Adobe Illustrator - Method to cut text in half ?

Author

Method to cut text in half ?

Karen

2004-10-02, 12:14 pm

I have been trying to cut text in half horizontally but with no success.
Using "type/create outlines", then attempting to either create points
with the pen tool (does not work) then cut them with the scissors tool
(does not work) has not proved effective. I can do this easily with an
object such as a square or oval but with text this just doesn't work.
Creating the outlines for text also creates too many random points for
me to to a "clean" straight horizontal line "cut" of the text. The
effect that I wanted was to have the lower half of the text separated
and offset just a bit to the right.

Any hints?

Karen

steggy

2004-10-02, 12:14 pm

Karen wrote:
>
> I have been trying to cut text in half horizontally but with no success.
> Using "type/create outlines", then attempting to either create points
> with the pen tool (does not work) then cut them with the scissors tool
> (does not work) has not proved effective. I can do this easily with an
> object such as a square or oval but with text this just doesn't work.
> Creating the outlines for text also creates too many random points for
> me to to a "clean" straight horizontal line "cut" of the text. The
> effect that I wanted was to have the lower half of the text separated
> and offset just a bit to the right.
>
> Any hints?
>
> Karen

One method:

1. Type the text the way you want it and cover the exact bottom half
with a white rectangle, no stroke.
2. Choose Clipping Mask-->Make, result is only the bottom half of the
text is left.
3. Do this again, only now cover the top half with the white rectangle,
after Clipping Mask only the top of the text is shown.
4. Align all, combine and use the arrow keys or however you wish to
position both halfs

--
steg

steggy

2004-10-02, 12:14 pm

Karen wrote:
>
> steggy wrote:
>
> Cannot make a clipping mask. Error message states that "the selection
> must contain more than one object".
> The white rectangle, no stroke, is selected.

Sorry, you need to select both the text as the empty rectangle to use
Clipping mask.

--
steg

LauraK

2004-10-02, 12:14 pm

>Using "type/create outlines", then attempting to either create points
>with the pen tool (does not work) then cut them with the scissors tool
>(does not work) has not proved effective. I can do this easily with an
>object such as a square or oval but with text this just doesn't work.
>Creating the outlines for text also creates too many random points for
>me to to a "clean" straight horizontal line "cut" of the text. The
>effect that I wanted was to have the lower half of the text separated and
offset just a bit to the right.

Use the Pathfinder Divide tool.
Type the text and change to outlines.
Use the pen tool to draw a line across the text where you want the cut to be
made. Hold down shift to force a straight line.
Select the line and the text.
Pathfinder>Divide.
Ungroup.
Select the bottom half, group and move to the right.

laurak@madmousergraphics.com
http://www.madmousergraphics.com
web design, print design, photography

steggy

2004-10-02, 12:14 pm

MArtin Chiselwitt

2004-10-02, 12:14 pm

>
>
> PFFFFFFFFFFF
> Right again:)
>
>

LOL.. yeah, sure she's great but, can she make balloon animals??

:)

Gem

2004-10-03, 7:14 pm

>MArtin Chiselwitt

>LOL.. yeah, sure she's great but, can she make balloon animals??
>

yes, she can.

:)
---Gem

Karen

2004-10-04, 12:14 pm

LauraK wrote:
>
> offset just a bit to the right.
>
> Use the Pathfinder Divide tool.
> Type the text and change to outlines.
> Use the pen tool to draw a line across the text where you want the cut to be
> made. Hold down shift to force a straight line.
> Select the line and the text.
> Pathfinder>Divide.
> Ungroup.
> Select the bottom half, group and move to the right.
>
>
Laura,

Sorry fot the delay in getting back to you. I appreciate all of the
help that you have been giving me with this. Followed your (Laura's)
cookbooik style instructions to the letter but still something is still
wrong. Perhaps it's that I've applied styles to the text (
"feathering") as well as outline colors? Maybe overwork? Anyway, I'll
keep on trying.

Karen

Alexgirl

2004-10-04, 12:14 pm

"Karen" <lalla@worstweb.not> wrote in message
news:10m2a9mg81bee95@corp.supernews.com...
> LauraK wrote:
and[color=darkred]
to be[color=darkred]
> Laura,
>
> Sorry fot the delay in getting back to you. I appreciate all of the
> help that you have been giving me with this. Followed your (Laura's)
> cookbooik style instructions to the letter but still something is still
> wrong. Perhaps it's that I've applied styles to the text (
> "feathering") as well as outline colors? Maybe overwork? Anyway, I'll
> keep on trying.
>
> Karen

I tried it with and without effects. Without effects, not a problem. With
effects, I loose the effects when I do pathfinder/divide. I could add the
effects AFTER I cut the text and moved it though and it worked well. With
filters, I had to be careful to select only the text objects to move and not
the filter; however then I was only able to move the text objects which had
been successfully cut in half. I couldn't find a way to divide the filter
objects.

Mathias Dubois

2004-10-05, 7:14 am

Alexgirl wrote:

> I tried it with and without effects. Without effects, not a problem. With
> effects, I loose the effects when I do pathfinder/divide. I could add the
> effects AFTER I cut the text and moved it though and it worked well. With
> filters, I had to be careful to select only the text objects to move and not
> the filter; however then I was only able to move the text objects which had
> been successfully cut in half. I couldn't find a way to divide the filter
> objects.
>
>
General rule in digital image creation: FIRST do the shaping, THEN use
filters, etc. There's no sense in doing it the other was round.
..m