User Guide

Canvas 12 User Guide
Artists often use blends to create highlights and shadows in vector drawings that provide the illusion
of roundness and lighting. In addition, use blends to copy and evenly distribute objects around
shapes to create borders.
To blend objects:
1. Select two or more vector objects.
2. Choose Effects | Blend.
3. Configure the settings.
4. Click Apply.
Blend Object options
# of shapes The number of objects Canvas creates for the blend. Higher numbers
result in smoother blends.
Rainbow colors Creates a rainbow-like blend of colors between objects. This introduces
more color variations than a standard blend, which uses only
combinations of the original colors. When you turn on this option, two
buttons appear; choose a clockwise or counter-clockwise path around
the color wheel.
Bind to a path Select to use the path of an object (not in the current selection) to
arrange blend objects. Click Apply and then you have to choose a path.
Click the object to which you want to bind the blend objects.
Point to point Available when blending two objects. This option lets you rotate blend
objects, creating the illusion that one object is twisting into another.
When you click Apply, Canvas prompts you to Choose 1st Point; click an
anchor point on one object. Canvas then prompts you to Choose 2nd
Point; click an anchor point on the other object. To reverse the blend
direction, Ctrl-click when you choose the two points.
Dynamic Lets you use the Direct Selection tool (hollow arrow) to accelerate,
decelerate, expand, contract, and redirect the blend after Canvas
creates it. Dynamic blends aren’t available for specialized objects, such
as multigons, spirals, concentric circles, and grids.
Using blends for dimensional effects
By specifying a high number of blend objects, you can create gradual transitions between shapes
and colors. With the appropriate settings, colors seem to fade and mix into each other, and the blend
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