In this lesson we will learn draw gradients in photoshop! There are many places in Photoshop where gradients are used. For example, the Gradient tool lets you draw gradients over layers or selections or over layer masks to create smooth transitions from one layer to another.
We can fill text and shapes with gradients. We can colorize a photo with the Gradient Map image adjustment, or add color effects with a Gradient Overlay layer style, and much more! Gradients are priceless in Photoshop and they are a great way to add more interest and life to what would be a flat image or design.
In this tutorial, we'll cover the basics of how to draw gradients using the simplest (and perhaps most useful) of Photoshop's related features. gradients , Gradient Tool. We'll cover other ways to apply gradients in other tutorials, but you'll find that they all work in basically the same way, so once you've learned the basics with the Gradient Tool, you'll be able to take advantage of all the other gradient features Photoshop has to offer!
Along with learning how to draw gradients, we'll also look at how to choose from Photoshop's many preset gradients using the Picker. gradients, including ways to download additional gradient sets that are included with Photoshop. We will look at various gradient styles, which we can draw, and look at some of the most commonly used gradients, including the most useful one, the gradient from front plan to the background default!
Once we've learned the basics of drawing gradients, in the next tutorial we'll learn how to edit and save our own gradients using Photoshop's Gradient Editor.
I will use Photoshop CC here, but this guide is also fully compatible with Photoshop CS6. Let's start!
Create a new document
Let's start by creating a new Photoshop document. To do this, I will go to the menu " File" in menu bar at the top of the screen and select " New" :
Going to File > New.
This opens the New dialog box. For this tutorial, I will install width my document to 1200 pixels And height on 800 pixels. There's no particular reason why I use this size, so if you're working with me and thinking of a different size, feel free to use it. I will leave for the parameter " Permission" the default value is 72 pixels / inch, and I will make sure that for the parameter " background content" was set to " White". I will press OK, when I'm done to close the dialog box, after which a new white document will appear on the screen:
New dialog box.
Selecting the Gradient Tool
Tool « Gradient" in Photoshop is on toolbar on the left side of the screen. I'll select it by clicking on its icon. You can also select the Gradient tool by simply pressing the key G on keyboard:
Gradient selection
With the Gradient Tool selected, the next thing we need to do is select the gradient, and there are several ways to do this. One of them is the discovery gradient selection in Photoshop; the other - opening a large gradient editor. The difference between the two is that the Gradient Picker simply allows us to choose from pre-made gradients, while in the Gradient Editor, as its name suggests, we can edit and customize our own gradients. In this tutorial, we will focus on the Gradient Picker itself. We will learn all about the Gradient Editor in the next tutorial.
If you just want to choose one of Photoshop's preset gradients, or one you previously created yourself and saved as a custom preset (again, we'll learn how to do this in the next tutorial), click on the small arrow to the right of panel gradient preview bar parameters. Make sure you click on the arrow itself, and Not in the preview panel (clicking on the preview panel will open the gradient editor and we don't want to go there just yet):
Clicking on the arrow opens the Gradient Picker with thumbnails of all the preset gradients we can choose from. To select a gradient, click on its thumbnail, then click Enter(Win) / return(Mac) on your keyboard, or click anywhere in the Options Bar to close the Gradient Picker. you also can double click by thumbnail which will select the gradient and close in the gradient:
Only a handful of preset gradients are available by default, but there are others in Photoshop. gradient sets from which we can choose. All we have to do is download them. To do this, click on gear icon in the upper right corner:
If you look in the bottom half of the menu that appears, you'll see a list of additional gradient sets, each based on a specific theme, such as color harmonies, metals, pastels, etc. If you're a photographer, then the neutral density and photographic toning gradients are especially useful:
Other gradient sets we can choose from.
To download any of the sets, click on its name in the list. I clicked on the photographic toning set. Photoshop will ask if you want to replace the current gradients with the new ones. If you click "Add" rather than replacing the original gradients, they will just add new ones underneath the originals. As we'll see in a while, restoring the originals is very easy, so I'll click OK, to replace them with the Photographic Toning set:
And now we can see in the Gradient Picker that the original gradients have been replaced with photographic toning gradients. To learn more about the Photographic Toning set and how to use it, check out our complete guide to Photographic Toning settings:
Restoring Default Gradients
To focus on the basics, we'll stick with the original default gradients for now. To restore them, click again on gear icon in the gradient selection window:
By clicking on the gear icon.
Then select " Reset Gradients" from the menu:
Selecting "Reset Gradients".
Photoshop will ask if you want to replace the current gradients with the default values. Click OK :
Now back to the originals:
The default gradients have been restored.
Foreground to background gradient
Before we learn how to draw gradients, let's take a quick look at one particular gradient - the gradient from foreground to background. This is the one Photoshop chooses for us by default, but you can also select it manually if you need to by clicking on its thumbnail (first from the left, top row):
As you might have guessed, the foreground to background gradient gets its colors from the foreground and background colors. You can see the current front colors plan and background color samples at the bottom of the Tools panel. Sample in upper left corner shows color foreground, and the sample in bottom right- color background. By default, the foreground color is set to black, and the background color white :
The current foreground (top left) and background (bottom right) colors.
