Realistic Light Effects in Illustrator

Realistic Light Effects in Illustrator

Full detailed tutorial on how to Create realistic light effects in Illustrator.

We are going to create a shape with a highlight using an opacity mask. If you would like to work through the example there,.

 Creating opacity mask 

Think of an opacity mask like a sandwich. You first you have the base shape. In this case it is a circle with a simple gradient and stroke applied to it:

Then there is the highlight that you want to show through. In this case I've used the pathfinder panel to create this highlight shape but you use the pen tool or anything.

Then comes a layer to control the opacity. I've copied the highlight shape and filled it with a black to white gradient. When we apply the opacity mask white will show through and black will be masked so I've mimicked the light source coming from the top left.

Seen in 3D the layers stack up like this:

 Making the opacity mask 

To make the opacity mask select both the highlight and gradient layers. call up the the Transparency Panel (Window > Transparency). In the top right hand corner is a fly out menu where you can click Create Opacity Mask.

That's all there is to it. This is just one way you can create realistic light effects in Illustrator.

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