Hi, I'm still fairly new to Illustrator 10, and would like to know how to proceed to make a line in the center of text. Doing it with 'I' is easy, but when it comes to 'S' or a slanted 'O' it is a different story. Doing this manually is time consuming and not very accurate in curves. I am using a hollow font and would like a black thin line in the center to add a different color in each half. Hope I am explaining this right. Thank you for the help you provide, Rick
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Centering line in text 2
- Thread starter Ricky1954
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Ok, I am not exactly sure what your asking - So let me give it my best. If what you are looking for is a line that is replicating the word itself I would recomend one of two things: 1) Find a basic font like Arial and overlap the two words. 2)Or Swap the fill and the stroke on the toolbar which will create the outline within the word. The other option is to take any font - it doesn't have to be hollow, create outlines out of the words - duplicate, overlap and use the pathfinder to create two halves to the letters and then it will be easier to fill each half with a different color. Another option would be to create a brush style, graphic style, or pattern to accomplish the dual color fill. I just gave a whole lot of options, hopefully one of them will answer your question. If you need more clarification I will do my best to focus my attention to one solution. Just let me know.
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- #3
Thanks for your reply. As I said I am fairly new to Illustrator and do not have much experience with it. After trying your examples I have not been able to accomplish anything. When I activate the options in pathfinder, nothing seems to happen, so it is pretty hard to know what to do next. Reading the help file in Acrobat then switching to Illustrator back and forth is not at all pratical and what is explained in there is pretty vague for a beginner. I would post an image of what I'm trying to explain but I have not seen any options to upload it here. Anyway thanks again, I'll try to figure it out in some distant future, after I spend some hundreds of hours learing Illustrator, if ever... Or you can email me at ricktremulta at hotmail dot - com, if some management kid does not erase this post again and I'll send the pic.
Rick - let me have a try at answering. You are trying to make letters that have two different colours - top half one colour, bottom half another?
If yes, convert your text to outlines (Type>Convert to Outlines) - this will make the letters into paths and no longer editable text. If you use the white pointer tool and click on the letters you can see that each letter has a number of 'nodes' or points where the path changes direction - either curves or straights. If you're still with me, you can then try the following:
(1) Set up a guide which runs horizontally across the middle of the letters, and use the Scissors Tool to cut each path where it crosses the guide.
(2) After selecting both of the cut halves of each letter with the white pointer tool, use the Trim tool on the Pathfinder to separate the pieces. You may need to add extra points with the Pen tool to close some paths.
(3) Once the path has been closed then it can be filled by selecting it and clicking on the colour swatch.
Some letters can be quite tricky. The secret with using the pointer tool is to ensure that the nodes/points are hollow (white centres) when trying to move points. If they are filled-in squares the whole shape moves, not just the point. Try clicking away from the shape and then reclicking.
If yes, convert your text to outlines (Type>Convert to Outlines) - this will make the letters into paths and no longer editable text. If you use the white pointer tool and click on the letters you can see that each letter has a number of 'nodes' or points where the path changes direction - either curves or straights. If you're still with me, you can then try the following:
(1) Set up a guide which runs horizontally across the middle of the letters, and use the Scissors Tool to cut each path where it crosses the guide.
(2) After selecting both of the cut halves of each letter with the white pointer tool, use the Trim tool on the Pathfinder to separate the pieces. You may need to add extra points with the Pen tool to close some paths.
(3) Once the path has been closed then it can be filled by selecting it and clicking on the colour swatch.
Some letters can be quite tricky. The secret with using the pointer tool is to ensure that the nodes/points are hollow (white centres) when trying to move points. If they are filled-in squares the whole shape moves, not just the point. Try clicking away from the shape and then reclicking.
Let's clear up some confusion:
Rick:
Are you looking for the effect in the letter on the left or the one on the right in this image:
Bert
Bert Philippus -
Rick:
Are you looking for the effect in the letter on the left or the one on the right in this image:
Bert
Bert Philippus -
Bert - Rick wants the one on the left. There was some email action behind the scenes where he provided me with a picture of what he wanted and I helped him create a brush because that was the best solution that I could come up with. And he wanted the two colors to have a stroke (black outline). 
HTH!
InDesign CS, Photoshop CS, Illustrator CS, Acrobat 7
Windows XP & MAC OS X (Yes I Use Both, Not at the Same Time)
HTH!
InDesign CS, Photoshop CS, Illustrator CS, Acrobat 7
Windows XP & MAC OS X (Yes I Use Both, Not at the Same Time)
Virginia:
I kinda figured that's what he was looking for. What kind of brush did you make that did this?
Bert
Bert Philippus -
I kinda figured that's what he was looking for. What kind of brush did you make that did this?
Bert
Bert Philippus -
I have yet to figure out how you get your pics and such into your threads. So I have to just talk you though.
I created a rectangle (fill red, black stroke @ apx .5) duplicated it and changed the fill to yellow. Aligned them so that they butted up to one another (stacked like bricks). Grouped them and the dragged them into the Brush Palette. I then applied it to a path I shaped like an 'S' and played around with the settings to see if I could make it work smoothly.
