adobe illustrator training

Create Shadows and Highlights for your Text Tutorial

In this tutorial, we will be creating a sample text with shadows cast by the text itself and also inner shadows inside the text, we will also be utilizing the offset to make the text bolder or smaller and lastly we will be using compound paths and pathfinder as well.

Let's Begin!

1. Create a New Document

Set up new file (Ctrl + N) or File => New.. , RGB for web use, CMYK, for prints. and hit ok. 

2. Set up the background color using rectangle shape (M) 

after picking the rectangle shape from the tools, hover your mouse at the top left intersection of your art board or document.

click it and a rectangle window will pop-up, since my document is sized 300x300, I also set-up the width and height to 300x300.

and hit ok.

rectangle color R=0 G=255 B=255

3.  New layer and Text.

create a new layer and rename it to main text from layers panel and hit (T) for the type tool, place the text somewhere at the middle of your document. and type whatever word you want to make. resize it and change the font style you want, for me I want it to be somewhat thick and curly so there are space for the inner shadows.

tip! you can set the kerning to optical at the character panel, it gives a symmetrical spacing between texts.

font size of 25px

if you don't have characters panel inside your adobe illustrator work space go to,

Windows menu => Type => Characters.

I fill my font color to R=255, G=54, B=0 at the color panel.

4. Expand the text to create a stroke path.

before going to the next step select all and copy the layer or the  text and lock it so it won't get moved accidentally.

5. Create a New Layer under the main text layer

rename your new layer to cast shadow.

6. Ctrl + F to paste it in front in the cast shadow layer. 

make sure you selected the text or just click the empty circle on the layers panel to quickly select what is inside the cast shadow layer.

We will now use offset to make it more bolder a bit larger than the original 

the offset in the Object menu => Path => Offset Path..

set the offset to 2-3 then hit ok, just to make it a bit larger than the main text font size,

go to path finder to unite the offset and the copied text

or go to Windows menu => find the pathfinder 

and hit unite

move the united text using arrow keys on your keyboard,

3 hits down and to 3 hits to the right.

and then change its color,darker than the original color of the main text

make sure its still selected and lower the R from the color panel

R=168, G=54, B=0

it should look like this.

7. create a new layer above the cast shadow, it will now serve as a cutting object for the cast shadow layer.

repeat the last step.

(Ctrl + F) paste the text from the main text layer you copied from beginning, add offset of 2-3, unite from pathfinder, and use the arrow keys down and right and from this time 1 hit only on both keys.

8. select the cutting obj. layer in the empty circle and make it a compound layer by hitting 

(Ctrl + 8)

also do this to the cast shadow layer hit (ctrl + 8)

!compound layer merge paths within the layer

you should see compound instead of Group

9. Hold Shift to select both of the layers (empty circle) of cutting obj. and cast shadow, go to path finder and find the minus front and click it.

and your work should look like this by now.

10. Inner Shadows, are the same process from the last steps, but now. you will Create Layer above the main text layer.

(Ctrl + F) in the inner shadow layer

11. roll down the inner shadow layer and make the group compound (ctrl +8)

12. setting the MINUS OFFSET

make sure the inner shadow layer is selected (empty circle) 

go to offset path.. now set it to - 1 to 2 (negative 1)

you should see the path are inside the text

13. delete the outer path compound from the layer.

delete the x path its the 2nd compound path.

14. select the inner path and change the color to darker red.

copy the layer (ctrl +c)

15. create a new layer above the inner shadow and (ctrl + f) to paste in front of the new layer

move the copied object a bit to down and right side. using mouse or arrow keys, in my case the font is too thin so i decided to use mouse to move the copied object carefully.

hold Shift to select both the new layer and the inner shadow layer.

lastly find the minus front again in the pathfinder and click it then your Finished!

your work should resembles my work.

Congratulations!

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Shape Builder Tool in Adobe Illustrator (Shift + M)

Shape Builder Tool ( Shift + M )

thinking about combining multiple objects that should be together? Instead of grouping objects (Ctrl+G) into sets, shape builder tool can also function the same as group but the main reason why we should use shape builder instead of group is that, shape builder tool unites objects as one they now share the same path.

for example we want to make an eyeball out of shapes or lines inside adobe illustrator

When we compare group from the shape builder tool,

select both of the eyeballs, as you can see the group just selects the grouped objects as a set of object,

while the shape builder tool merge the intersecting paths resulting to less points and paths. meaning less data or lesser size when we save it.

reminder just for the sake of comparison we just use the 'group' command to 'shape builder tool', of course we can use both method to achieve the same results, group it first so it's not hassle to select each of the path later on when combining together different objects or paths.

how we merge objects using shape builder tool in adobe illustrator?

for example we want to lessen the paths and points of this chicken balls on stick.

1. in order to function shape builder tool, we need to select the object we want to merge, in this case the chicken balls (ellipses) and the stick (rectangle) 

2. having the shape builder tool, hover the move (shape builder tool) over the part of the object. as you can see when you hover it a net pattern will appear over the desired object. 

3. just simply left click and hold and drag across the path you want to merge.

you should see a broken line across the paths, the net pattern determines what paths will be merged.

when you release the mouse button the color will update based on your fill and stroke color.

if not you can easily change it later if you want to.

as you can see the rectangular path across the ellipse are now merged as one shape and you get rid of the extra paths that may lessen the vector size.






We can outline the advantages:

1. lesser paths and points, meaning lesser vector size.
2. merge objects as a whole. 

Learning Adobe Illustrator (OFFSET)

what is offset path tool in adobe illustrator?

Offset can also mean out of line or sets off. When we compare what "offset" do, inside adobe illustrator especially in creating objects, adobe illustrator might say "I will create another 'object' from the object you selected" by object means anything we created inside adobe illustrator. Yes another object not just a path.

after offset had been applied, another object appeared just beneath or above the selected object.

try to separate.






so, how will I create an offset? wait.
before anything else, what "offset" do to your graphic design?

offset can serve as a frame to almost any object you wish to have one.

just like this one,
a frame from google.

imagine offset as frame or border that will separate the content for example, painting, from the wall where it will be mounted.









from our observations adobe illustrator offset can be used as.

1. separator from background

from the example,

I used offset here to separate the same color of the text from the background objects, offset serve as a stroke of the text to make it more apparent.

Tutorial Here!

2. A border

when creating a border from web buttons.

in here I set a negative (-) offset

Tutorial Here!

3. it can also used to define depths of an object.

by moving the offset part you can make it as a shadow as well as a highlight in combination with gradient tool.

Tutorial Here!

4. Increase the boldness of a text or an object

Where can you see the offset tool inside adobe illustrator?

 you can create an offset in two ways...

Object => Path => Offset Path...

just make sure you selected at least a single object.

or you can see Offset Path under

Effect =>Path => Offset Path

You can use the Offset path under Effect if...

in case you're in an active type and don't make an outline out of the text. 

or, you're working with the appearance panel.

either way you can do both ways.

(I'm not finished yet, this blog is continuously updated and serves as my learning blog)