Create or modify gradients
Gradient colors are defined by a series of stops in the gradient slider. A stop is the point at which a gradient changes from one color to the next and is identified by a square below the gradient slider. The squares in the Gradient panel display the color currently assigned to each gradient stop. With a radial gradient, the leftmost gradient slider defines the center point’s color fill, which radiates outward to the color of the rightmost gradient slider.
For a video on using gradients to enhance your drawings, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0050. For a tutorial on creating gradients, see the Unleash the power of gradients tutorial at www.adobe.com/go/learn_ai_tutorials_gradients.
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Do
one of the following:
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To create a new gradient, deselect all objects and click the gradient box at the bottom of the Tools panel.
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To modify an object’s gradient, select the object.
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To modify a preset gradient, click a gradient swatch in the Swatches panel.
To display only gradients
in the Swatches panel, click the Show Swatch Kinds button 
and
choose Show Gradient Swatches.
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- In the Gradient panel, select a gradient type (Linear or Radial).
- If you select Linear, enter an angle of direction for
the gradient in the Angle text box. Or, drag the Gradient tool
in
the document window to set the angle. - Select colors for the gradient:
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To define the starting and ending colors of a gradient, click the leftmost or rightmost gradient stop. Specify a color in the Color panel, or Alt‑click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) a color swatch in the Swatches panel. Or, drag a color from the Color panel or the Swatches panel onto the gradient stop.
Note: If you create a gradient between spot colors, you must deselect Convert To Process in the Separation Setup dialog box to print the gradient in individual spot color separations. -
To add intermediate colors to a gradient, drag a color from the Swatches panel or the Color panel onto the gradient slider. Or, click anywhere below the gradient slider, and then select a color as you would for the starting or ending color. To delete an intermediate color, drag the square off the gradient slider.
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To adjust the midpoints of the gradient’s color stops (the point at which two color stops are 50%), drag a diamond icon located above the slider or select the icon and enter a value between 0 and 100 in the Location text box.
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To adjust the endpoints of the gradient’s color stops, drag the leftmost or rightmost gradient stop below the gradient slider.
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- Click the New Swatch button in the Swatches panel to save the new or modified gradient as a swatch. Or, drag the gradient from the Gradient panel or Tools panel to the Swatches panel.