First, Is there a way that I can set a default to always have the grids and rulers show? Second, can I also set a default to have the guides unlocked at all times? Third, I have taken a Capitol D and C and laid the C on top in the lower half of the D. How can I make to look like on side of the C overlap looks like it is underneath the D. This is to get it to look like it is interlaced with the D. I am sure I have confused everyone with my explanation. Sorry
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Help times three 3
- Thread starter MrChillin
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I don't really use grids but I guess just learn the short cut which is apple " (or Crtl on a pc), its under the VIEW menu, then just hit that followed by alt apple ; to unlock guides.
The D interlocking with the C, I think I got what you meant from your explanation, I'd get the two letters arranged as you wanted, then maybe copy them onto a new layer ( apple c, then new layer button on the layer pallete and then apple f to 'paste in front' which ensures they are directly over your originals ) so you have your original locked on layer one and can keep it to trace, I'd then make the letters you now have on layer two new colours to define them apart from each other and also the ones you're tracing over.
With me so far, OKAY, here we go. Turn them to outlines apple shift O, then I'd release compound paths which is shift apple alt 8 ( under object menu near the bottom ), this releases the inside of the D, then ungroup it as its still joined witht the rest of the D, once its seperate select the iner and outer parts and go to the pathfinder pallet where you need to select the 'subtract from shape area button followed by the expand button' the D is now a shape as opposed to two filled solids.
It might be an idea to turn them to outlines now ( I prefer to work with a 0.25pt line width for accuracy & I do everything in 'preview' mode to keep the colours ) until the final stage is complete as its easier to see what you're doing with outlines. The next part can be done so many ways and to be honest I'm not sure if there is an easy way or a 'better' way but the way i would do it is, get the scissor tool ( just press c on the keyboard ) and cut each side of the C where it intersects with the D, also release clipping path as ealier. ( you should be able to do this and join it back up with the pen tool no bother, if not you could copy and paste a couple and then play around with the pathfinder palette doing various subtractions so you had pieces of each letter, then delete the bits you don't want and you should have enough bits left for your design ).
Back to the C, close it up with the pen tool, play around with the white arrow ( keyboard short cut a ) and possibly the convert anchor point tool ( Which only does one half od the bezier handle ), keybaord shortcut for that is shif c. So where you cut the C at the base of the D has now been joined back up. Select the top of the C ( which if you typed that second is behind the D ) and hit apple shift ] which is under Object-Arrange-Bring to front. If it goes the wrong way you might need to send something backwards or whatever until you get what you need, this should then have the top tail of the C going over the D and then appearing to go inside at the bottom stroke on the D.
You can now possibly play around with the drop shadow effect if you want sperately with each letter, you'll need to move thiings up and down with the arrange send to front / back as you desire. It isn't very accurate though, so instead you could copy each part indiviually onto another new layer, using the scissor tool again cut the letter where you want the shadow to be and falling from, then delete the unwanted portions of the letter, do the required joining with the pen tool and then make this a graduation from black ( or a darker shade of your letter colour ) to white, go to the transparency palette and set from normal to multiply, this will turn the white transparent and leave you with a darker tone falling off to nothing, like a shadow
, play around with the transparency slider in that menu to lessen or increase the effect.
Hope that helps and you followed it okay, it sounds long winded but is quite straight forward once you've done it a few times.
Good luck ;-)
The D interlocking with the C, I think I got what you meant from your explanation, I'd get the two letters arranged as you wanted, then maybe copy them onto a new layer ( apple c, then new layer button on the layer pallete and then apple f to 'paste in front' which ensures they are directly over your originals ) so you have your original locked on layer one and can keep it to trace, I'd then make the letters you now have on layer two new colours to define them apart from each other and also the ones you're tracing over.
With me so far, OKAY, here we go. Turn them to outlines apple shift O, then I'd release compound paths which is shift apple alt 8 ( under object menu near the bottom ), this releases the inside of the D, then ungroup it as its still joined witht the rest of the D, once its seperate select the iner and outer parts and go to the pathfinder pallet where you need to select the 'subtract from shape area button followed by the expand button' the D is now a shape as opposed to two filled solids.
It might be an idea to turn them to outlines now ( I prefer to work with a 0.25pt line width for accuracy & I do everything in 'preview' mode to keep the colours ) until the final stage is complete as its easier to see what you're doing with outlines. The next part can be done so many ways and to be honest I'm not sure if there is an easy way or a 'better' way but the way i would do it is, get the scissor tool ( just press c on the keyboard ) and cut each side of the C where it intersects with the D, also release clipping path as ealier. ( you should be able to do this and join it back up with the pen tool no bother, if not you could copy and paste a couple and then play around with the pathfinder palette doing various subtractions so you had pieces of each letter, then delete the bits you don't want and you should have enough bits left for your design ).
Back to the C, close it up with the pen tool, play around with the white arrow ( keyboard short cut a ) and possibly the convert anchor point tool ( Which only does one half od the bezier handle ), keybaord shortcut for that is shif c. So where you cut the C at the base of the D has now been joined back up. Select the top of the C ( which if you typed that second is behind the D ) and hit apple shift ] which is under Object-Arrange-Bring to front. If it goes the wrong way you might need to send something backwards or whatever until you get what you need, this should then have the top tail of the C going over the D and then appearing to go inside at the bottom stroke on the D.
You can now possibly play around with the drop shadow effect if you want sperately with each letter, you'll need to move thiings up and down with the arrange send to front / back as you desire. It isn't very accurate though, so instead you could copy each part indiviually onto another new layer, using the scissor tool again cut the letter where you want the shadow to be and falling from, then delete the unwanted portions of the letter, do the required joining with the pen tool and then make this a graduation from black ( or a darker shade of your letter colour ) to white, go to the transparency palette and set from normal to multiply, this will turn the white transparent and leave you with a darker tone falling off to nothing, like a shadow
, play around with the transparency slider in that menu to lessen or increase the effect.Hope that helps and you followed it okay, it sounds long winded but is quite straight forward once you've done it a few times.
Good luck ;-)
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...this graphical explanation might be easier to work with:
Andrew
Andrew
...this image is posted on my ftp site provided by my ISP...
...at the foot of message replies on tek-tips is (in option 2) the check box to process TGML, if you click on the 'Process TGML' wording it provides a page describing code you can use in your messages to include images...
...i choose to just upload an image to my ftp site and copy the link from my browser to my message...
Andrew
...at the foot of message replies on tek-tips is (in option 2) the check box to process TGML, if you click on the 'Process TGML' wording it provides a page describing code you can use in your messages to include images...
...i choose to just upload an image to my ftp site and copy the link from my browser to my message...
Andrew
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