Chapter 2

Creating Text and Gradients

Objectives

Create and format text

Flow text into an object
Position text on a path
Create colors and gradients
Apply colors and gradients to text
Adjust a gradient and create a drop shadow
Apply gradients to strokes

Create and Format Text

To create type:
Select the Type tool
Click the artboard and start typing or
click and drag the Type tool to create
a text box.

Create and Format Text

Use the Vertical Type tool to create
vertical type.
Type is positioned on a path called
the baseline.

Create and Format Text

The Character and Paragraph panels
contain all classic commands for
formatting.
The Character panel modifies text
attributes such as font and type size,
tracking, and kerning.

Create and Format Text

Font family

Font style

Leading

Font
size
Kerning

Tracking

Horizontal
Scale

Vertical
Scale

Baseline shift

Underline

Character
Rotation
Strikethrough

Create and Format Text

Tracking inserts uniform spaces
between characters.
Kerning affects the spaces between
any two characters.

Create and Format Text

Examples of kerning and tracking

Create and Format Text

Leading inserts vertical space
between baselines.
Applying a horizontal or vertical scale
compresses or expands selected
type.

Create and Format Text

Baseline

Leading

50% horizontal
scale

2011 Delmar Cengage Learning

50 % vertical
scale

Examples of text formatting

Create and Format Text

Align buttons
Left indent
text box
Right indent
text box

First-line left indent

text box

Space after paragraph

Space before
paragraph

Paragraph panel modifies text

alignment, paragraph indents, and
vertical spaces

Create and Format Text

Hide objects while working with text
to avoid accidental deletions and
modifications.
The Hide/Show All Selection
commands are on the Object menu.

Create and Format Text

Fill an object with text:
Use the Area Type tool and Vertical
Area Type tool to flow text into any
shape you create.
Format text in object as usual.
Manipulate object just like any other.

Flow Text into an Object

2011 Delmar Cengage Learning

Flow Text into an Object

Using the Path Type Tools:
Type along a straight or curved path
using the Type on a Path tool or
Vertical Type on a Path tool.
Move text along path.

Flow Text into an Object

Flip text to make it run in the
opposite direction on opposite side
of path.
Change the baseline shift to modify
distance the texts baseline is above
or below path.

Position Text on a Path

Text on a path

Text flipped across a path

Create Colors and

Gradients
A gradient is a graduated blend
between colors.
Create and adjust gradients in the
Gradient panel.

Create Colors and

Gradients
Type list arrow
Two color
gradient
Rotation text box
Gradient slider

Stops

Opacity text box

Location text box

Create Colors and

Gradients
The Gradient panel
Gradient slider represents the
gradient being created.
Gradients contain at least two colors.
Leftmost color is the starting color.
Rightmost color is the ending color.

Create Colors and

Gradients
House-shaped icons called stops
represent the colors in the gradient.
The point at which two colors meet in
equal measure is called the midpoint.
The midpoint is represented by the
diamond above the slider, which is
called the Gradient Slider.

Create Colors and

Gradients
The midpoint need not be positioned
evenly between start and end.
Change the look of the gradient by
moving Gradient Slider.
Swatches panel contains standard
gradients that come with Illustrator.

Create Colors and

Gradients

Linear gradient

Radial gradient
You can create and apply linear or radial gradients

Create Colors and

Gradients
Linear gradients can be positioned:
Left to right and up or down
On any angle change angle in
Angle text box on Gradient panel
Radial gradient start at center of
gradient and blend out to ending
color.

Create Colors and

Gradients
The Color
panel is
where you
move
sliders to
mix new
colors for
fills,
strokes, and
gradients.

Current fill
and stroke
colors

Slider

CMYK values

CMYK
Spectrum

Create Colors and

Gradients

Color panel has five color modes:

CMYK
RGB
Grayscale
HSB (hue, saturation, brightness)
Web Safe RGB

The default is CMYK or RGB (depending on

the mode selected).

Create Colors and

Gradients
Add colors and gradients to the
Swatches panel that you define by
dragging them into the Swatches
panel.
To name a swatch, double-click it,
then type a name in Swatch Options
dialog box.

Create Colors and

Gradients

Apply Colors and Gradients to

Text
By default text is generated with a
black fill and no stroke.
Use the Type tool to change the fill or
stroke of individual characters in a
text object.
Use the Selection tool to select text
as a single object and to change text
globally.

Apply Colors and Gradients to

Text
To fill text with a gradient you must
convert the text to outlines.
Select text, then click the Create
Outlines command on Type menu.
Letterforms become standard
Illustrator objects with anchor points
and paths.

Adjust a Gradient and Create a

Drop Shadow

Each outline
is filled with
the gradient

Adjust a Gradient and Create a

Drop Shadow
Creating outlines makes it possible to
create documents with text without
fonts.
Once text is converted to outlines,
you can no longer change the
typeface.

Adjust a Gradient and Create a

Drop Shadow
Use the Gradient tool to manipulate
gradient fills.
Select an object with a gradient fill.
Drag the Gradient tool over the object.
Where you begin dragging and where
you end determines length of blend from
starting to ending color.

Adjust a Gradient and Create a

Drop Shadow
Gradient control bar

The gradient control bar

appears in the object
itself.
You can change the
direction, length, and
angle of the gradient
control bar by dragging
it.

Adjust a Gradient and Create a

Drop Shadow
For linear
gradients, the
angle you drag
determines the
angle that the
blend fills the
object.

Adjust a Gradient and Create a

Drop Shadow
If you select multiple objects, each
object is filled with entire length of
the gradient from beginning color to
end color.
When you convert text to outlines
and apply a fill, the gradient
automatically fills each letter
independently.

Adjust a Gradient and Create a

Drop Shadow
Examples of
different
angles and
lengths of a
gradient fill
created with
the Gradient
tool.

Adjust a Gradient and Create a

Drop Shadow
To apply a drop shadow to text:
Copy text.
Paste copy behind it.
Fill copy with darker color.
Use keyboard arrows to move it so it
is offset from original.

Adjust a Gradient and Create a

Drop Shadow

Drop shadow created using the Paste in Back command

Apply Gradients to Strokes

Use the Gradient panel to apply a
gradient to the stroke of an object
Three options:
Within
Along
Across

Adjust a Gradient and Create a

Drop Shadow
Within Stroke Option Applied

Adjust a Gradient and Create a

Drop Shadow
Along Stroke Option Applied

Adjust a Gradient and Create a

Drop Shadow
Across Stroke Option Applied