Because it's based on your current foreground and background colors, the foreground to background gradient is the simplest of all customizable gradients, and often the most useful. Let's use it to help us learn how to actually draw a gradient, and along the way we'll see how easy it is to change its colors to whatever we want!
Drawing a Gradient with the Gradient Tool
Drawing a gradient with Photoshop's Gradient Tool is as easy as clicking and dragging with your mouse. Simply click in your document to set the starting point for the gradient, then hold down your mouse button and drag from the starting point to where you want the gradient to end. As you drag, you will only see a thin line indicating the direction of the gradient. When you release the mouse button, Photoshop completes the gradient and paints it with the selected colors.
For example, I'll click on the left side of the document, then hold down my mouse button and drag to the right side. Note that for now all we can see is a thin line between the start point and the end point. If you want to make it easier to draw a perfectly horizontal gradient, press and hold Shift while dragging, which will limit the angle at which you can drag. Just remember don't wait until after of how you released the mouse button before releasing the Shift key, or it won't work:
Clicking and dragging (with the mouse button held down) from one side of the document to the other.
When I release my mouse button, Photoshop draws a gradient. Since my foreground color was set to black and my background color to white, I get a black to white gradient:
Photoshop draws the gradient when you release the mouse button.
Change colors
You can change the colors in your gradient by selecting the option reverse on panels parameters:
Selecting "Reverse" in the Options Bar.
With reverse selected, if I draw exactly the same gradient, we see that this time the colors appear on opposite sides, with white on the left and black on the right. This is a handy feature, but just uncheck the Reverse option when you're done, otherwise the following drawn gradients will also be reversed:
Of course, gradients shouldn't work horizontally like this. They can run in any direction you choose. I'll draw another gradient, this time from top to bottom. Note that I don't need to undo or remove my existing gradient. Photoshop will simply replace the current gradient with the new one. I'll click on the top of my document, then keep my mouse button down and drag down. Just like with drawing a horizontal gradient, it's much easier to draw a vertical gradient if you press and hold Shift, the key is how you drag, making sure you don't have to wait after after you release the mouse button before releasing the Shift key. Here again we see only a thin outline:
When I release my mouse button, Photoshop completes the gradient, replacing the original horizontal gradient with a black-to-white vertical gradient:
New black and white vertical gradient.
Changing the Default Gradient Colors
Since the default gradient gets its colors from the current foreground and background colors, all we have to do to change the colors of the gradient is choose different colors for the foreground and background. For example, I'll choose a different foreground color by clicking in the Tools panel (the one currently set to black):
This opens the palette colors Photoshop. I'll choose red for my new foreground color, then I'll click OK, to close from the color picker:
Choosing red for the new foreground color.
Then I will change my background color by clicking it color swatch(the one currently filled with white):
Clicking the background color swatch.
This once again opens the Color Picker. I change the background color from white to bright yellow, then I'm in okay, to close the color picker:
Choosing yellow for the new background color.
Note that the color swatches have been updated to show the new colors I chose for the foreground and background:
Swatches updated with new colors.
Panel gradient preview on panel The options have also been updated to show what the new gradient colors will look like:
The gradient preview panel always shows the current gradient colors.
I'll draw the gradient, this time diagonally, by clicking in the bottom left corner of the document and dragging to the top right corner. Again, there is no need to undo or remove the previous gradient. Photoshop will replace it with a new one:
When I release my mouse button, Photoshop draws a red to yellow gradient diagonally across the document:
New red or yellow diagonal gradient.
Reset foreground and background colors
Notice that if I open my Gradient Picker in the Options Bar, the foreground to background gradient thumbnail also shows my new red and yellow colors:
Updated Foreground-Background thumbnail in the Gradient panel.
You can change the colors for this gradient at any time by clicking on the Foreground and/or Background color swatches in the Options Bar and selecting different colors. But if you need it fast return colors to the defaults by making the foreground color black and background color white, just press the letter D(think "D" for "default") on the keyboard. You'll see the swatches in the Tools panel revert to the default black and white:
The foreground and background swatches have been reset.
And you'll see that both the Gradient Preview pane in the Options Bar and the Foreground to Background gradient thumbnail in the Gradient Picker show their default colors again:
Now everything is back to what it was originally.
Drawing a gradient on its own layer
If we look at my Layers panel, we can see that up until this point, I've been drawing my gradients directly on the Background layer:
Painting on the background layer might be fine for our purposes, but a much better way to work in Photoshop is to use layers and place each element in our document on a separate layer. To do this, I will first remove my gradient by going up in the menu " Editing» Fill in" :
Going to Edit > Fill.
When the Fill dialog box opens, I'll set the option to Content" top value " White", then click " OK". This fills the background layer with white:
Fill dialog box.
I will then add a new layer for my gradient by clicking and holding Alt key(Win) / Option(Mac) on my keyboard and clicking the " New Layer" at the bottom of the Layers panel:
Press and hold Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) while clicking the New Layer icon.
