How to add gradient in Adobe Illustrator

Tim Youngs
Last updated November 5, 2020

Gradients are cool effects, and can add a nice touch of depth or style to your illustration or logo — but how do you do it?

In this short tutorial we'll cover the basics of adding and refining a gradient inside Adobe Illustrator.

Here's how to do it:

  1. Open the Gradient window, by choosing Window > Gradient from the top menu
  2. Select an object that you want to apply a color gradient to
  3. Chose the gradient color swatch from the gradient window, or apply gradient using keyboard shortcut <
  4. Customize the gradient Color, Opacity, and Angle in the Gradient window

Quick Tip: By first saving your desired colors to the Swatches window, you will be able to quickly apply those color swatches to your gradients.