How to work with gradients in Adobe InDesign

Adobe InDesign is the program you use for layout of documents for both print and web.

Adobe InDesign has built-in functions to control typography and tools for professional work with layout, graphics and interactive publications. A wide variety of Indesign kursus are currently being offered along with Excel kursus, Sharepoint kursus and SQL kursus.
In this article we describe the gradient, which is an excellent tool to create life and effect in your graphics, and how you use the tool with Gradient swatches. It is a popular topic at 4D Konsulenterne’s InDesign course and the text is an extract from 4D’s own course material.

Contents:

• Gradient and Creation of selected Swatches
• Linear Gradient
• Radial Gradient
• Gradient

Create swatches
A Gradient Swatch is a color sample consisting of two or more colors where the colors grade into each other.
You can create a Gradient Swatch from the panel menu in the panel Swatches by selecting New Gradient Swatch…

1. Enter the name of your Gradient Swatch.
2. Under Type, select whether the gradient must be Linear or Radial.

Linear gradient:

Radial gradient:

3. In Stop Colour you must specify what color will be used to mix the color in the selected color stop. If you have already mixed a color in advance and saved it as a Swatch, you can also choose to display your Swatches from this alternative box.
TIP: A Stop Colour is a simple change in color, in the above illustrations there are two color stops, one white and one black.

4. Depending on your choice in Stop Colour, you can choose your color from the list of Swatches or as shown in the example, mix your stop color by using the triangular sliders.

5. Gradient Ramp shows you how your gradient is built up. You must click a Stop Colour to change the settings. A selected color stop appears with a black triangle, a non-selected color stop appears with a gray triangle.
6. In Location you can change the percentage placement of a color stop on the gradient