When adding the Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) key while clicking the New Layer icon, Photoshop first opens the " New layer, in which we can name the layer before adding it. I'll name my layer Gradient, then I'll click OK :
Photoshop adds a new blank layer named "Gradient" above the Background layer. Now I can draw my gradient on this new layer and separate it from everything else (though "everything else" in this case is really just the background layer, but it's still a good workflow habit to get into it):
Now I have a separate layer for my gradient.
transition zone
When it comes to drawing gradients, it's very important to understand that it's not just the direction you drag that matters; the distance between your start and end points also matters.
The reason is that what you are actually drawing with the Gradient tool, along with the direction of the gradient, is transition area between flowers. The distance you drag from the start point to the end point determines the size of the transition area. Longer distances will provide smoother transitions, and shorter distances will provide sharper transitions.
To show you what I mean, I'll be using a foreground to background gradient with the default black and white. First, I'll draw the gradient from left to right, starting at the left edge of the document and ending at the right edge. The area between my start and end points will become the transition area between my two colors (in this case, black and white):
I'll release my mouse button to let Photoshop paint the gradient, and because there was such a big gap between my start and end points, we see a smooth, very gradual transition between black on the left and white on the right:
I'll cancel the gradient, just to make it easier to see by going to the " Editing» at the top of the screen and selecting " Cancel Gradient". I could also press Ctrl + Z(Win) / Command+Z(Mac) on my keyboard:
Going to Edit > Revert Gradient.
This time, I'll draw the gradient in the same direction (left to right), but with a much smaller gap between my start and end points:
When I release the mouse button, we can see that although this gradient was drawn in the same direction as the previous one, the transition between black on the left and white on the right is much more sudden and abrupt. As we can see, the distance between your start and end points is just as important as the direction when it comes to the overall look of the gradient:
Before we continue, let's take a look at my Layers panel, where we can see that since I added a new layer earlier, my gradient is now being drawn on a separate "Gradient" layer and not the Background layer. Again, it's not a big deal in this case, but if you get into the habit of keeping everything on a separate layer, you'll find it much easier to work with Photoshop:
Foreground to transparent gradient
So far, we've mostly looked at the foreground to background gradient in Photoshop, but often the gradient from foreground to transparent, which is worth paying attention to as it behaves a little differently than the others. I'll select it from the Gradient Picker by double-clicking on its thumbnail. You'll find it next to the Foreground - Background thumbnail:
Choosing the foreground for the transparent gradient.
The Foreground to Transparent gradient is similar to the Foreground to Background gradient in that it gets its color from the current one. foreground colors, which means you can easily change it by choosing a different foreground color. What makes it special is that there is no second color. Instead, it transitions from a single color to transparency.
I will cancel my current gradient by going to the menu " Editing» and selecting " Cancel Gradient". I will then select a color by clicking foreground color swatch in the Tools panel. Currently set to black:
By clicking the foreground color swatch.
When the Color Picker opens, I'll choose purple, then click OK:
Choosing magenta as the new foreground color.
Now that my foreground color is set to purple, we can see in the Gradient Preview in the Options Bar that I'll be drawing a gradient from purple to transparent ( drawing V chess board, which you can see behind the purple, shows how Photoshop represents transparency):
The gradient is now going from purple to transparent.
I'll draw a vertical gradient from the top of my document to the center:
Drawing a vertical foreground to transparent gradient down across the top half of the document.
When I release the mouse button, Seems, that I drew a base gradient from purple to white. However, the white color we see is actually from the background layer. below gradient. It's not part of the gradient itself:
To prove it, I'll temporarily turn off the background layer by clicking it. visibility icon(eyeball icon) in the Layers panel:
This hides the white background in the document, showing only the gradient itself, and we can now clearly see that it is indeed a purple to transparent gradient. Again, the checkerboard pattern is how Photoshop represents transparency:
The actual purple to transparent gradient.
Another reason why the Foreground to Transparent gradient is different is because Photoshop doesn't overwrite the previous Foreground to Transparent gradient when you draw another one on top of it. Instead, it simply adds a new gradient to the original. I'll draw a second foreground with a transparent gradient, this time from the bottom of the document to the center:
I'll release my mouse button, and instead of overwriting my original gradient, Photoshop adds a second one to me. If I were to draw a third or fourth gradient (perhaps one on the left and one on the right), it would add those too:
I'll turn the background layer back on in the document by clicking again on badge his visibility :
Turning on the background layer.
And now we're back to what looks like a purple to white (purple) gradient, even though we know the white is just the background layer showing through the transparency:
Transparency option
The Foreground to Transparent gradient in Photoshop is great for things like darkening the edges of a photo or darkening the sky in an image to bring out more detail (which we'll see in the next tutorial). But for the transparency part to work, you need to make sure that on panels parameter selected parameter Transparency :
Make sure transparency is enabled when drawing a gradient that uses transparency.
With the "Transparency" option turned off when drawing the "Foreground" gradient to "Transparent", all you end up having to do is fill the layer or selection with the chosen "Foreground" color:
If the Transparency option is off, Photoshop can't draw the transparent part of the gradient.
Black, White Gradient
We won't be going through every gradient we can choose in Photoshop (since you can easily do it yourself), but if you need to draw a black to white gradient and your foreground and background colors are currently set to something other than black and white, just grab black White the gradient from the Gradient Picker (third thumbnail from the left side, top row). Unlike the foreground to background gradient, the black to white gradient will always draw a black to white gradient regardless of your current foreground and background colors:
Black and white gradient thumbnail.
