zaro

Steps to Darken a Gradient

Published in Illustrator Gradient Editing 2 mins read

Here is how you can darken a gradient in Adobe Illustrator:

To darken a gradient in Illustrator, you need to adjust the color of its individual color stops. A direct way to make existing colors darker is to use the HSB (Hue, Saturation, Brightness) color space and reduce the Brightness value for each stop.

Steps to Darken a Gradient

Illustrator allows you to modify the colors used at different points along the gradient path. Follow these steps to make your gradient darker:

  1. Select the Object: First, select the object (shape, text, etc.) in your artwork that has the gradient applied.
  2. Open the Gradient Panel: Go to Window > Gradient to open the Gradient panel if it's not already visible. You will see the gradient slider with color stops.
  3. Open the Color Panel: Go to Window > Color to open the Color panel. This panel is used to adjust the colors of your selected color stops.
  4. Select a Color Stop: In the Gradient panel, click on one of the color stops (the little house icons) below the gradient slider. This makes that specific color editable in the Color panel.
  5. Switch to HSB Color Mode: In the Color panel options menu (usually accessed by clicking the three horizontal lines in the upper-right corner), select HSB. The color sliders will change to show Hue (H), Saturation (S), and Brightness (B).
  6. Darken the Stop using Brightness: As mentioned in the reference, if you have a color you want to make darker, you can "switch to HSB and pull the Brightness slider down." With the color stop selected and the Color panel in HSB mode, drag the Brightness (B) slider to the left to decrease the brightness and make the color darker.
  7. Repeat for Other Stops: Select the next color stop in the Gradient panel and repeat step 6 to darken its color. Continue this process for all color stops in your gradient.
  8. Add New Darker Stops (Optional): You can add new color stops to the gradient slider by clicking just below the bar. Select the new stop and use the HSB Brightness slider in the Color panel to assign a darker color at that point, further influencing the gradient's overall darkness.

By adjusting the Brightness slider in the HSB color mode for each color stop, you effectively darken the colors that make up your gradient, resulting in a darker overall appearance for the gradient fill.