Custom Gradients

Custom Gradients

Create your own custom gradients and save them as presets that can be imported into Photoshop.

When to use

Creating your own gradients can be very useful if you are looking to make a specific effect or if you need to use specific colors.

Instructions

Creating Your First Custom Gradient

• Add a New Layer to the Layers Palette and switch to the Gradient Tool (G).
• Change your foreground color to blue and then create a Linear Gradient that fades from one corner of the canvas to the other.
• Make sure that the 'Reverse' box isn't checked off.
• Double-click on the layer thumbnail icon of your gradient layer to open the Gradient Fill dialog box.
• Click inside of the 'Gradient' preview to open the 'Gradient Editor'.
• The small square icons along the bottom of the gradient strip represent the colors.
• Notice where your two colors are placed along the bottom of the strip - there should be one on each side.
• The small square icons along the top of the gradient strip represents the opacity of the colors at that point.
• If one side or the other isn't visible, it's because the 'Opacity' stopper is set to less than 100%.
• Click along the bottom of the strip and add another color to your gradient. 
• Spread out the three colors so your newest color is a bit left of center. You can check this by making sure the 'Location' value is set to about '33' in the 'Stops' section.
• Add a stop above the new color to create an opacity stop, and change the value of the opacity in the center to 100%.
• You should now have a gradient with two colors that fade into transparent. 
• Give your new gradient a name by entering something into the 'Name' field.
• After naming your custom gradient, click on the 'New' button. 
• Your gradient should now be added below all of the default preset gradient folders.

Second Custom Gradient

• Click on the 'Create new fill or adjustment layer' icon found at the bottom of the Layers Palette.
• Choose 'Gradient' which is going to be the second option from the top.
• Modify the colors of your gradient starting with one of the presets and then changing or adding more colors using stops.
• Add at least three colors to this gradient.
• Place a stop at the end of the gradient strip and reduce the Opacity to 0% to make it completely transparent. 
• Name this gradient and click 'New' to add it to the bottom of the presets.
• Since we began with a preset, your new gradient may first appear next to the other presets, but we can drag it down to the bottom so that it's below all of the preset folders and next to our first custom gradient.

Saving Custom Gradients

• Hold the Control Key and click on either of your two custom gradients. 
• Once the dropdown menu appears, select 'New Gradient Group' from the list.
• Give your New Group a name and press 'OK' to apply the changes.
• You can now click and drag both of your custom gradients into the new group folder.
• Click on the small gear icon at the top of the panel to open the settings and choose 'Export Selected Gradients' from the bottom of the list.
• You can now save your gradients to your desktop or another folder of your choice.
• Now anytime that you want to load up your gradient presets you can do so by opening the gradients and selecting the settings again before choosing 'Import Gradients'.
• From there you will need to locate and double-click on the 'grd' file to open them. 

Hints & tips

• You can add as few or as many stops as you'd like to a custom gradient.
• The stops along the bottom of the gradient preview control the colors, while the stops along the top control the opacity.
• If you find yourself using the same gradients over and over again, try saving them as a preset.