Gradient Styles
So far, we've seen examples of gradients that transition in a straight line from a start point to an end point. This type of gradient is known as linear gradient, but it's really just one of the five different gradient styles we can choose from in Photoshop.
If you look to the right of the Gradient Preview Bar in the Options Bar, you'll see five icons gradient style. Starting from the left, we have Linear , Radial , Angular , Reflected And Diamond :
Let's see what each of these gradient styles can do. I will press a few times on the keyboard Ctrl+Alt+Z(Victory) / Command+Option+Z(Mac) to undo my previous steps until I'm back to viewing only the white document. Then I'll switch back to the gradient foreground to background by selecting it in the gradient picker:
I will press the letter D on the keyboard to reset the foreground and background colors back to black and white. Then, to make it interesting, I'll change the background color from white to light blue:
linear
Photoshop's default gradient style is " Linear", but you can select it manually if you need by clicking on the first icon on the left:
We've already seen several examples of a linear style that draws a gradient from a start point to an end point in a straight line depending on the direction you've dragged. Choice reverse in the options bar will change the order of the colors:
radial
Radial style (second icon from the left) will draw a circular gradient in the direction from the starting point:
I will cancel my linear gradient by pressing the keys Ctrl + Z(Win) / Command+Z(Mac) on my keyboard. To draw the radial gradient, I'll click in the center of my document to set the starting point, then drag outward towards the edge:
I'll release my mouse button and here we can see what the radial gradient looks like. It starts with my foreground color (black) at my starting point in the center, and moves outward in all directions as it transitions into my background color (blue):
Just like the Radial style, the Angle style also uses your starting point as the center of the gradient. But instead of moving outward in all directions, it wraps around the starting point counterclockwise. I will press again Ctrl + Z(Victory) / Command+Z(Mac) on my keyboard to undo my last gradient. Next, I'll draw a corner-style gradient just like the radial gradient, by clicking in the center of the document to set the starting point, and then dragging it away from me:
Drawing an angular gradient from the center.
This is what the corner style looks like when I release my mouse button. As with all gradient styles in Photoshop, choosing "Invert" in the Options Bar will give you the same result, but with the colors swapped:
Drawing a gradient in a reflected style.
When I release my mouse button, Photoshop draws a standard linear gradient across the top of my document between the start and end points, but then reflects it on the bottom half to create a reflection:
Reflected style gradient.
Here's what the reflected gradient would look like with the colors reversed:
Reflected style gradient with reverse selected in the Options Bar.
Gradient in diamond style.
In this case, I think the diamond shape looks better with reversed colors, but of course this will depend on the colors you choose for the gradient and how it is used in your design of our layout:
Dither option
The last option we need to consider is panels parameters is smoothing. With Dither selected, Photoshop will blend some noise into your gradients to help smooth out the transitions between colors. This helps to reduce stripes(visible lines that form between colors when the transitions are not smooth enough). The Dither option is enabled by default and you usually want to leave it selected:
The Smoothing option helps reduce ugly banding between colors.
Mode and transparency options
There are a few other options for the Gradient Tool in the Options Bar that we'll save for another tutorial since they're out of the box. As an option mode(short for Blend Mode) and the option Opacity affect how the gradient will merge with the original content of the layer. If you're familiar with layer blend modes, gradient blend modes work much the same, and the gradient's opacity option works the same as the Opacity option in the Layers panel. In most cases, you'll want to leave them at their defaults, but again, we'll cover these two options in detail in their separate tutorial:
Mode and opacity options.
Where to go next...
And there we have it! In this tutorial, we learned the basics of drawing gradients in Photoshop using the Gradient Tool. In the next tutorial, we'll learn how to edit and save our own gradients with the Gradient Editor! Visit our Photoshop Basics section to learn more about Photoshop! (No ratings yet)
Color stretch is a smooth transition from one
color to another, such as green to blue.
Tone stretch - this is when a smooth transition goes from a light tone to a dark tone, most often of the same 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 gradient hillshades.
Color stretching can bemake from any two or more colors. Why do I say more colors, yeah
because smooth color transitions from one to another can consist of three,
four or five colors...
This stretch usedonly two colors: blue and green
And in this one there are already three colors: red, yellow and green.
it seems that color flows :-).
I hope the theory is clear. Let's move on to practice.
Exercise
For exercises we need A4 paper (landscape sheet size), gouache
and a synthetic brush for gouache, watercolor and a soft kolinsky or squirrel brush for
watercolors.
Divide the sheet into four parts, like this:
Let's make two stretch marks (in the upper rectangles) using gouache, and two
(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
white, this will be a tone color stretch.
Laying out on a palettea little purple paint and diluted with water to the consistency of sour cream,
put some white on the palette next to it. Now we draw 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, you get a little color
lighter than it was. With this new shade we draw the next strip,
literally capturing the previous strip by a millimeter. After that again
add more white to the purple mixture, mix and spend again
strip. And so on 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 to orange, and this is what happened:
Now let's stretch with watercolor
In the same way as with gouache, hover over
palette separately two selected colors.
I'll take yellow and green. Dye
on the palette should look like two colored puddles.
