90's faded/grainy gradient effect - is it achievable?

Retri · Postby **Retri** » Sat Jun 11, 2011 3:11 am

long time lurker, first time poster, hello everyone from Italy.

to keep it short (since I've been looking on the web for the past couple of days in search of tips to no avail), I'd like to know whether achieving the iconical "90's faded/grainy" gradient effect (you know, the one Nike used to use for their Andre Agassi's "Challenge Court" line of clothing and Air Max stuff, among other things, it was pretty big back in the 90's) with Inkscape is possible or not.

Here's an example of the effect that I'd like to replicate (it's that sort of "spray-painted" grainy gradient):

Thanks in advance for your kind help, any suggestion will be thoroughly appreciated.

ivan louette · Postby **ivan louette** » Sat Jun 11, 2011 4:41 am

Yes it's possible and very customizable with the joined filter applied to a non transparent gradient.

I will take some more time tomorrow to tell you how to use it.

ivan

Retri · Postby **Retri** » Sat Jun 11, 2011 7:20 am

ivan louette wrote:Yes it's possible and very customizable with the joined filter applied to a non transparent gradient.

I will take some more time tomorrow to tell you how to use it.

ivan

Thank you very much!!

I'll be impatiently waiting for the explaination, thanks again for taking the time to help me out mate!

ivan louette · Postby **ivan louette** » Sat Jun 11, 2011 9:21 pm

No problem, I worked a lot on this kind of filters last year.

I uploaded a new version of the filter with more stylisations possibilities.

Here are the commands (when you find the same effect several times I give them a number to simplify their localization in the tree) :

- Color Matrix 1 (don't use it)

- Gaussian Blur 1 : set the original object or image simplification (yes you can use an image instead of a gradient !) ; the more you increase it the more it stylize the image.

- Turbulence : set the shape and the size of the dots ; I personnally use most often Fractal noise type ; Base frequency can be set up to 0.400 in the Filters Editor but you can increase it in the XML Editor (don't go beyond 1.0) ; you can also use different vertical and horizontal frequencies if you uncheck the "Link" button on the right. Octaves set the roughness of the dots. Seed changes the randomness.

- Composite 1 : keep it on Arithmetic Operator like it is ; use k2 and k3 to increase or decrease the lightness and progressiveness.

- Color Matrix 2 : keep it on Saturate Type ; Value on zero gives you a monochrome black and white effect ; increasing the value adds RVB+CMY intermediates (some interesting effects)

- Gaussian Blur 2 : increases the dot size and simplify it

- Component Transfer : don't change it (changing its settings is only possible in XML Editor).

- Composite 2 : don't change.

Bonus : I added a second filter where you can change the two colors and make them progressively transparent. Only work with the same effects as over + the two Flood effects for color and Color opacity.

Have fun !

ivan

Retri · Postby **Retri** » Sat Jun 11, 2011 10:49 pm

Ok, first and foremost thanks again for replying to my question in such a detailed way, you Sir are a gentleman and a scholar! :)

I believe I've got a problem though.

When I open your files with Inkscape I either see a blank document (air_litho) or this (air_litho2):

Am I supposed to see anything else? I'm currently using the version 0.46, could it be a compatibility issue?

Assuming it's actually a compatibility issue, how do you update to a more recent version (I know you can have 2 versions of Inkscape on the same PC at the same time if at least one of them is "portable" and not installed but that's not my aim)?

Would uninstalling the 0.46 version and installing ex-novo the 0.48 one bring forth compatibility issues with the files that were created on the older version or is it a safe process that doesn't harm the files in any way, shape or form?

ivan louette wrote:
Bonus : I added a second filter where you can change the two colors and make them progressively transparent. Only work with the same effects as over + the two Flood effects for color and Color opacity.

Here are the commands (when you find the same effect several times I give them a number to simplify their localization in the tree) :

hmm, where exactly am I supposed to find this "tree" and these filters though (under "filters" I got only a few of the ones that were mentioned in your walkthrough).

Perhaps this stuff isn't accessible in the 0.46 version or is it just me being a total noob?

Thanks again for your patience.

ivan louette · Postby **ivan louette** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 12:54 am

Thanks ! I assumed you had at least 0.47 installed because 0.46 had some problems with filters rendering.

I think there is no harm to install 0.48 on any system with 0.46 already installed. On the other hand I didn't heard about compatibility problems with old files on new Inkscape releases these times. I began with Inkscape 0.46 and 0.47 (devel versions also) on XP and now I am on Kubuntu Linux for about two years.

Here is how to open what I am calling the "tree" in 0.47 and 0.48 :

Click on "Filters" in the Menu, then on "Filters Editor" at the bottom of the list. That will open a dialog with filters names on the left and the tree like list (tree like because of branching connections) on the right. At the bottom you have two tabs : the Effect Parameters one (this will allow to modify the filters settings) and the Filter General Settings one (which allows to change the filter working area).

If you open the Air-litho file and open this Filters Editor you will see two filters names in the list and if you select the object in the document you will see that the "Air Litho Color" filter is applied to this object. Before following the indications of my second post, click on the check box on left of the other filter in the list (Air Litho). The object will turn to black and white. Then to modify settings, click on the Effect names in the list on right and simply modify the numerical entries below as I explained.

