Illustrator CS4 Type Works

Illustrator C6CS4DPD Blitz Reference

Working with Type

Reshaping text with a different object

• Create text to distort
• Create the object to use as the envelope (the object to be used to define the distortion)
• Choose Object->Arrange to make sure that the envelope object is on top
• Select the text and Shift-click to select the envelope object
• Choose Object->Envelope Distort->Make with Top Object

Creating text areas
Creating a line of text

Flowing text into an area

• Window->Transform to view the Transform panel
• Type an exact width in the W text field and exact height in the H text field

Dealing with text overflow
Creating columns of text with the Area Type tool
Threading text into shapes
Wrapping text [???Unresolved???]
Outlining text
Putting text on a path, in a closed shape, or on the path of a shape
Creating text on a path
Creating text in a closed shape
Text on the path of a closed shape

Assigning Font Styles
Font, X height, Kerning, Leading, Tracking

Keyboard Shortcuts for Type

• Align left, right, or center [Shift+Ctrl+L, R, or C]
• Justify [Shift+Ctrl+J]
• Insert soft return [Shift+Enter]
• Reset horizontal scale to 100 percent [Shift+Ctrl+X]
• Increase/decrease point size [Shift+Ctrl+> or <]
• Increase/decrease leading [Alt+ UP or DN]
• Set leading to the font size [Double-click the leading icon in the Character panel]
• Reset tracking/kerning to 0 [Alt+Ctrl+Q]
• Add or remove space (kerning) [Alt+ <- or ->] between two characters
• Increase/decrease baseline shift [Alt+Shift+UP or DN]

[Pressing Ctrl+T] Show or hide the Character panel

Using the Control Panel

Using the Paragraph Panel

• Alignment
• Indents
• (Select and Alt+click to apply) Use the Eyedropper tool to copy the character, paragraph, fill, and stroke attributes

Text Utilities: Key to Efficiency

• Find and Replace
• Spell checker
• Edit->Edit Custom Dictionary and then add own words
• The Hyphenation feature

The Find Font feature
The Change Case feature
Text styles
Creating character styles
Creating a paragraph style
Updating styles
Handling legacy text