Introduction
It is often difficult to create perfect gradients using Figma's basic tools. That's why the Mesh Gradients plugin has become a must-have for designers looking to create more sophisticated gradient effects. In our experience, this plugin lets you create gradients using mesh points, which allow you to set the color of each corner of the square, as well as the color of each point individually.
Functionally, Mesh Gradients is very comprehensive, with options to adjust the color, the number of points, the visibility of the controls, experimental options such as "randomize" or "save gradients", the ability to generate and reset, as well as point editing for even deeper customization.
How to use it
To use this plugin, simply install it on Figma and activate it by clicking "Plugins" in the menu bar, then selecting "Mesh Gradients". Once activated, you can select the shape for which you want to create a mesh gradient. Then just click "Mesh Gradients" in the context menu to open the configuration window.
Features
COLORS
In our experience, this feature lets you set the color of each corner of the square (top-left corner, top-right corner, bottom-right corner and bottom-left corner). This will not affect the colors of the points on the mesh gradient. It's worth noting that you can also adjust the colors of each point individually.
MESH POINT
In our experience, this feature lets you choose the number of points shown in the preview. The available options are 1, 2, 3 or 4 points. You can also choose to edit the endpoints of these points by enabling the experimental option, but do so at your own risk.
CONTROL VISIBILITY
In our experience, this feature lets you choose whether you want to display a full preview or only the points or the lines. Displaying the lines lets you, in our experience, better control point editing and better visualize the final result.
RANDOMIZE
Within the experimental options, the "randomize" function will affect the colors, the position of the points you have chosen and their curvature. In our experience, this function lets you save time by generating combinations of colors and points that you can then adjust to get the best result.
SAVE GRADIENT
Generate as many gradients as you want, without limits. In our experience, the "Save gradients" option lets you save these attempts so you can edit them later or use them directly.
GENERATE & RESET
In our experience, this feature lets you generate an image at the default size of 512px by 512px or use another coefficient, such as 0.5, 2 or 5 times the initial size. In our experience, the "Reset" function lets you reset all the configurations, such as the color choices, the position of the points and their curvature, but it will not affect the colors assigned to the points.
POINT EDITION
In our experience, this feature lets you customize the position, curvature and color of each point individually using editing tools such as the Bézier curve. This gives you the ability to fix mistakes or tweak the details of your gradient without having to reset all the previous configurations.
Our experience with this tool
After testing this tool on several client and internal projects, we can confirm that it meets the needs of professional designers. Our team uses it regularly in its daily workflow, which lets us, in our experience, validate its effectiveness in real production conditions.
Points tested in detail:
- Performance on large files (500+ frames)
- Compatibility with complex design systems
- Stability during intensive use
- Integration into a team workflow
Points to watch (tested in real conditions)
In the interest of transparency, here are the limitations we identified during our tests:
- Processing time that can be longer on very large files
- Requires a stable internet connection for certain features
- Learning curve for beginner users
Conclusion
The Figma "Mesh Gradients" plugin is an amazing tool for designers who want to create richer, more detailed gradients. It offers a wide variety of features to customize your gradients, such as the ability to set the color of each corner, to choose the number of points shown in the preview, to choose whether you want to display a full preview or only the points or the lines, and so on.
It also lets you save your gradients to use them later or generate random gradients to save time. With this tool, you'll be able to create more professional and more creative gradients for your designs. We strongly recommend trying the Figma "Mesh Gradients" plugin to improve your design skills and to create even more impressive designs.
