The Blend tool in Adobe Illustrator allows you to smoothly transition between two or more objects, creating visually appealing gradients and transitions. Let’s explore how to use the Blend tool to create seamless blends.
Step 1: Prepare Your Objects
- Open Illustrator and create or import the objects you want to blend between.
- Arrange the objects in the desired order.
Step 2: Access the Blend Tool
- Select all objects.
- Go to ‘Object’ > ‘Blend’ > ‘Make’ or use the shortcut Ctrl + Alt + B (Windows) or Command + Option + B (Mac).
Step 3: Adjust the Blend Options
- With the blended objects selected, go to ‘Object’ > ‘Blend’ > ‘Blend Options.’
- Choose the desired blend type: ‘Specified Steps’ for a discrete number of steps or ‘Smooth Color’ for a gradient-like effect.
- Adjust the number of steps or the smoothness of the blend as needed.
A fun trick with the Blend Tool is to use it go grab a color for a print gradient. For example, you want to screen print a gradient like below, but you’re not sure which is the exact middle color. You can use the Blend Tool to find said color and create that perfect gradient.
Go to Blend Options and select “Specified Steps”. Enter ‘1’ as the value. Click “OK”, then select your top and bottom colors. Go to “Object”, “Blend”, “Make”. You’ll now have a middle color that works perfectly with your gradient.
