Gradient Conundrum

[brimacthrives]

I've come across something I can not figure out.

I've downloaded a stock illustration for a project I'm working on that is somehow using gradients, but... they're not gradients. Confusing, I know. Let me try to explain...

As you can see in the above screenshot, when I try to change the "original" shape to be a flat color, it will convert to a flat color (the gradient bar in the flyout panel is still blue, but the fill is magenta) when I hold shift and eyedrop, like normal, but it still appears as a gradient. More curiously, when I try to change the shape (by moving the points individually) it still holds the original gradient shape, but behind (around?) it is the flat color.

I really don't understand what's going on here. I've found a workaround to continue my project, but I'm very curious to figure out how this is happening. Do you know?

[Jacob Bugge · Accepted solution]

Brian,

As I (mis)understand it, you may have a Opacity Mask with Clip unticked and Invert Mask ticked or unticked, the masking object having a grayscale transition between black and white either way, so that an extension of the masked object beyond the masking one will have the solid colour.

[brimacthrives]

Thank you! That was it. I don't ever use masks... obviously.

[Jacob Bugge]

You are welcome, Brian.

[Monika Gause]

Please open the layers panel and look for your object there.

[ceyhun_akgun]

Can you share the illustrator document with me? I'd like to examine. ceyhunakgun@gmail.com