Before applying watercolor, cover the rectangle with clean water without paint.
When the water is soaked up that the paper is damp but not wet, you can
start applying paint. We apply yellow paint first, after each
application, add a little green to the yellow paint, mix and again
put on a stripe. It is necessary to do this in such a way that the edges of the strokes do not
dried up, then the color transition will be smoother and more gentle.
And the last exercise is the transition from white to any color in watercolor.
How to do it if whitewashed in watercolor
can't be used?
Very simply, for the white color we take the sheet itself, that is, the first page
we will write with ordinary clean water, and then we will be a little bit to the water
add the selected color. If, on the contrary, a stretch from color is required
to white, then we point 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 you 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 will be damp but not wet (no puddles) and stretch on the wet paper, and on another gradient fill.
Lesson "Color stretching for the sky and dunes"
What can the ability to stretch color be useful for?
It's long and boring to explain, better let me show you on
example.
After completing this exercise, you will immediately understand why
you need to learn how to stretch :-).
For the exercise, we need watercolor paper (the denser the better),
watercolor and soft kolinsky or squirrel brush.
Attach a sheet of paper to the easel or table with pins (or masking tape),
to keep the paper from curling when it gets wet.
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.
According to the rules of linear perspective, how
Let's paint the sky
The sky is always lighter near the horizon than overhead.
Wet the paper first so that the paint lays down more evenly and
spread more easily. Dip the brush in water and wet it with a damp
brush the entire area of the sky to the horizon. Wait a few seconds, please
so that moisture penetrates the paper, i.e. the puddles disappeared, and the paper
became just damp, not wet in appearance. After that, take
on the brush of blue paint, stir on the palette and apply a horizontal stripe along
the top edge of the paper.
Now, we must work quickly, not allowing the strokes to dry out at 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
a little lower. But draw each new horizontal line like this,
so that it captures the previous one a little,
so that they merge into a single space.
We draw dunes
When the sky dries up, draw the desert in the same way.
We wet the distant dunes, and do
stretching yellow or orange, ocher or red
colors if you like Martian landscapes :-).
Only not as we wrote the sky from dark to light, but vice versa from light
tones to dark. We make the first smear with slightly colored water (very
diluted paint), and in each subsequent stroke we add
a little color.
Having painted the dunes on the horizon, let them dry, and
we wet the next row of dunes and write them again with
by stretching from light to dark tone.
We continue to write each
the next row of dune hills.
Don't Forget the Rules of Aerial Perspective: That,
what is closer to us we prescribe more clearly, what is farther from us
write with less clarity, so to speak, do not worry if
the paint is a little spread, this will only enhance the picturesqueness
paintings.
Here's what we should get.
Beautiful, but not entirely believable. We forgot about shadows.
For example, if the sun shines on the left, then the shadows will be on the right sides.
dune hills.
I remind you again about the rules of aerial perspective, then what
in the foreground is more contrasting, which is in the far
less contrast, that is, in the background the shadows are softer, on
front are sharper)
I have never been in the desert, but now I understand
that in bright sun the shadows should be much darker than I drew :)
I won't fix it :)
With the help of a kolinsky brush No. 2 - outline the footprints in the sand, and
a few 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 paintings, and not copy someone else's master classes, then in our online school for adults "EVERYONE can draw!" there are courses for beginners with a systematic 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 in watercolor. Immerse yourself in the magic of color :)
We study the techniques of the old 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. Your paintings will be admired by all friends and acquaintances.
See you in our courses :)
Mila Naumova
A gradient is a smooth transition from one value to another. In this case, the value of a physical quantity can be anything, from temperature and speed to color and transparency (if used in Photoshop). It should be noted that this smooth transition can be carried out at different speeds, in different space and time. The main thing is that there are no sharp jumps.
What is the meaning of a gradient in Photoshop? I will say without exaggeration - huge. After all, it is using the gradient tool that we create in Photoshop a smooth transition between two or more colors, change the illumination, or simply put, we make our work natural, naturalized.
You can apply a gradient both to the contents of the layer, and using a new layer, let's call it "gradient fill". In this case, the gradient will be on its own "gradient fill" layer and have a layer mask property that masks the image pixels of the main layer.
Photoshop is the most popular raster graphics image processing program. The number of her fans is increasing daily. Therefore, it makes sense to tell where the gradient is in Photoshop. Even though the Gradient Tool is one of Photoshop's essential tools, the unknowing person won't find it right away. So where is the gradient in Photoshop located?
The gradient tool is selected by right-clicking on the group with the tool "Fill" (Paint Bucker) (1) on the toolbar. When opening an additional window, by clicking the left mouse button directly on the icon "gradient tool" (2), we switch to the mode of working with gradients. Also, to switch to the gradient mode, you can use the G key, or Shift + G, to switch between the tools of the group.
In this case, the following will appear on the properties panel: the gradient image in the active tool window (3), the current gradient window (4) and the gradient type selection buttons (6-10).
Select the type of gradient depending on the planned work using the buttons on the options bar (6-10).
The linear gradient (6) is designed to fill the layer with a gradient of color or transparency in a straight line, along the direction we specified (enabled by default).
Radial gradient (7) defines the transition of color or transparency evenly in all directions from the point you set.
