Illustrator. I'm not sure if it does transparency, but I think it does.

Sorry I can't help you more, but 8 just didn't have transparency support That was the MAIN selling features of Illustrator 9, full alpha support. There are ways to do stuff with 8, but it takes longer and it's more work. If you need a specific transparent effect you can' t get, feel free to post and maybe I can help


It's only after we've lost everything...
That we're free to do anything...

Bender: Well, i have a 4 year old G3 mac converted to a G4. So, that will not help me. 25 years old, i barely have $60 to my name right now and i live with my parents. It bites.

Right now I have been teaching myself on working from dark to light in Illustrator. You can see my recent almost finished work here or my most recent WIP here. I have been taking a serious approach to working in Illustrator, I am looking to be a comic colorist.. I just need to come up with my own stuff when I can.


The programmer's national anthem is 'AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH''

Wolfen's Sig Site

Heh, you're a step up from me, I'm still using a G3. And you've got more money than I do currently.

Looks good, are you using a combination of PS and AI for that? www.polykarbon.com has some good tips on that if you haven't read through it.

The one thing that I would suggest is that it looks like you are coloring using mostly gradients in AI. I would explore the use of blends. They are MUCH more versitile, especially in the absence of transparency support. I've seen some amazingly realistic things done with fairly old versions of Illustrator by itself using nothing but vectors and blends.


It's only after we've lost everything...
That we're free to do anything...

Bender: What you see there is 99% Illustrator. I only used Photoshop to change the image to JPG. But then I found the 'Export' option. hehehehe (dumbass me, being an old n00bie.)

I do have the link for PolyKarbon, but thank you anyways, I do have a collection of comic books too. My life has been with cartoons, but i never took to drawing them till recently, (all thanks to Yu-gi-oh.)

I have not tried the blends yet, I am just still getting to know the pen tool and gradients... kind of going back to basics. Trying to take more of a fun approach to artwork since i have been doing serious contract stuff.

You seem to know a lot about illustrator, can you send me your email address and take this private when I have questions? My email is on this board.


The programmer's national anthem is 'AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH''

Wolfen's Sig Site

The closest you can get to a transparent gradient is to create an Opacity Mask (in the Transparency palette). When editing the Opacity Mask, just like a mask in Photoshop, you create grayscale objects to change the visibility of the bound layer (and yes, you can link an opacity mask to an object, or to a layer at any level of hierarchy). It's not as convenient has having a transparent stop on the gradient itself, but it's more powerful.

Cell 1250 :: alanmacdougall.com :: Illustrator tips

Uhm, PT, didn't I say that?

I played with using blends and it works pretty well if you really want control, especially blend shape control. But it only works in Illustrator 9+ as 9 was the first one to actually incorporate alpha in any way.


It's only after we've lost everything...
That we're free to do anything...

Yup, MB already mentioned. And yes it is very powerful...did exactly as intended.

Doh... skimmed just a tad too lightly. I saw MB say "by using the features in the transparency palette" and read carefully after that to see if he went into more detail... oddly enough, he went into more detail earlier. So you see, it's all Mindbender's fault for defying the conventional laws of narration! Who does he think he is, James Joyce?

(turns around and walks face-first into low-hanging fish) Ow.

Cell 1250 :: alanmacdougall.com :: Illustrator tips

D'oh. My fault I guess. hehe


It's only after we've lost everything...
That we're free to do anything...