Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
3 Shaping a glow with a blend made from non-circular objects.
When you don't have a cir-
cle or oval path, only a blend can “shape” the glow evenly around the object. So that
the glowing object can be placed over any background, we'll continue to create the
glow with transparency. Create your first object—here, a crescent moon filled with
pale yellow and no stroke. Many asymmetrical shapes don't scale easily relative to
the original's boundaries, so with your object selected, choose Object> Path> Offset
Path. Enable Preview and use a negative number for a smaller object. Select the larg-
er object and, in the Transparency panel, set the Opacity to 0%. Now select both
paths and choose Object> Blend> Make. If you haven't already created a blend with
the Specified Steps or Specified Distance Spacing option in your current working ses-
sion, Illustrator might use Smooth Color. Smooth Color doesn't create a glow, but
rings the inner crescent moon with a lighter color. To get the glow, double-click on
the Blend tool to open the dialog and choose Specified Steps for the Spacing option.
Around 25 steps should create a decent glow. If necessary, adjust the offset, miter,
and path edges until the blend is smooth and glowing.
3
Creating the second object with Offset Path (top left) and using
Object> Blend> Make; the default Smooth
Color doesn't blend (top right), but switching
to Specified Steps creates the glow
This shaped-blend method can also be used for making any shape or size of highlight
for any object. By creating the highlight as a separate object, you gain the advantage
of being able to change the object's color later without having to reconstruct the
