Operation Manual

162 Colour, Fills, and Transparency
To apply gradient transparency with the Transparency Tool:
1. Select the object and set the Transparency tab’s Fill/Line swatch
as before.
2. Click the
Transparency Tool on the Attributes toolbar.
3. Drag your cursor across the object and release the mouse
button. The object takes a simple Linear transparency, grading
from 100% opacity to 0% opacity (fully transparent).
Editing transparency
Once you've applied a gradient transparency, you can adjust or replace
its path on the object, and the level of transparency along the path. You
can even create more complex transparency effects by adding extra
handles to the path by clicking and assigning different levels to each
handle.
To adjust the transparency path:
• Use the
Transparency Tool to drag individual handles, or
click on the object for a new start handle and drag out a new
transparency path. The effect starts where you place the start
handle, and ends where you place the end handle. For bitmap
transparencies, the path determines the centre and two edges of
the effect.
Editing a gradient transparency path is similar to editing a comparable
fill path. Adding a level of transparency means varying the transparency
gradient by introducing a new handle and assigning it a particular value.
For transparencies with multiple handles, each handle has its own value,
comparable to a key colour in a gradient fill. Note that you cannot alter
the values in a bitmap transparency.