10 Replies Latest reply: Aug 21, 2008 12:09 PM by [Jongware] RSS

    Gradients in ID

    Michael Brown12 Community Member
      I have created a gradient fill in ID, but I need the lower PMS color to have a 50% tint. I can't find how to do this. It took forever to build the graident in the first place because it works so much differently from Illustrator. Now I can't do something simple like change the tint on one of the gradient colors. It is very frustrating that these two applications have such different ways of doing things. Am I just not seeing the logic between these two products? I have not used ID very much and I thought my AI experience would make it simpler. So far this has not been true.

      Thanks,
      MGuilfoile
        • 1. Re: Gradients in ID
          MT.Freelance Community Member
          I have found that the most reliable way to create a gradient using tints is to first define those tints.

          Swatch Palette: Select base color. From the Palette menu, select New Tint Swatch. Repeat for each tint percentage desired in the gradient or gradients.

          Swatch Palette: Palette menu, Select New Gradient Swatch. On the gradient ramp (near bottom), click on the first color stop. This activates the Stop Color options above it. From the menu, select Swatches, and then select your tint from the list of swatches you have defined. repeat for each desired color stop. Give it a name and you are done.

          HTH

          -mt

          PS: this is from CS2. I don't believe CS3 has changed here, but I could be wrong.
          • 2. Re: Gradients in ID
            BobLevine CommunityMVP
            You'll need to create a new tint swatch of the Pantone color (note:they
            dropped the PMS designation about 10 years ago) and then drag that to
            the gradient stop.

            Bob
            • 3. Re: Gradients in ID
              BobLevine CommunityMVP
              > PS: this is from CS2. I don't believe CS3 has changed here, but I could be wrong.<br /><br />You could be, but you're not. <g><br /><br />Bob
              • 4. Re: Gradients in ID
                MT.Freelance Community Member
                Cool.

                Oh, and to edit the Gradients, once created as a gradient swatch, simply double click on their entry in the Swatch palette.

                -mt
                • 5. Re: Gradients in ID
                  Michael Brown12 Community Member
                  Thanks to all, that works. I wonder why it is so different from AI?

                  By the way, Bob, I beg to differ but "PMS" is alive and well. Adobe may want to change it, but a quick Google of "pantone matching system" shows the usage to be as strong as ever.
                  • 6. Re: Gradients in ID
                    I'm having the same problem and this isn't working for me because when I go to create a new swatch that is a tint of the pantone color, Indesign won't let me save it as the same name and I can't rename it either. It's saying this will create another plate. There must be an answer -- do I have to revert back to Quark???
                    • 7. Re: Gradients in ID
                      Community Member
                      Jenny, create Spot swatch first. Then, with that swatch selected in the Swatch Panel, use flyout and select "New Tint Swatch".
                      • 8. Re: Gradients in ID
                        Community Member
                        Jeff - Thank you SO MUCH. After hours of aggrevation -- IT WORKS!
                        • 9. Re: Gradients in ID
                          Michael Brown12 Community Member
                          ...but why do ID and AI differ in how they do the same operation?

                          Colors, swatches, strokes, hyphens, nearly everything is done differently or is in another place. The only material difference the user sees between AI and ID is the multi-sheet feature of ID. I know they handle text differently, but that is all "under the hood" stuff.

                          It's outside the scope of this thread, but after working with it for a couple of years I find the parts of the Creative "Suite" no more compatible than any randomly selected group of applications.

                          MGuilfoile
                          • 10. Re: Gradients in ID
                            [Jongware] Community Member
                            Hear, hear. The differences in common text operations always bites me.

                            Why can't Illustrator display Chinese font names? After all, they're the standard Adobe set, and ID doesn't have any problems with them.

                            Why is the "Replace Font" dialog totally different? [etc.]