Working with Gradients in Photoshop 6

One of the lesser-known capabilities in Photoshop 6 is the Noise Gradient. An option when creating or editing a gradient, it produces some truly wild gradients! While they have their uses for complex masking (in some limited circumstances), noise gradients are excellent for special effects and creative accents.

Generally speaking, a noise gradient uses a range of colors you determine, but rather than blending between two colors, the Gradient Editor generates a series of colors and blends them. The colors are randomly generated within the parameters you set.

To begin the exploration of noise gradients, open the Gradient Editor dialog box.
1. Select the Gradient tool in Photoshop's Toolbox.
2. Click once on the sample gradient in the Options Bar.

When the Gradient Editor opens, select Noise for Gradient Type.

The Gradient Editor's options will change to those shown here:

The first option to explore is Roughness. Similar to the Smoothness slider for "Solid" gradients, Roughness determines the abruptness of the transition between colors. In the example below, there are five noise gradients. The only difference among them is the Roughness setting. From the top, they are 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%.

At 300% zoom, you can see that each of the stripes of color in the 100% Roughness sample is one pixel wide. (It doesn't get any rougher than that, does it?) Keep in mind that high levels of Roughness can produce pixelization when used with non-linear gradients.

The default color model is RGB. Adjusting the sliders determines what colors will be used to create the gradient. Note the positions of the black and white sliders in the following examples.

HSB (Hue/Saturation/Brightness) is an alternative color model for noise gradient creation. In fact, it's probably easier and more precise to use in most cases. This is especially true if you want to create a gradient using only tints of a particular hue. In this sample, note how smooth the gradient is, even though Roughness is set to 50%. That is due, in part, to the restricted range of brightness and saturation.

You can also use HSB color model to create a grayscale noise gradient. Simply drag the white S slider all the way to the left. Reducing the saturation of all colors to zero produces gray.

The third color model available is L*a*b. This mode allows you to produce in seconds very subtle gradients that could take a tremendous amount of work in the Gradient Editor's Solid gradient type.

Lab mode is also great for showing that you can move the black and white sliders past each other. Compare the "a" component sliders in the two samples below, and look at how it affects the gradient.

So, we've seen RGB, HSB, L*a*b, and how to fake a grayscale. What about CMYK? To the right of the sliders is a checkbox labeled "Restrict Colors." When this option is selected, the Gradient Editor will rein in the gradient, keeping all colors within the CMYK gamut.

The checkbox immediately below, "Add Transparency," does exactly that:

The Randomize button allows the Gradient Editor to mix and match within the color range specified. You can click it multiple times, experimenting until you see a gradient you like. Remember, too, that you can adjust the sliders after clicking the Randomize button to fine-tune the gradient.

Now that you've learned how to work with the Gradient Editor to produce noise gradients, let's take a look at my favorite use for them. Working with the Angle Gradient tool, you can produce some very cool effects.

Circular noise gradients can also be useful.

You'll also find a grayscale noise gradient to be perfect for creating those dusty beams of light streaming through the window....