How To Blend Colors On Adobe Illustrator

Introducing the Blend Tool: creating of colors and long shadows techniques

Whether you're an icon designer, an illustrator or any other type of creative, colors are one of those details that have the power of setting your work apart from the pack, since in a sea of design trends colors are probably your best chance to be different.

Now the thing is, sometimes you might find it hard to pick a color that not only looks good, but also compliments the ones that you've already used and applied throughout your project.

Probably the most frequent scenario that color-deciding becomes an issue is when you want to create and apply a variation of a specific tint or shade, but for some unexplainable reason you just can't pick something that feels it's not shifting too much from your current palette.

Of course you could use some really powerful tools such as Adobe's Color (formerly known as Kuler) where you can play around with the different available color rules, but let's be honest sometimes you just want to have a palette that has a nice shift to it without worrying too much about the process of creating it.

Well today's tutorial will try and introduce you to the Blend Tool and show you some interesting things that you can achieve by using just a few clicks.

1. What is the Blend Tool?

The Blend Tool is one of those tools that you probably didn't knew you can use, but once you've discovered it, you always find a way to use it throughout your workflow, since it's so easy and useful when it comes to creating color palettes.

As the name implies, the tool allows you to create a smooth color transition between a group of two or multiple shapes, thus giving you the power to create color palettes or color variations.

Now, the cool thing is, the versatility of the Blend Tool doesn't stop here, since it can also be used to create repeating shape patterns as we will see in just a couple of moments.

2. How Does It Work?

The way it works is pretty simple: you start by creating and selecting two or multiple shapes, and then you apply a set of colors to them. The first shape's color will act as the start color that Illustrator will use to begin the blend while the last shape's color will act as the end color.

When you use the Blend Tool , Illustrator will start filling in the color gaps and create a nice smooth transition which you can control to a high degree.

The cool thing is that you don't have to limit yourself to just two colors, since with every new colored shape that you add to the blend, Illustrator will use those as reference points and shift the colors accordingly.

Now, if you've never used this tool before, well don't worry since it might seem hard to grasp at first, but once you play around with it for a couple of times you'll get the hang of it.

3. Creating Color Palettes Using the Blend Tool

Okay so up until this point we've briefly talked about the mechanism behind the tool, now it's time to see it in action. We will try out three different case scenarios based on the three different options that the Blend Tool comes prepacked with, namely: Smooth Color, Specified Steps, Specified Distance and see how we can use these to create color palettes.

Step 1

First, open up Illustrator and set up an 800 x 600 px document with the following settings:

• Units: Pixels – since we're creating the example for the digital screen
• Color Mode: RGB – since we're using colors intended to be used on digital devices
• Raster Effects: Screen (72 ppi) – since we won't be using any gradient or other visual effects that will later be printed out.

Step 2

Then, using the Rectangle Tool (M) create two little black (#333333) 80 x 80 px squares, and distance them at about 540 px from one another. As you've probably guessed, we'll use these squares to add a start and ending color to our blends, so create two more copies in order to have one for each of the three different Blend Mode Options.

Don't worry about them being all black since we will change that in a couple of moments.

Once you're ready, we can start by creating a color palette using the first option which is Smooth Color.

3.1. Creating a Color Blend Using the Smooth Color Option

Step 1

The first thing that we have to do before actually creating the blend is to set a start and ending color. Let's begin by selecting the first square from the top row and changing its color to one of the default orange values (#F15A24) from the Swatches panel.

Step 2

Then, select the right square, and change its color to let's say… yellow (#FCEE21).

Step 3

As you can see, we now have a start and ending color which even though are values that Illustrator comes with by default, will be just as good as any others as we'll find out in a couple of moments.

Now, once we've made our color selection, we can go to Object > Blend > Blend Options

and choose Smooth Color as our desired Spacing method.

As you've probably noticed up until this point we haven't selected and used any of the squares while setting up the Blend options, since we don't need an active selection in order to do that.

Now, setting the Blend method is always the first step, which as you saw is pretty straight forward as long as you know where to find the option.

Step 4

Next we have to put the tool to work by selecting both the orange and yellow squares and then going over to Object > Blend and clicking on the Make button.

As soon as you hit it, Illustrator will automatically create a nice smooth gradient that shifts from the start color all the way to the end one.

While this is probably not the best option when it comes to creating actual color palettes, you can find it to be a good alternative for when you need to create a fast and nice looking gradient.

Now, if you select the blend, you'll notice that Illustrator has combined both shapes into one, but you can quickly fix this by going to Object > Expand > Object & Fill which will give you a clear view to all the different colored squares that Illustrator created in order to make the blend.

Ungroup the blend (right click > Ungroup) and you'll have access to each and every of the composing colors.

3.2. Creating a Color Blend Using the Specified Steps Option

Now, we've seen the Smooth Color option in action, so let's move on to the next one, and see how it behaves compared to it.

Step 1

As we did with the previous example, start by selecting the middle left square and give it a start color (#8CC63F) and then assign one to the right square (#D9E021) to give the blend an end color.

Step 2

Next, go over to Object > Blend > Blend Options and choose Specified Steps as the Spacing method.

Now, as you can see, we have the option of entering the number of steps, or more exactly colors that we want Illustrator to create in-between the two squares that we've just assigned colors to.

The way it works is quite simple: the higher the number of steps you use, the more complex your blend becomes, since Illustrator will create a more smooth transition using a larger number of colors.