I wasn't able to come up with any other solutions such as a graphic style which would have been better because it would have been able to be applied to the text itself as opposed to just a path. Perhaps you know of a better solution? I have yet to hear from Rick on if my recommendation solved his dilemma.
InDesign CS, Photoshop CS, Illustrator CS, Acrobat 7
Windows XP & MAC OS X (Yes I Use Both, Not at the Same Time)
I created a rectangle (fill red, black stroke @ apx .5) duplicated it and changed the fill to yellow. Aligned them so that they butted up to one another (stacked like bricks). Grouped them and the dragged them into the Brush Palette. I then applied it to a path I shaped like an 'S' and played around with the settings to see if I could make it work smoothly.
I wasn't able to come up with any other solutions such as a graphic style which would have been better because it would have been able to be applied to the text itself as opposed to just a path. Perhaps you know of a better solution? I have yet to hear from Rick on if my recommendation solved his dilemma.
InDesign CS, Photoshop CS, Illustrator CS, Acrobat 7
Windows XP & MAC OS X (Yes I Use Both, Not at the Same Time)
Virginia:
I did notice that Rick also has not marked this thread, so I think his statement about "some distant future" was sincere. Not very polite, though.
Now he's left us with a dilemma, and a challenge. For the benefit of other users, we may have to sit down and come up with a solution... DARN!
The brush you made makes perfect sense. The drawback, as you point out, is that you have to make your own single path glyphs. And the real trouble doesn't start until you try to work on something like a capital "R".
I'll go fiddle a bit, and see what I can think of.
Bert
Bert Philippus -
I did notice that Rick also has not marked this thread, so I think his statement about "some distant future" was sincere. Not very polite, though.
Now he's left us with a dilemma, and a challenge. For the benefit of other users, we may have to sit down and come up with a solution... DARN!
The brush you made makes perfect sense. The drawback, as you point out, is that you have to make your own single path glyphs. And the real trouble doesn't start until you try to work on something like a capital "R".
I'll go fiddle a bit, and see what I can think of.
Bert
Bert Philippus -
The only way I've found so far that works somewhat (but again, with this one the letters with crossings and odd appendages don't do too well) is to cut the letters at each end (after outlining) and making a blend from one side to the other.
The results are less than stellar, however. Many anchor adjustments are needed.
I haven't given up yet, though. I can't go to my grave with that mess to my name as my final contribution...
Bert
Bert Philippus -
The results are less than stellar, however. Many anchor adjustments are needed.
I haven't given up yet, though. I can't go to my grave with that mess to my name as my final contribution...
Bert
Bert Philippus -
Bert's Epitaph:
Centerline, Schmenterline.
All:
I can't see a way to produce a reliable centerline from any of the data that a font carries. It's just not there.
The best way, therefore, is Virginia's brush. All you need to do is draw 26 single path glyphs one time and you're all set.
Bert
Bert Philippus -
Centerline, Schmenterline.
All:
I can't see a way to produce a reliable centerline from any of the data that a font carries. It's just not there.
The best way, therefore, is Virginia's brush. All you need to do is draw 26 single path glyphs one time and you're all set.
Bert
Bert Philippus -
- Thread starter
- #14
Hello. I haven't been here in a while but I didn't think there would be any more follow-up on the subject. Vakholes was very helpful with the issue but, as I previously said, I'm just a (lost) beginner with this program and I find it pretty confusing and sometimes frustrating. So many options. When I said 'distant future' I meant that learning Illustrator enough to get fairly comfortable with it would probably take me quite a good while (by the way, what is the average time?) (-: As most people, I have other things to do that slow me down at this (like cooking, gardening, and the such of everyday life) and remembering how I succeeded in doing something with it the day after I did, my memory is sometimes blurred. Works today, tomorrow it doesn't - deja vu? Sure I'll succeed at it, but this could be many moons away... Beautiful 'S' on the left itchybug, exactly what I want to accomplish, but in a faster way than how I'm doing it presently, because isn't speed a priority nowadays. I know that Illustrator is the key to what I want to do so I'll keep digging at it. I'm keeping all the info received from vakholes and from all of you, and who knows, maybe someday (here's that distant future again) I'll be helping other users here as I sometimes do on other forums. Thanks to all, you've been very kind and helpful. I'll be back (who said this before?), Thanks again, Rick
>> When I said 'distant future' I meant that learning Illustrator enough to get fairly comfortable with it would probably take me quite a good while (by the way, what is the average time?)<<
In my case, never. But then I don't use it every day and when I do, I puddle around doing the things I have learned to do and almost start feeling comfortable and bang - out they come with a new version with even more things to learn!!
In my case, never. But then I don't use it every day and when I do, I puddle around doing the things I have learned to do and almost start feeling comfortable and bang - out they come with a new version with even more things to learn!!
Ne:
If you care to email them to me I'll stick them on my server.
bert (at) itchybug (dot) com
>>Remove spaces, replace (at), (dot) with proper symbols.
Bert
If you care to email them to me I'll stick them on my server.
bert (at) itchybug (dot) com
>>Remove spaces, replace (at), (dot) with proper symbols.
Bert
I received the files from Stephane (Nefaste) with his method, an html file which I uploaded here:
Interesting approach.
Bert
Interesting approach.
Bert
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