Some time ago someone told me how to adjust a gradient's position - and the position of all the changes in a gradient - while on a layer - NOT in the gradient editor.

It was something you click on the tools palette, but I can't remember what it was, but when you clicked on this.... thing, up popped a line for the gradient with handles all along it for each change, each different colour or area of transparency.

Can anyone tell me how to access this?

Illustrator or Photoshop? In AI the Gradient Tool will let you drag across all seelcted items to fill them with a consustent gradient, and you can alt-click to rotate, but it won't (so far as I know) adjust thje intermediate stops, if there are any.

PhotoShop.  (CS4) And it's not a tool actually for the gradient, it's for something else, but if you have a gradient there, then the handles for that pop up.

That's why I can't remember it.

Click on the Move Tool you can check the Show Transform Controls box.

Thanks but that's not it.

Fran, perhaps you're refering to the "create new fill or adjustment layer" button at the bottom of the Layers panel whose icon is a little circle half black and half white. Select the layer you want to make the change on and click that button and select "Gradient..." a small window will pop up and there you can select the style type of gradient you want rotate, scale and reverse it. By LMB clicking the gradient box there you can also edit the gradient colors, placement and opacity.

As a P.S. The same options can be applied using the menu by going:

Layer>New Fill Layer>Gradient...>OK