A cone-shaped gradient (8) involves the transition of color or transparency in a spiral, forming a cone-shaped shape.
The specular gradient (9) sets the transition of color or transparency in a straight line with a mirror image. It is essentially two linear gradients propagating in opposite directions from the starting point of the gradient.
The diamond-shaped gradient (10) allows you to set the transition of color or transparency along the diagonals of the diamond from its center. Or in other words - four linear gradients radiating from one point at an angle of 90 degrees relative to each other.
In the rectangular window (4) we see the current version of the gradient. If you left-click on the arrow (5) located next to it, then we will open the gradient palette. It remains for us to select the desired gradient by clicking on it with the left mouse button. 
When you click on the arrow (11), we will open a menu divided into several submenus. Using the submenu (12) we can customize the appearance of the gradient palette. In another submenu (13) there are gradient sets available to us, with which we can replace the set of gradients presented in the gradient palette.
In addition to the gradient properties already listed above, on the properties panel we will see: "Mode" (14), "Opacity" (15), "Invert" (16), "Dither" (17) and "Transparency" (18).
At the same time, using the "Opacity" property of the gradient, we adjust the level of opacity of the entire gradient. Set either by numbers in the window, or by moving the slider along the scale called by pressing the triangular arrow to the right of the window.
The "Invert" property reverses the order of the colors in the gradient. "Dithering" prevents banding. "Transparency" applies a transparency mask to the gradient (enables or disables the transparency gradient as part of the entire gradient). Enabling (disabling) these properties of the gradient is done by checking (unchecking) the checkbox in their box. 
The "Mode" property of the gradient gives us a wide range of gradient blending modes. It is enough to click on the triangular arrow to the right of the window of the current gradient overlay mode and a menu of gradient overlay modes will open in front of us. By using the same gradient but with different blending modes, you can achieve the desired effect. Experiment with modes on the same image to see what effects they give. Do not forget that we first select the mode, and only then we apply the gradient. 
If we left-click on the gradient window (4), the gradient editor will open, which we will use to edit existing and create new Photoshop gradients. 
How to make a gradient
We will learn how to make a color gradient and a transparent gradient with you. I think you have already noticed that the top edge has a greater transparency than the entire gradient.
So let's start:
1. We enter Photoshop, select the "Gradient" tool - right-click on the toolbar (palette) where the "Fill" tool is located. Left click on the Gradient tool. Then left-click on the gradient swatch window in the Properties panel (indicated by the red arrow in the figure).
The gradient editor window will open, where we will see:
A) Sets (Presets) - contains the gradients supplied with the program. The gradients of the active gradient set are displayed.
b) Name (Name) - the name of the selected gradient, which we can change as it is convenient for us to use. Just highlight the name and enter your own. In this case, we have "Custom" on the skinshot, a gradient with custom settings.
c) Gradient Type. By clicking on the arrow we will see two options: Continuous (Solid) and Noise (Noise)
d) Smoothness (Smoothness) - the softness of the transition of colors in the gradient. We can also change if needed.
e) Color bar with sliders (sliders) at the top and bottom. The sliders locate the color (blue arrows) and opacity (red arrows) control points. In the center of the window is a sample of the selected gradient. 
When one of the color or opacity sliders is activated, we will also see the "color midpoint" or "opacity midpoint", respectively, located between the sliders. 
2. Now let's click with the left mouse button on the lower left slider (1), the triangle above it will become colored, which means that the slider has become active. This is also indicated by the color window (2), which became active and turned into the color of the slider.
3. Click on the "Color" window with the left mouse button and an additional window "Select a color" will open. Here we will select the color of the beginning of the gradient by clicking on the color field (3). If you want to choose a color from a different color range, then move the slider (5) on the color scale to the range you need. Or just click on the color bar in the right place. If you have a color number, then enter it in the box (4). After choosing a color, click "OK" to save it. If you want to make a gradient from the base color to the background, then click on the black arrow to the right of the "Color" box (2). An additional window will open where we can select "Main Color", "Background" or "Custom". The foreground color and background match the color and background set on the toolbar.
We do the same with the lower right slider - set the final color of the gradient. For simplicity, let's take the color of the same color range, but darker. The result is a linear color gradient from light to dark. 
4. In order for us to understand what role the position of the sliders plays, let's move them 10% from the edges while holding down the left mouse button. Or enter the digital values "10" - for the left slider and "90" - for the right slider in the "Position" window (6). Don't forget to activate the corresponding sliders first. Digital values of extreme control points: 0% - left and 100% - right. We see that the color remaining outside the sliders is not processed by the gradient. 
5. Click with the left mouse button in any free space between the sliders. A new slider will appear. It can also be moved and adjusted. The slider is moved with the mouse, or by entering a numeric value in the Location field. If we want to create a control point similar in color value to the existing one, then we simply copy the selected point by dragging it with the left mouse button while pressing the "Alt" button.
If we want to remove the unwanted control point, we simply drag it outside the color bar. Or activate it and press the "Delete" button on the dialog box. It is also possible to use the Delete and Backspace buttons. 
6. Similarly, create another color control point (Fig. 7) and set it to a darker shade of color (see paragraph 3 of this article). 
