Where can I find good tutorial on gradient fills?

[Madmax]

I looked on YouTube and there are loads of Xara photo and graphic designer 10 reviews and basic tutorials but nothing that I could find that was this specific.

I am trying to take a png or a jpeg file and make it so it fades from white in the center out to the texture (png or jpeg fill) on the edges. What I am attempting to do is create an old paper effect around the edges with the center faded for easier reading of the text.

Bruce

[mwenz]

Bruce, it would help if you could post an example image of what you are trying to accomplish.

Mike

[Gamerprinter]

If you're going to apply a circular or elliptical transparency fade, except you want the fade to be transparent at the center and not at the edges. First apply a circular or elliptical transparency onto your selected object. By default the fade goes to the outer edge, not the center. To change that, select the handle at the outer edge of the selection and apply 0% transparency (which makes the entire thing transparent at the moment). Then select the center handle at change to 100% transparency. That's it.

If you plan to do a color fade and not a transparency fade, its the same operation I described, but you apply white at the center, and a color at the edge.

[gwpriester]

A contour effect might be better.

[Madmax]

If you're going to apply a circular or elliptical transparency fade, except you want the fade to be transparent at the center and not at the edges. First apply a circular or elliptical transparency onto your selected object. By default the fade goes to the outer edge, not the center. To change that, select the handle at the outer edge of the selection and apply 0% transparency (which makes the entire thing transparent at the moment). Then select the center handle at change to 100% transparency. That's it.

If you plan to do a color fade and not a transparency fade, its the same operation I described, but you apply white at the center, and a color at the edge.

I'm sorry for the delay in answering. With the holidays and no apparent subscription option for these threads I had forgotten about my project.... that I had wanted to get out before Christmas.
I was able to get the transparency effect to work from the middle, but so far I have not been able to change it to a color fade (solid white) instead of a transparency fade.

I ended up using a diamond shape instead of either a circular or elliptical transparency because it fits the "poker card shape" better.

Thank you for the help so far.
Bruce

[handrawn]

if you want it to go from hue [colour] to white - use a fill [linear, circular, diamond....] rather than a transparency

[Madmax]

if you want it to go from hue [colour] to white - use a fill [linear, circular, diamond....] rather than a transparency

Will that work when fading to a texture on the edges?

I discovered a work around but that involves layers but adding layers adds to the file size, which I want to avoid. This is for the face design on a deck of 100 to 200 cards.

Bruce

[gwpriester]

Or feathering.

[handrawn]

Will that work when fading to a texture on the edges?

I discovered a work around but that involves layers but adding layers adds to the file size, which I want to avoid. This is for the face design on a deck of 100 to 200 cards.

Bruce

working a bit in the dark here because we don't have an example but essentially in xara, 'colour fill gradients' and 'transparencies' are separate objects attributes, so you are going to need a stack of objects I think to achieve what you want [they do not have to be on separate layers]

edit - by which I mean, although you can apply both colour fill gradient and transparency to the same object, you cannot apply the transparency to the gradient fill colours themselves

it really would help if we had an example

[Egg Bramhill]

Bruce, it would help if you could post an example image of what you are trying to accomplish.

Mike

I second that.