Gradient colors blend two colors to create a gradual color change in the background of a control on a document. You can select the two colors, as well as the direction of the blending. The direction is called the Gradient Variant, and you can choose from the following directions:
Left to right
Right to left
Top to bottom
Bottom to top
Three-way or mirror gradients blend the colors from the middle of the control out to the edges. That is, one color is applied in the center of the control and the other to the edges of the control, then the two are blended. The two halves of the control are identical, as though a mirror was placed along the center of the control. You can choose to blend the colors horizontally or vertically, as shown in the rectangles below, by specifying the Gradient Variant:
Three-way gradients are displayed only in Flash Mode. They are displayed as non-mirrored gradients in other Web display modes and in Desktop. Horizontally centered gradients have the colors displayed from left to right. Vertically centered gradients have the colors displayed from top to bottom.
The Gradients dialog box allows you to format the gradient using the following options:
Color 1: Select the first color from this drop-down menu.
Color 2: Select the second color from this drop-down menu.
Shading styles: Select which direction to shade.
Horizontal: Select this option to use a horizontally centered gradient.
Vertical: Select this option to use a vertically centered gradient.
Variants: Displays the different variants that can be applied to the gradient. Click on a variant to apply it.