Managing gradients

By saving and loading libraries of gradients, you can customize the gradient list that appears in the options bar and the Gradient Editor dialog box. You can also rename presets, delete presets, and change the display of the gradient list.

Note: You can use the Preset Manager to manage gradient libraries. For more information, see Managing libraries with the Preset Manager (Photoshop).

To save a set of preset gradients as a library:

1. Click Save in the Gradient Editor dialog box.
2. Choose a location for the gradient library, enter a filename, and click Save.

You can save the library anywhere. However, if you place the library file in the Presets/Gradients folder inside the Photoshop program folder, the library name will appear at the bottom of the palette menu after you restart Photoshop.

To load a library of preset gradients:

Do one of the following:

• Click Load to add a library to the current list. Select the library file you want to use, and click Load.
• Choose Replace Gradients from the palette menu to replace the current list with a different library. Select the library file you want to use, and click Load.
• Choose a library file from the bottom of the palette menu. Click OK to replace the current list, or click Append to append the current list.

To return to the default library of preset gradients:

Choose Reset Gradients from the palette menu. You can either replace the current list or append the default library to the current list.

To change how preset gradients are displayed:

Choose a display option from the palette menu:

• Text Only to view the gradients as a list.
• Small or Large Thumbnail to view the gradients as thumbnails.
• Small or Large List to view the gradients as a list with thumbnails.

To rename a preset gradient:

Do one of the following:

• If the palette is set to display gradients as thumbnails, double-click a gradient, enter a new name, and click OK.
• If the palette is set to display gradients as a list or text only, double-click a gradient, enter a new name inline, and press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).