7. To further explore the gradient functionality, let's move one of the midpoints of the color. To do this, activate one of the nearest sliders. A dot of light color will appear between them. Let's click on it. The color will change to black, which means it has become active. Moving the middle point of the color is done in the same way as the sliders (see item 4). 
8. Now let's experiment with opacity, another gradient functionality. Our actions are the same as in working with color. Only now we activate the top sliders and change their settings. 
9. To consolidate the skills of creating control points, we will set one for opacity. We carry out the actions already familiar to us according to paragraph 5. It immediately becomes clear that the opacity gradient is formed only between those control points, the value of which is not equal in opacity. 
10. The gradient is ready. Apply the created gradient and see what we got: 
11. This is not the end of my lesson on how to make a gradient in Photoshop. We already know how to work with the gradient tools, now let's see how our gradient will change when we change the "Smoothness" function. Notice how the gradient has changed: 
12. Now apply the gradient function "Noise". Here we open up new vistas. We can change the smoothness, color model, channel values and other gradient parameters. 
13. I think it's time to remember my promise to tell you how to make a transparency gradient. Now it will not be difficult for you. Using the knowledge you've just gained, try making your own transparency gradient. I'm posting a screenshot for a hint. We make the color control points the same. For the opacity control points, set different values, depending on the purpose of the gradient. 
We are finishing our Photoshop lesson "How to make a gradient". Further development of the properties of the gradient, with the knowledge you now have, will not be difficult.
Watercolor paints are one of the most beloved by artists. Firstly, watercolor has a lot of different techniques, and secondly, it can be used to create a beautiful drawing, even if you don’t know how to draw at all.
These techniques will help beginners learn how to draw, and professionals can refresh their memory and find inspiration and ideas.
1. Painting with a flat brush
Step 1
Draw a square or rectangle to mark the beginning and end of the layer.
Choose a darker shade (it's 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 again with paint.
Start the next stroke from the bottom edge of the first one, try to cover the buildup of paint that formed from the bottom of the first stroke.
Hint 1: If the buildup of paint in the first stroke has not flowed completely 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 uncontrolled flows of paint. Therefore, try to work faster or have something like a rag or sponge handy to quickly remove drops.
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 off" the beginning of the layer and make it even.
Hint 4: If you want to flatten the end edge of the layer, 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 broken, then immediately fill the brush with paint and re-swipe it.
Step 4
Repeat the previous steps until the very end. Try to stick to the same tone of paint.
Hint 6: You won't believe how different the behavior of brushes, paints and paper from different brands can be. Usually, the more expensive and popular brands make your job easier by providing high quality products.
Hint 7: If your strokes break even if the brush is full of paint, then you are using too thick paper, or the paper is too rough. If you come across such paper, then sprinkle water on it, blot it with a clean sponge and let it 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 the blobs of paint left underneath the last stroke with the brush, but don't take too much paint or you will discolor your drawing.
To create more texture in your drawing, leave it to dry at an angle. So the paint will take on a more interesting look.
Gradient
Step 1
Draw a square or rectangle. Then dip your brush into the darker shade of paint (it's on the palette to mix) and gently stroke 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. And then refill the brush with paint and make another stroke. Repeat this process until the very end.
Hint 1: If the stroke breaks or does not go as smoothly as you would like, quickly refill the brush with paint and repeat the layer.
Step 4
Rinse the brush with clean water, dry it 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. We will separate the paint with a small amount of water, this will be a waterfall.
Step 2
We draw clouds of dark pink color and we start to draw a mountain in yellow color. We will also mark the lower part of the figure in yellow.
The example uses light and transparent tones so you can see how the layers interact.
Step 3
By mixing cobalt blue and ultramarine blue, we will 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 cool setting 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 it, we will create the coast in the foreground and shade the sky.
Hint 2: if you have drops of excess paint, rinse and dry the brush as you did in the previous techniques, and pick up drops with it.
Step 5
Please note that the images show different brushes for painting. You can use the ones you have available.
Take a dark blue color and shade the top of the mountain with it, changing the pressure on the brush and turning it around 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.
We will wash the brush and pick up the yellow color, with which we will add visual details to our shores.
Step 7
Once the paint is dry, shade the bubbles in the waterfall with a hint of purple. So we will make them more interesting.
Step 8
We need to link some elements and add trees. In the example, we used round templates for crowns, but you can draw as you like.
Step 9
In brown we will depict tree trunks. Also with the help of blue we will shade the water and the sky a little more. Then, using pink, blue and green, paint 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 there are several fruits under them.
If you look closely, you can see how each layer interacts with each other. A darker shade has more power, but when the colors overlap, they create an interesting and beautiful combination.
“Wet” technique
Step 1
Wet the 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 means that it is too wet, blot it again.
Step 3
We will paint the landscape again. Let's start, of course, with the sky. Using this technique, it is easier to draw the background first, then moving on to the objects of the foreground.
Step 4
We continue to draw the sky until we start to 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, make a few wide strokes, leaving room for the stones.
As the paper dries, the strokes become less and less blurry.
Step 6
Let's add forms. To do this, use different shades of green and draw trees on the horizon.
Step 7
After adding the trees, let's try to add texture to them. To do this, use a darker shade of green to set the accents.
