Creating a new gradient with Option-drag could do something useful
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As I mentioned in this thread, Option-clicking with the Gradient tool (G) picks a color from other objects for the selected color stop of an existing gradient.
Nice and useful.
However, when you first drag with the Gradient Editor tool to create a new gradient, Option-dragging still picks a solid color fill from anywhere you click, which doesn't make sense (you're trying to create a new gradient, right?).
Option-dragging in this case could do something more useful, like:
- create the new gradient for the stroke instead, or…
- pick that color only to be used as the start for the gradient (for the first color stop);
- create a concentric gradient.
Agree/Disagree? Any other preferences or ideas?
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@b77 said in Creating a new gradient with Option-drag could do something useful:
As I mentioned in this thread, Option-clicking with the Gradient tool (G) picks a color from other objects for the selected color stop of an existing gradient.
Nice and useful.Yes, I requested this (this is how Affinity works)
However, when you first drag with the Gradient Editor tool to create a new gradient, Option-dragging still picks a solid color fill from anywhere you click, which doesn't make sense (you're trying to create a new gradient, right?).
It depends on what the gradient is created for.
I requested the aforementioned functionality, which I mostly use from tracing scenarios where I actually have to pick the color directly below the gradient stops I create... Or somewhere not so far from.
So it's not unlikely that I will also be able to use the current functionality, i.e. that the color of the first gradient stop will be the color directly below. I just didn't know that it already worked from the first stop.
So I will be able to use the current functionality, which makes a lot of sense in my tracing scenarios, but I can live with a change of functionality when creating a gradient.
But anyway, not completely without logic as it is now.
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@Ingolf So what would be most consistent would be if Option-click picks a color for the start of the new gradient (for the first color stop), and the second stop to keep the initial color of the object?
(Speaking of creating a new gradient, not editing an existing one).
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@b77 Ah, sorry, I tried to remember how VS works with gradients when I didn't have a computer available, it didn't work so well.
Now I have installed .53 on my mac and see that pressing Option with gradient tool enabled, ready to use, activates a color picker that if used will pick up a color for fill or stroke. But it's enabled without the gradient tool having created a gradient, so it's a bit of an orphan color picker just at that moment.
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It could be used - as I described - to pick up an initial colour for a gradient, but I don't think many people will find it useful. Not even me. I can handle subsequently selecting or picking up a color for the initial gradient stop.
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I don't think Option-Gradient should fill the stroke either. Now that I'm finally awake, I remember my decades of using the X key to toggle between fill or stroke in the color panel. If fill is selected in color panel, press X, then stroke is selected, drag gradient. That scenario IS covered just fine.
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Then we get to alternative gradient shapes as an option. And here I definitely mean that Option-drag should draw a concentric (circular) gradient. No need for shortcuts for conical and spiral and the others, since you don't need to cover all shapes with shortcuts.
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Speaking of which... I'm thinking there's a missing shape type dropdown and a shortcut to the gradient panel in the context toolbar. I know I can double click the gradient tool in the toolbar, but I simply forget often. And it's unnecessary to have a panel on the screen, when you mostly only need the shape setting at hand, while you can often use the gradient itself and the color and swatch panel for the other adjustments.
The Context toolbar is in many applications the most efficient and easy access to the most used settings of the many tools. And no one needs shortcuts or visible panels or anything special to find it and use its options.
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@Ingolf Another option I forgot to suggest is creating a gradient with full opacity at the start going to full transparency at the other end.
The current color of the object should be used in this case for both color stops.
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@b77 said in Creating a new gradient with Option-drag could do something useful:
@Ingolf Another option I forgot to suggest is creating a gradient with full opacity at the start going to full transparency at the other end.
The current color of the object should be used in this case for both color stops.Also possible yes. Only issue now is that we don't know what the world prefers.
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@b77 said in Creating a new gradient with Option-drag could do something useful:
Option-dragging in this case could do something more useful
I added this to the backlog.
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Hey world!
Poll here: https://linkto.run/p/7N58FT1L
Although… if the poll would include a Preferences setting for all four as a 5th option, this would be checked by everybody.
