Illustrator Absolute beginner question for you.

[mindgem]

OK. So I want to know how I can make a gradient fill for two separate forms. I say forms because it could be several objects or just one object but I can't figure out how the gradient can fill from left to right on a group which has two separated forms.
When I try I get the gradient to fill EACH object with left to right rather than treating the two forms as one object and fill it...

See the image, In photoshop you can just select the two shapes, fill it with gradient and it covers the full selected area from right to left.
In Illustrator I can't figure out how to do it...let me know.

 

[hawkeye]

If I understand you correctly, you need a transparency mask.
Make the layer with the two shapes you want filled with the gradient and fill them with WHITE, group them. In a layer below make a shape spanning the objects on the layer above and fill with the gradient. Select all the objects. Open the Transparency Panel and click Make Mask. Check mark the CLIP box.

 

[mindgem]

Hey Hawkeye,

Thanx for helping out. I've tried your guide 3 times and I still can't get it to work. I can't see where I go wrong but let me bullet what I do..


1. make 2 shapes. give them white fill.
2. group them.
3. Inside the group I make a third shape covering the two first shapes which I will use as the mask.
4. I select the to-be mask shape and make it a mask. (great, can see that I move the whole cluster of stuff when I go up a layer)
5. select the first two shapes and give them a gradient fill...they still make the fills in complete shade range within themselves.

Where did I go wrong?

 

[mindgem]

Could you upload the file you made somewhere so I can check it?

 

[hawkeye]

Look at the first screenshot I posted. Place the shape with the gradient in its own layer, below the grouped shapes.

 

[mindgem]

Aha got it! Thanx a lot.

But hey! Another problem arose from that. Now I can't change the gradient with a simple click, I have to release the mask and than make changes or is there a way around that?

Here's what I'm trying to do. I've got a graffiti-styled font I made in Photoshop and now I'm trying to remake it in scratch in vector.
But the most important thing is that I can easily change the colors of the different element on each letter so my hopes are that
there's a way for me to change that gradient with as little work as possible. Got a solution?

In Photoshop I can just hit the action, do my changes and than short cut key all the rest, I'm done in 5sec
so this seems like such a pushback in work flow to me.

 

[mindgem]

Sorry to be such a pain Hawkeye
But check this image, I made the gradient, sweet but it cuts off the outline, what's up with that?

The last A is my Photoshop A and I'm trying to make as close of a copy as possible in vector, would you say that's doable?

 

[hawkeye]

Click on either object in the transparency panel and it becomes highlighted in blue. Once highlighted you can change it anyway you wish. In this case I changed the gradient to blue.

 

[hawkeye]

You need to think differently with Illustrator than you do in Photoshop. To get a stroke around the letter "A". Duplicate the "A" and place it below the masked gradient filled layer. As a separate object you can alter the stroke any way you wish.

 

[mindgem]

Aha got it.
Thanx for the help, I'm sure I'll come back and pester you again with questions but for now I'll go and fiddle with some vectors.