Exponential/logarithmic scaling in Illustrator?

Question

Given a flat object in Illustrator, how can I scale it along the X or Y axis so that it stretches in an exponential fashion? That means that the center barely is stretched, but the outer extents stretch much more? I know there are some warp effects, but those seem to affect both axes.

Answer 1

I would do this in photoshop. First copy and paste the object into a photoshop file/ duplicate the layer multiple times/ apply a blast blur to the top layer / pay attention that its centered and make this effect the greatest amount of blur / now apply the same blur effect to the remaining layers decreasing the amount of blur as you get to the bottom layer. / Now apply a mask to each layer, indicate the center with vertical and horizontal guides / now using the gradient tool remove the unwanted center portions of each layer. Once you have got it looking right, export your file as a transparent png back into Illustrator if needed. Illustrator doesn't do well with blurs..