Step 8
Add stones using gray color. We filled in the gaps in the foreground with this color, leaving some gaps.
Try to use either dark or cold shades. Using both dark and cold shades will create visual dissonance.
Step 9
We will place accents to diversify the drawing. Using a crimson hue, we depict several floral elements in the foreground. Let the crimson flow as it wants. Then, using a dry brush, remove the color from the middle of the spots.
Step 10
Then, drip clean water into the center of these spots to allow them to blend into the grass.
The hardest part about this technique is knowing when to stop. If you overdo it with blurs and colors, you will end up with a messy drawing.
This technique gives a slightly strange, but interesting result. A 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 pick up paint on a brush, blot it from excess liquid with a paper towel or sponge, and only then paint.
Let's start with a pencil sketch. After that, roughly mark the sky, moving the brush over the surface of the paper.
Step 2
Let's draw green trees on the horizon line, outlining what will later become our lake.
Then, by mixing mauve with blue, draw the first layer of the tree trunk.
Step 3
Let the drawing dry and add some elements: the reflection of a tree in the lake and the flow of water.
Mixing green and blue, shade the coast on the background part of the image and let the painting dry again.
Step 4
Mix an intense blue with ultramarine and paint a layer on the trunk of the tree to create the shadows and texture of the bark.
Step 5
Then, using shades of orange, we will depict the autumn landscape by painting the background trees.
Step 6
Having finished with the previous step, with a light orange tint, we will depict the reflection of the trees in the water.
Also, by mixing gray with blue, we will place dark accents on the trees.
We will also add trees on the other side of the horizon. Let's mark the shapes of the trees in orange.
Step 7
Let's take water. Use dark green and brown to achieve the desired color. And with wave-like movements we will draw water in the lake.
Step 8
When painting a lake, change the pressure on the brush to add texture.
Clue: if the brush is too wet, the paint will look flat. Dry the brush to intensify the colors.
Step 9
Let's add some grass under the tree, using the same color as the grass in the background.
Step 10
Let's add some details to the foreground.
We will 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 the image of clouds, soft light. And it can also control the behavior of colors.
Sponges
Makeup sponges are the best. They absorb well and give an interesting effect.
Avoid rubbing the paper with the sponge, and if you do, be very careful not to damage the paper.
Paper towels
With their help, you can create clearer highlights. But paper towels absorb a huge amount of paint very quickly. Therefore, they can absorb fresh paint completely.
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 create a pattern using this technique. To do this, rinse thoroughly and wring out the brush. With it, you can create clear lines.
Other methods:
- You can spray water where you want to remove the paint and then soak it up with a sponge.
- Use different fabrics to add texture
- You can use fingers or other parts of the body. The skin can also absorb moisture.
Discoloration of dried paint
Brushes for watercolor paint
Use clean water and a cloth, wet the desired areas, gently rub the pattern and remove moisture with a dry brush. This method allows you to control the areas you lighten.
Brushes for oil or acrylic paint
Stiff bristles allow you to quickly scrape paint from the desired area. But it is worth noting that this method can damage the paper, so control yourself.
Here, just as in the first method, you must first moisten the area, and then process it with a brush.
Spray and towel
Take a spray bottle and spray on the desired area, and then apply a paper towel to it. This method leaves large light spots and gives 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 highlight 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 desired area and dry it with a sponge.
I will tell you how easy it is to learn (and then improve the skill) to create watercolor stretches. First, draw a square or rectangle on your piece of paper.
Choose the darkest shade of the future wash (it is easier to pick it up) and mix another shade of medium intensity (30-50%). In the clean part of your palette, mix in the next color, at about half the intensity of the original mixture.
Used materials:
This time I'm using a 1.5 (381mm) Winsor & Newton Series 965 flat washbrush and cobalt blue watercolor paint. Paper - Arches #140 cold press.
Load the brush with a dark shade of paint, touch the brush to the paper in the upper left corner and carefully draw a straight line into the upper right corner.
Step 1
Dry your brush with a sponge or paper towel, then pick up the next lightest color again.
Start drawing the second strip from the bottom of the previous one.
Note that the left side of the bottom stripe has flowed down a bit along with the top stripe. Let gravity do the work too.
Step 2
Rinse your brush and blot it with a towel or damp sponge, pick up another light color.
Draw the third stripe.
Step 3
Rinse and dip a wet brush into the final shade.
Swipe a lane.
TIP 1: If the bottom of the strip has spread unevenly, or the strip is bent, IMMEDIATELY take more paints and draw the strip again.
Finishing the wash
Rinse the brush thoroughly and start the last streak with clean water.
Release the brush and go over the bottom of the wash.
Finished work
While the paint settles and spreads, small imperfections in tone are usually smoothed out before drying completely.
In my case, some graininess is visible in the final result. Cobalt blue (cobalt blue) is rougher and harder to lay down on the texture of the paper.
TIP 2: Try to practice creating gradient washes in different colors and intensities. Each color has its own physical properties that affect how it blends and how it looks in the wash.
TIP 3: Try using different colors in the same wash for an interesting multicolor effect.
Gradient stretching can take longer than uniform stretching, but any time spent painting is well spent.