Use a smaller number value, and then Illustrator will approximate the colors so that they jump from one hue to another, while creating a more usable color palette since you get a more powerful color stepping.

In our case, let's enter 4 into the value field and see what happens once we create our blend.

Step 3

As with the previous method, the process of making the blend is identical, you first select the two squares, and then you go to Object > Blend and hit Make.

As you can see, Illustrator has filled up the empty space with four new squares that create a more noticeable transition since the color stepping is small enough that we can actually use them to create a working palette.

If we were to change one of the initial colors, so either the starting or ending one and replace it with something a little more warmer, then the blend would be even noticeable.

In my own experience, I've found that the Specified Steps option is really suitable when you need to create subtle color changes in cases when you have an object that has the same color all around, but some of its composing elements are further away from the viewers eye. In this scenarios, it's far easier to create a 4 stepping blend instead of using the Color Picker to try and find a suitable match, since Illustrator does an overall better job.

3.3. Creating a Color Blend Using the Specified Distance Option

This last option is really interesting since it works rather differently from all the others.

Compared to the Specified Steps method, where you actually tell Illustrator how many colors you want it to add by setting the number of steps, using the Specified Distance one you instruct Illustrator to add a color at a smaller or higher distance.

The smaller the distance the higher the number of color values you get. Enter a larger distance and then, well you get the point, Illustrator adds a lower color count. The interesting part is that it's somewhat dependent on the actual distance that you have between your initial colors (the start and end squares) which in our case is 540 px.

Now, compared to the Specified Steps option where you could enter a higher value and Illustrator just overlapped the resulting colors, using the Specified Distance one with higher values will only add as much shapes as it possibly fit in.

While it might not be the best solution for creating color palettes, it can prove to be a powerful tool when you need to highlight data using precise measurement units.

4. Creating Long Shadows Using The Blend Tool

Another cool thing that you can create using the Blend Tool are long shadows, which as some of you might remember, were pretty popular amongst icon designers not that long ago. Now, I'm not saying that the trend is dead or not that popular anymore, but I just haven't seen it used all that often lately.

Well, even if that were the case, that still doesn't mean you can't apply long shadows in other areas such as illustrations or other visual forms of artwork.

That being said, in the following moments we will see exactly how we can use this incredible tool to build a nice looking visual effect.

Step 1

Let's assume you have an Illustration of an object, let's say a MacBook, that you want to add a long shadow to.

First you have to create two copies (Control-C > Control-F) of the largest shape used in the construction of your object.

Once you have your copies, change their color to black (#000000) and position one of them towards the bottom-right side by selecting and dragging it while holding down Alt (to create the copy) and Shift (to drag in a straight line).

Quick Tip: As you can see, my MacBook is composed of just one larger rounded rectangle (the main outline), but there will be situations where you will have to select multiple composing shapes and create copies after those, otherwise you won't have a fully casted shadow.

As you can see, I've positioned the second copy just outside my Artboard, since I want the shadow to go all the way.

Step 2

Change the bottom copy's Opacity level to 0% so that the blend can start from a hard black to a fully transparent color, which will make it act as an actual shadow.

Step 3

To create the actual blend we will first have to go to Object > Blend > Blend Options and choose Specified Steps as the method.

Now here comes the important part, since we need to enter a stepping value that is high enough so that our blend will look clean and not choppy. I usually go with values over 1000, since by adding as many copies as possible the Blend Tool will create the illusion of a smooth transition.

In my example 1000 is just perfect, but depending on the object that you are trying to add a shadow to, you might need to play around with the values until you get it right.

Step 4

Once you've made sure you've entered the right value for your distance, you can then go to Object > Blend and hit Make to create it.

As you can see in my example, Illustrator has created a nice smooth shadow like blend, that I now need to adjust a little to get it looking right.

Step 5

The first thing that you need to do after your blend is created, is to make sure that it sits beneath your actual illustration, in my case the MacBook.

To do that, simply select the blend then right click > Arrange > Send to Back and it should now be positioned correctly.

Step 6

Next, we need to adjust the overall transparency since right now it's looking a bit too hard.

To change that, simply select the blend, and then lower its Opacity level to a value that you think is low enough, in my case somewhere around 20%.

Step 7 (optional)

This step depends a lot on what you are casting your shadow on to.

As you can see in my example, the shadow goes all the way to the outside of my Artboard's lower right corner, which at a first glance might not seem all that okay.

Now, if I were to export it, the final image will just show the part which is overlapping the surface of the Artboard which means I don't have to actually mask it to a certain surface, which in this case is pretty handy.

The thing is, there will be times where you will have to mask your shadow to a specific part of your illustration, otherwise it might overlap some parts of it, thus breaking your design, so try and keep that in mind when you're working with these type of visual effects.

In Conclusion

As you can see, the Blend Tool is a pretty versatile tool that you can use to create cool things with. Using just a few clicks you can easily find a way of creating a jaw-dropping Color Palette or an interesting looking long shadow.

Now, as with any tool you'll have to practice using it a bit, but I'm sure that after you play around with it you'll be able to master it in no time.

That was it for today's lesson! I hope you've enjoyed it and most importantly learned something new along the way.

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How To Blend Colors On Adobe Illustrator

Source: https://www.freepik.com/blog/introducing-the-blend-tool-creating-of-colors-and-long-shadows-techniques/

Posted by: morrislikendooked1945.blogspot.com

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