Understanding Blends

Understanding Blends

Although there are hundreds of thousands of different looks you can create with blends, they are all variations of three basic effects: color change, shape change, or distributing objects.

Color changes

Color changes are similar to the look of gradients. However, blends give you more control over the look of the color change

Figure 1. The top three color changes were created by gradients, but a blend is needed for the more complicated color change on the bottom.

Shape changes

Shape changes create the effect of one object turning into another. Some shape changes use 222w2212c hundreds of intermediate styles which make a subtle change between the objects . Other shape changes use 222w2212c few steps which lets you see how each object changes

Figure 2. The difference between a blend with just a few steps (left) and one with over two hundred steps (right).

Figure 3. An example of how a blend can make one object change its shape into another.

Distributing objects

You can distribute objects by blending one object to an identical copy of itself. The intermediate steps are also identical objects, but they can easily be distributed in a straight line or along a path

Figure 4. An example of how a blend between two identical circles creates a distribution of circles.

Blending Paths

No matter what type of blend effect you create, they all start with the same basic blend command.

To create a simple blend:

Select two or more shapes you want to blend

Figure 5. Two objects selected to create a blend.

Choose Modify > Combine > Blend. The objects blend together

Figure 6. After applying the Blend command, the objects are blended with intermediate steps.

TIP

Blends are created in straight lines between objects. To make a blend follow a curve, you align the blend to a path (see page 219).

Once you have a blend, you may want to change the number of steps. You might want to make the blend as smooth as possible or modify it to show the intermediate steps.

To change the number of steps in a blend:

Select the blend.

In the Object inspector, enter the number of steps between the original objects in the Steps field

Figure 7. Use the Steps field to set the number of steps between the original objects in a blend.

Press Return/Enter. The blend re-forms with the new number of steps.

You may find your blends do not look as smooth as you would like. Or that the objects do not change in the manner you expect. This is because FreeHand automatically calculates the blend using the points from which it wants to blend . You can create a custom blend by forcing FreeHand to use specific points for the blend.

Figure 8. An automatic blend between two objects with no points selected.

To create a custom blend:

Use the Pointer tool to select a point on the first of the objects from which you want the blend to begin.

Hold the Shift key to select a point on the second object.

Continue to select additional points on each of the objects in the blend.

Choose Modify > Combine > Blend. The intermediate steps of the blend are created by creating shapes between the selected points

Figure 9. A custom blend between two objects created by selecting two points (circled).

Figure 10. A custom blend created by selecting two different points (circled).

TIP

To make blends as smooth as possible, pick points on each object that are in equivalent positions.