Make edges of object fade.

[martcol]

I would like to make that kidney shape fade at the edges so that it appears to blend in with the darker shap.

I tried copying the shape in front and filling it with black and making a clipping mask and then feathering the mask but it just seemed to make it black in the middle.

Thanks

Martin

[Scott Falkner · Accepted solution]

Try just adding a gaussian blur to the shape.

If that won’t work then give the shape a solid white fill and then add a gaussian blur. Use that shape as an opacity mask for a larger object with the same gradient fill. Just a rectangle will suffice. To make an opacity mask you need one object (or group) above the selected and above the object or objects to be masked, also selected. Select Make Opacity Mask from the Transparency panel’s flyout menu. In this case, you just need two object selected: the blurred white kidney shape above the gradient-filled larger shape.

[Ignatius Fay]

I tried this and it worked for me.

Choose your kidney and offset the path the distance you want the fade to be. Make that new larger kidney the same color as the end of the tube and send i behind the original kidney.

Select both kidneys and use the blend tool to create a blend from one to the other. Then go to the Blend Options under the Object menu and define the number of steps you prefer in your blend. That should do it.

You may have to tweak the shape of the background kidney - the blend tool can be quirky.

[martcol]

Thank you very much both of you for the suggestions.

Terrific.

Martin

[Ignatius Fay]

You are quite welcome.

[chen2011]

study...

[martcol]

chen2011 wrote

study...

helpful...

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

Well since it was brought up there is a new way in CS 5 which it to construct the shape as a gradient mesh and give the anchor points at the edges a transparency of "0%" like such

it is a convincing way I think.