And don't hesitate to ask again

ivan

poet · Postby **poet** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 2:10 am

Nice looking filter, thanks for sharing.
How do you "combine" it with a gradient though?
When I create a solid gradient fill, then go to filter editor and select either option, it either turns the whole gradient black and white or the same blue and orange as the filter, not a combination of gradient and filter.
Sorry for the probably dumb question.

ivan louette · Postby **ivan louette** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 3:36 am

poet wrote:When I create a solid gradient fill, then go to filter editor and select either option, it either turns the whole gradient black and white or the same blue and orange as the filter, not a combination of gradient and filter.
Sorry for the probably dumb question.

That's exactly what is expected. The gradient must be replaced by a kind of two colors printing frame.

Retri · Postby **Retri** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 4:37 am

ivan louette wrote:
poet wrote:When I create a solid gradient fill, then go to filter editor and select either option, it either turns the whole gradient black and white or the same blue and orange as the filter, not a combination of gradient and filter.
Sorry for the probably dumb question.

That's exactly what is expected. The gradient must be replaced by a kind of two colors printing frame.

Got a 0.48 version on an USB stick, opened up your file with it and W O A H, this is EXACTLY what I was looking for and boy does it look great!!

Many, many thanks for sharing this with us.

Just 2 more questions:

- how do you change the two colors (from orange/blue to something else)?
- how do you add this filter to an existing svg file without importing the whole thing on your "Air litho" document? Is there a way to save the filter permanently to my inkscape software and use it at will?

ivan louette · Postby **ivan louette** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 6:37 am

Retri wrote:- how do you change the two colors (from orange/blue to something else)?

Simply open the Filters Editor and search to the two lines called "Flood" in the list on the right. After clicking on each one you can click on the colored rectangle at the bottom and change the color in the color selection dialog which opens then. To change the color opacity move the slider cursor between 0 and 1 at the bottom of the Filter Editor.

Retri wrote:- how do you add this filter to an existing svg file without importing the whole thing on your "Air litho" document?

Open the two files togheter, then copy (Ctrl+C) the object which has the filter applied in the Air Litho Color file, go back to the other file, select the object to apply the filter and do Edit Paste Style (or Ctrl+Shift+C)

Retri wrote:Is there a way to save the filter permanently to my inkscape software and use it at will?

Search the folder where is located the file "Filters.svg" in your system (usually somewhere inside the Inkscape folder ; I don't remember where in Windows but in Linux this stay in Usr/Share/Inkscape/Filters/) and put the attached file in the same folder. Next time you open Inkscape you will see appearing a new submenu called "Lithos" in your Filters menu with the two filters inside.

ivan

Retri · Postby **Retri** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 6:20 pm

everything worked, thanks Ivan!!

While using the filter however I've ran into another little issue that I can't seem to be able to figure out on my own (I'm prolly overlooking something fundmental): whenever I apply the filter to a newly created object (whether it's on a new document or on the Air litho file) it just doesn't work (I get the shape filled with one of the Flood colors and that's it, no handles or anything) and if I fiddle with the settings in the Air litho document it strips the effect from the ball as well (unless I put it on Matrix -> Saturate, that's what the picture shows)

Am I missing something? Do I need to create some sort of gradient within the shape first (non transparent gradient?)?

I apologize if it's a silly question.

ivan louette · Postby **ivan louette** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 6:46 pm

Yes you must create a non transparent gradient (preferably black and white) which will be the base of your spottet gradient. Then you will be able to move the gradient handles as usual.

But you can also apply the filter to a bitmap image (then try to change something in the Turbulence (increasing the Base frequency or the octaves for example) or in the first Composite in the list (increasing values k2 and k3 to lighten the picture for example).

But keep the first Color matrix on its initial values.

Retri · Postby **Retri** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 1:01 am

been using the filter for the past few days and it's just awesome (Ivan I will gift you the design I'm working on when I'm done cause it wouldn't have been possible without your filter!), I still don't know how to change a couple little things here and there though:

1. looks like Inkscape can't do diffusion curves and the likes and thus can't "bend" a gradient (which are bound to be linear or spherical), is there a way to make your filter "gradient" less consistent within a shape tho (I know you can adjust the randomness of the "little dots/particles", anything else that can be done?)?

this is what I'm talking about (the blue/white dots distribution and frequency isn't linear from top to bottom):

2. is there a way to get rid of all those little "jaggies" around each "particle" (see picture for reference)? I believe they're the after-effect of my settings but I don't know how to fix them without altering the dots distribution itself (which I'd rather not do).

ivan louette · Postby **ivan louette** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 4:36 am

Here are two filters which replace the previous ones with some randomness added.

Play with the two turbulences to set the two randomness levels, the Gaussian blur to set the fading progressiveness (another tip is changing your gradient colors to two close grays, and the first Composite k1 and k3 to tune the strength of the effect.

To remove jaggeries at the edges you may :

1° create a bitmap copy and Path/Trace bitmap (set it to : Grays, two scans, uncheck Smooth, check Remove background, and on the Options tab uncheck Smooth corners) and use this vector object as your final result

or

2° create a bitmap copy at 300 dpi or more and use it as your final result

ivan

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90's faded/grainy gradient effect - is it achievable?

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