The gradient tool makes a smooth transition from one defined color to another. It can be a very valuable asset in any designer's tool set if they know how to manipulate it. Some of the ways you can use gradients is for color variety in a texture, masking or to create reflections. This article will teach you how to use the gradient tool in Photoshop step-by-step.

• If you make a mistake and add too many nodes, just pick them and hit your delete key.

• To duplicate a node, Alt + left click it and drag to a new position.

• Experiment with placing a gradient in a mask channel to help control the blending of one image with another.

• Remember you can alter the look of gradients by changing the starting and ending position when dragging with the tool.

• When creating a reflection, make it more realistic by using the lightest color for nodes at both ends.

• You can use as many colors in your gradients as you can fit on the node bar.

• In layer styles, there is an option named Gradient Overlay. You can use the editor the exact same way in this menu to directly add a gradient to your effect without having to drag click.

• If you need your gradient to start in the opposite direction, just click the reverse checkbox on the top tool menu.

You will find that this tutorial is suitable for any skill level. It should take around 8 to 10 minutes to complete. If you are using an image editor other than Adobe Photoshop, you should have no problem following along. In this how to, you will learn how to use gradient presets as well as make your own custom sets. Several examples of their practical application will be shown below.

Your first step is to choose what type of gradient you need for your project. There are five kinds of gradients that are available to you. Choose the one that best matches the space you are trying to fill. For example, a linear gradient works well if you want to make a subtle background on your Web site while a radial one would work great on a round button. To make your selection, use the shortcut G, then click the appropriate icon on the gradient toolbar at the top of your screen.

Next, you need to figure out what colors you want to apply. The program comes with a ton of presets. Just click the preview gradient next to the icon buttons to open the gradient editor. Once the window opens, you will see the choices. You simply click them to activate them. There's even more libraries in the pull down under the arrow in the top right corner.

Although there are some useful presets, there will be times you need to create your own. For example, you could decide you want to sample colors from a photograph of gold and place them in your own gradient.

• How to Create a Custom Gradient:

1. Create a new document by typing Ctrl+N.
2. Set the width and height to 500 pixels and give the file a transparent background.
3. Name the transparent layer GradEx.
4. Push G to activate the gradient tool.
5. Open the editor and push the New button. You will notice that the program gives you a start and end node by default.
6. Pick the first and last color node and make it ffd126. To change the color, click the box next to the color field. Here you can change a hue like normal. (Also, you can use the regular color picker with the node selected to replace it.)
7. To add a third one, just click under the color bar on the gradient window. Select the node and color it a14210.
8. Now, move it with precision using the location text field. Type 75%.
9. Place another node at location 91 % with 64280e as the color.
10. Push the Save button and name it gold.

You can also control the transparency of your transitions with opacity nodes. They work the same way as their color counterparts, but instead of a color option you get an opacity text field. 100% opacity means that there is no transparency effect. This is the default. Move the value closer to 0 to make it progressively more see through.

As a practice, you will create a white to transparent gradient that could be used to add a reflective gleam to an interface or button.

• How to Create a Partially Transparent Gradient:

1. Open the editor and push the New button.
2. Make the first and last node white.
3. Select the last opacity node and enter 0 as the value.
4. Push the Save button and name it gleam.

Once you have the tool active, you can click and drag anywhere in the image window to start your gradient. Then, let go of the left mouse button to end it. Straight and diagonal lines are allowed.

• Linear: Creates a gradient from the start to end point in a straight line.
• Radial: Creates a gradient from the start to end point in a circle.
• Angle: Creates a gradient from the start to end point in a sweeping counterclockwise direction.
• Reflected: Uses a symmetrical linear gradient
• Diamond: Creates a diamond shaped gradient with a corner that stops at the end point.