Gradient Tool and Layers

[unhappyrainbow]

Complete Newbie here so don't shout if this has been asked loads of times before.

Basically, I have a picture of my Daughter and I want to fade half of her face out of the picture, i.e make half of her face black. I am new to PDN but I think i may need to use the Gradient and Linear tools and possibly a new layer?!

I have searched PDN for 'fade', 'blend' and any others I can think of but cannot find how to do this simple thing!

Thanks

Unhappyrainbow

[Lance McKnight]

Have you tried, on a new layer, to use black to transparent gradient? If not, here what you can do: select black as your primary color, and secondary color as transparent by clicking "More>" on the color palette, and slide the alpha slider all the way down to zero. Use linear gradient and fade out your daughter picture. Let me know if this works.

[unhappyrainbow]

Lance,

That worked a treat,

Many thanks

[Lance McKnight]

It was a pleasure to help.

Welcome to the forum.

[odeho19]

@ Lance, or whomever might read this: I have a beautiful pic of a peach colored rose. It's in the center of the pic, and I'd like to use some level of a gradient blurr or something so that the rose is the central focus, and the perimeter is either faded to nothing or white. I've tried the suggestion above, and can't seem to get it to work. Here are the exact steps I've tried so far with not as much success as I would like:

1) Open pic and name it

2) Chose Radial Gradient in Transparency mode

3) Choose Colors as Primary Transparent (255), and Secondary as white

4) Draw line from center to far outer edge

My problem, and it really isn't much of one, is that I'd like to completely fade all of the outer edges to white, as this pic will eventually be used in the bottom left hand corner of an all white business card, and I'd like to eliminate the "squared" edges of the pic that I now have. I've tried running the process a second time, and this seems to fade out to much of the center of the pic. Any thoughts would be helpful. Thanks in advance for your time!

Odean

[Sarkut]

odeho19,

Using the Alpha Mask plugin will insure a total fadeout to transparency at the edges.

Make the mask the size and shape you want and blur it.

Copy the Mask Layer to the Clipboard:

Ctrl A

Ctrl C

In the Layers window, remove the checkmark from the Mask Layer to make it not visible.

Apply the Alpha Mask effect to the rose image.

=============

Alpha Mask Import plugin:

Edited April 6, 2010 by Sarkut

[odeho19]

@ Sorkut, I REALLY appreciate such a quick response. I, however forgot to tell you that I'm really pretty new @ this, and so, much of what you described is over my head. I did install the Alpha mask plug-in easily enough, and got to the point where I've got 2 copies of the pic I want to work with. One of them even has the background invisible. I can't however reproduce the elipse needed in order to make the Alpha mask to match the 2nd layer, and thus produce the rest of what you described. Here is what I have so far:

As you can see the edges of the 2nd copy are not blurred like yours are, as I don't know how to do that. Then I'd have to make the 3rd copy with the edges blurred as well. I'm certain if I could make the 3rd copy, as in your example, I would be able to figure the rest out. Thanks again for your attempted help, it's just that I'm a Noob @ this, and it's my fault that you thought you and I were speaking on the same level. Sorry about that...... :oops:

Odean

[Sarkut]

odeho19,

No worries.

For blurring the mask edges, in the top menu:

Effects > Blurs > Gaussian Blur.

You will need to step the blur radius number up

quite a bit from the default setting.

A good reference to help figure things out in

Paint.NET is, the online Help file:

http://www.getpaint.net/doc/latest/en/EffectsBlursMenu.html

This can be accessed from Paint.NET by pressing the F1 key.

======================

Open the image in Paint.NET.

Make a duplicate layer.

Layers Window

Increase the Canvas Size to 150%, Anchored in the Middle.

http://www.getpaint.net/doc/latest/en/ImageMenu.html

Delete the bottom layer.

Layers Window

The image should now be in the middle of the otherwise

transparent layer( gray and white checkerboard around it).

Make a new (transparent) layer, and create the black mask.

Use the Ellipse Selection tool while holding

the Shift key down.

Press Ctrl i - to invert the selection.

Use the Paintbucket tool near the canvas edge.

Press Ctrl D - to deselect.

Blur heavily.

Copy the Mask Layer to the Clipboard:

Ctrl A

Ctrl C

In the Layers window, remove the checkmark from the Mask Layer to make it not visible.

Apply the Alpha Mask effect to the rose image.

Make a rectangular selection around the image and crop to selection.

http://www.getpaint.net/doc/latest/en/ImageMenu.html

Flatten image and SaveAs... PNG.

http://www.LupiUpload.de/images/2010/01/31/e8a1b679592d0167afa199ffd4072560ae08e308.png

Any difficulties, post here again.

Edited April 6, 2010 by Sarkut

[odeho19]

Yay for Sarcut! I think I've got it! (holding breath), But I wanted you to see it, and tell me if I've got it right. I got the ellipse the right size, and positioned correctly, and the rest of the process, as explained, got completed. This is it:

Now, I'll shrink it to fit, and work with placement on the business card, but as far as "what" to work with, I'm pretty sure this will work. Thank YOU very much for your help, and how well you wrote out the instructions for me! :-D

Odean

[Sarkut]

Nice result!

Edited April 18, 2010 by Sarkut