SVG Basic

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SVG Gradients

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SVG Reference

SVG Gradients - Linear

SVG Gradients

A gradient is a smooth transition from one color to another. In addition, several color transitions can be applied to the same element.

There are two main types of gradients in SVG:

• Linear
• Radial

SVG Linear Gradient - <linearGradient>

The <linearGradient> element is used to define a linear gradient.

The <linearGradient> element must be nested within a <defs> tag. The <defs> tag is short for definitions and contains definition of special elements (such as gradients).

Linear gradients can be defined as horizontal, vertical or angular gradients:

• Horizontal gradients are created when y1 and y2 are equal and x1 and x2 differ
• Vertical gradients are created when x1 and x2 are equal and y1 and y2 differ
• Angular gradients are created when x1 and x2 differ and y1 and y2 differ

Example 1

Define an ellipse with a horizontal linear gradient from yellow to red:

Here is the SVG code:

For Opera users: View the SVG file (right-click on the SVG graphic to view the source).

Code explanation:

• The id attribute of the <linearGradient> tag defines a unique name for the gradient
• The x1, x2, y1,y2 attributes of the <linearGradient> tag define the start and end position of the gradient
• The color range for a gradient can be composed of two or more colors. Each color is specified with a <stop> tag. The offset attribute is used to define where the gradient color begin and end
• The fill attribute links the ellipse element to the gradient

Example 2

Define an ellipse with a vertical linear gradient from yellow to red:

Here is the SVG code:

For Opera users: View the SVG file (right-click on the SVG graphic to view the source).

Example 3

Define an ellipse with a horizontal linear gradient from yellow to red, and add a text inside the ellipse:

Here is the SVG code:

For Opera users: View the SVG file (right-click on the SVG graphic to view the source).

Code explanation:

• The <text> element is used to add a text