How to add a gradient in illustrator in 7 Easy steps

Can you add a gradient in Illustrator text and then leave it editable as a custom typography template? Yes, if you do not, know, this article is for you.

Learning how to add a gradient to live text can be a starting point for creating cool text templates that you can edit later in future projects. Adding the gradient in most cases means that you have to forgo the text’s editability. Today I will show you how to add the effect to live editable text.

First, we will create and format the text to use. After that, we will set the appearance of the text. Finally, we will add and edit the gradient. If you want to learn Graphic Design, check out our course.

What you will learn

1. Set up text for gradient application
2. Add a gradient to live text
3. Customize gradient appearance
4. Use gradients on shapes
5. Advanced gradient techniques
6. Common issues and FAQs

Steps to create editable text gradient in Illustrator

Step 1: Create an artboard by going to File>New or Control+N on PC or Command+N on MAC. Set the artboard size from the pop-up menu. Set the artboard size, number of pages, and orientation.

Step 2: Go to the type tool shortcut T on the tools menu. Click on the artboard when you see the cursor and create your text. You can change the font and size of your text.

Step 3: Select the text you created and remove the fill color. The text seems to disappear.

Step 4: With the text selected, go to Window>Appearance, and a menu comes up. From the pop-up menu, set the text to black. This step ensures your text is editable even with the gradient.

Step 5: Click the gradient tool with the text selected. The text now has a gradient.

Step 6: Go to window>Gradient. Double-click on the nodes to edit, change, or move color ranges. Like below. The text has a gradient and is still fully editable. To test, let’s change the word creative to simple.

Step 7: Click T or the type tool. Hover around the text till you see the cursor. Click once to edit and start typing. You can create any custom text or change fonts when still having the gradient.

Adding a gradient in Illustrator for shapes

If you do not intend to edit your text in the future, you can change your text to curves or a shape before adding a gradient. After adding the gradient, you will go to the nodes on the pop-up and edit the colors.

You can use this procedure when working with shapes like rectangles and triangles. Adding gradients to text follows the same process. However, text in Illustrator is not a shape object. To solve this problem, convert your text into curves, then click on the gradient fill.

To have the gradient flow seamlessly, not per letter, change the angle to 90 degrees. That’s it, play around with different settings to get used to it.

Create a Shape and Add a gradient in Illustrator

Choose the shape tool or shortcut O and drag over the artboard to create a shape. I will draw a rectangle. Make sure the fill option is in front of the stroke. You can change this by clicking X. If you, however, want a gradient on the outline, have the stroke in front.

Click the small red box to remove the stroke on the shape. Now click on the gradient fill next to the fill color to add a gradient to the shape. By default, the color will be from white to black. A new pop-up menu will come up where you can change the gradient settings.

If you do not see this pop-up menu, go to Window>Gradient. To change the color, double-click on the slider and choose the color you want. 

If you want to add more colors, click on the slider to add a point and choose a color. You can also change the orientation of the gradient and opacity of each color from the gradient menu.

Advanced Techniques Gradient in Illustrator

Once the gradient is created, you can edit it using the Gradient tool or shortcut (G). By clicking and dragging, you can change the length and direction of the gradient.

You can use gradient maps and meshes to create gradients on a specific area. This is useful if you want to create depth and dimension in your design.

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