Taper
Squeeze one end, widen the other.
Taper scales the layer across one axis by an amount that ramps along the other. A rectangle becomes a wedge; a stroke becomes a brush mark; a row of bars becomes a perspective run.
When to reach for it#
- Speed lines and motion streaks that narrow as they trail.
- Brush and calligraphy strokes from a plain shape.
- Faking perspective on a flat panel without a real 3D camera.
- Cone, funnel and beam shapes.
How it works#
Start scale applies at one end of the axis and End scale at the other, with Curve deciding where the change happens. The cross-axis pivot is what the scaling happens around: at 50 the shape narrows symmetrically, at 0 or 100 one side stays perfectly straight.
Parameters#
Cross-axis scale at the start of the axis. 1 leaves it alone. Above 1 widens, which is how you get a trumpet rather than a wedge.
Cross-axis scale at the other end. 0 brings it to a point — useful for a spike, but the tip has zero width, so a stroke on it will vanish there.
Biases where the ramp does its work. Negative front-loads it, so the shape narrows fast then holds. Positive back-loads it. 0 is a straight ramp and gives a true wedge.
Which axis the ramp runs down. Vertical tapers from top to bottom; Horizontal from left to right.
The cross-axis line the scaling happens around, in percent. 50 narrows both sides equally. 100 keeps the right (or bottom) edge straight and moves only the other side, which is what a real brush stroke does.
See also#
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