Illustrator’s Blend Tool: A Comprehensive Guide
Tutorial Details
- Program: Illustrator
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Completion Time: 30 minutes
Download Source Files
A few times a each month we revisit some of our reader’s favorite posts from throughout the history of Vectortuts+. This tutorial by Simona Pfreundner was first published on November 14th 2008.
In Adobe Illustrator, the Blend Tool can help you create impressive color blends. But there is more to it than you might know. This comprehensive guide can help you unlock your creative potential and teaches the features, shortcuts, and in depth methods that the Blend Tool has to offer.
Introduction
If you are using Illustrator for detailed imagery creation, the Blend Tool can be your most important tool. Compared to the Gradient Mesh Tool, the Blend Tool is a Live tool, meaning that you can change its object or shape, its color or position, and the blend will be updated live. You can create blends either with the Blend Tool or the Make Blend command. One thing to remember though, the Blend Tool takes a lot of RAM, so it may slow down your computer.
Exercise File
Below is an screenshot of the Exercise file that accompanies this tutorial, and is available to PLUS Members. Want access to the full Vector Source files, Vector Packs, Exercise files, and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join VECTORTUTS PLUS for just $19/month.
1. The Blend Tool
Overview and Keyboard Shortcuts (see image below for Menu items):
- Blend Tool (W)
- Blend selected paths or shapes (Ctrl + Alt + B)
- Release blend (Shift + Ctrl + Alt + B)
- Expand to make blend permanent
- Reverse Spine to flip a blend
- Replace Spine to apply a different path
- Reverse Front to Back to reverse the stacking position of blends (useful for animation)
2. Blends with Various Shapes
You can make a blend between open paths like lines
Or between closed paths like shapes
And blends between blends
3. Blend Options Palette
Under Object > Blend > Blend Options, you will find different settings that you can apply:
Smooth Color
Specified Steps
Specified Distance
4. Applying Blends with the Blend Tool (W)
When selecting the Blend Tool (W), you can easily morph two or multiple colors together. Also, by clicking on the corner points of a shape instead of the middle, you can morph the shape into a mirrored object.
5. Blending Different Shapes
When morphing two or more different shapes together, you can easily built up complex objects.
6. Blending Shapes with Different Gradients
You can blend two shapes with a different gradient and achieve some neat effects. These objects can be used as backgrounds or part of more complex shapes you are creating.
7. Aligning blends Along a Path
Once you applied a Blend, you can modify the path that the blend runs along.
Along a path with Specified Steps
Along a path with Smooth Color
Along a path with Specified Distance
8. Replace Spine Option
Once you have created a blend, you can change the path that it runs along. Just create a path to your liking, select both the path and the blend and go to Object > Blend > Replace Spine.
9. Align to Path or Page
Once you have created a blend and applied a specific path, it can be important that in the Blend Option Palette you choose the correct options.
10. Reverse Spine
If you want to have a spine reversed, for example have a gradient blend run reverse, you can achieve this by selecting your blend and going to Object > Blend > Reverse Spine.
11. Creating Highlights With Blends
You can create some neat highlights for shapes with blends. Especially where the Gradient Tool doesn’t work so well.
12. The Possibilities are Endless!
When working with blends, you can create some really interesting stuff. You can even blend symbols, outlined fonts, or brushes. Remember though that blends are RAM suckers and your AI file could get heavy. Nevertheless, they can save you time and help you create some awesome effects.
Below is an illustration that I made quite a while back. The Blend Tool was next to the Gradient Tool as one of my most important tools in creating this piece. Have fun using the Blend Tool in your work.
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By Simona Pfreundner
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Very nice tutorial! I’m sure that a lot of people will find this very helpful. Thanks for explaining this tool in so much detail!
Very nice info. I really like the tool overviews.
Good job. Very refreshing. I feel like weeping tears of joy.
Awesome, this helps alot, Thanks for the info.
Thanks! Nice tut!
This tutorial is GREAT. More interesting tuts like this please :).
Thanks for the tutorial! I’ve been avoiding the blend tool because I wasn’t sure of how to use it, but now I think I should try it!
Wow! I’m sure I’ll use this tips. Thanks a lot.
this is exactly what i needed – good looks
wow great think to learn
great!
I’m enjoying the site – keep supplying these interesting tutorials :)
One of the better outlines I’ve seen on this tool. Very nice. Great description and good example of use at the end.
Wow this is great! Every time I read a tutorial on here I end up finding ways to use illustrator more and more. What a fantastic tool!
easily one of the best tuts of the year, by the way, why dont we vote on best tuts of the year?
this tuts will help make me rich and famous. I like it. thank you.
This is a great quick reference. Thanks.
gr8 tutorial : )
Thanks for the tut!
Hi regarding the ‘replace spine’ section, please please tell me there’s a way to do that where the stars taper off towards the beginning and the end?
Nice tut by the way!
I love these type of tutorials. Thanks!
@ Fearne: If I understand you right, all you have to do is make your first star small and the last big and then apply the blend tool with specified steps. Then make any path you want and replace the spine. That way you will get the desired effect…
I hope that helps…
Thanks, I had rarely used the blend tool for anything substaintial but this has really got me thinking. Keep up the good work
Another great tut. Keep it up.
Nice tutorial, but I think you should talk about the circle bug and how to fix it.
Great post, been looking for a thorough tutorial like this!
Thanks
thanks for tut bro’
good work
a very detailed tutorial. thanks
Exercise files are wicked!!!!
very complete. thanks for the post
I really like this tutorial, but I find your instructions to be lacking (specifically which blend you used for each, or combination of). I’ve tried doing that star blend and the ribbon blend with the squares and can’t get it to turn out like yours.
i’m expecting this for mesh tool
Wow, amazing! I loved the blend tool already, but I wasn’t using it anywhere near it’s full potential. Thanks for this!
impressive tute
wonderful stuff, really useful and mind bloeing, thank you yaar.
wonderful stuff, really useful and mind blowing. thank you very much.
cool stuff! thanx!
Very Helpful. Thankyou.
Just a question:
Can you blend mesh objects with simple shapes?
Thanks a million! Great tutorial.
its very very good improve our knowledge
thaks for ur helping
Hi do know how blend 2 spot colours without it going into CMYK
Great introduction tutorial thanks
Nice concise tutorial for illustrator! Great work Thanks!!!
Awesome!
Thanks!
=D
I never knew that tool was so versatile, but I had a feeling you could do really cool things with it. Thanks for posting this!
A priceless tutorial, this has opened so many new doors for me!
very nice. thanks.
It’s a great post, so inspirational.
Thanks to share it!
always helping me improve. Now I can hopefully get to my optimum stage of design skill soon.
wow, man.. i’ll never forget you for this AMAZINGNESS (sniff..)