3 Ways to Convert Text to Vector Adobe Illustrator

[@fanplicity]

Simply the most helpful video on the topic of turning text into a vector or to outline the text! AMAZING! Thank you!

[@CaryHawkins]

Too kind, thanks!

[@AJ-wg1xv]

I know a third reason to convert text to outline. Our customer was asking for us to use "Helvetica Condensed Italic" for a silk screen but the standard font set on my computer does not include that so I downloaded one from a web site. When I looked at the text, everything looked great but when I printed, there were tiny dots all around it which would cause a reject as you can imagine. By converting to outlines, this problem disappeared. Thanks for your help in solving this problem.

[@CaryHawkins]

I'm wondering if you could also try different exporting options to alleviate this issue. Glad this worked though.

[@ofXsacredXflame]

I fell into the first category. Such an easy fix! Thank you!

[@CaryHawkins]

Isn't that a blessing? I'll take easy fixes any day.

[@markaj_]

After 2 years you made a follow up, nice

[@CaryHawkins]

Better late than never, right?

[@mittiwat]

It would also be great if you also navigate the other way to make the outline through clicking on the menu TYPE, then click on CREATE OUTLINE. Because sometimes, remembering CTRL+SHIFT+O, sometimes can be more difficult to remember.

[@CaryHawkins]

Whatever works best for you. I like the shortcut because I use it a lot.

[@blvoelk1040]

Hi, Could you possibly tell me how to create text into a single line rather then an outline. I need to make an SVG but I need the text to be single lined. I cannot figure out how to do that anywhere. Love all your videos, they have been so helpful!!!!

[@CaryHawkins]

I don't quite understand the question. A single line, meaning text that is all connected, welded together? If you mean that, check out my pathfinder and kerning tutorials.

[@IoanaHaitchi]

Hi! Can you tell me the settings of your document before you start? Many thanks!

[@adrianvillalobos2944]

When a font is converted to outlines, an outline is added to it which makes the font thicker. It's barely noticeable on thick fonts because the outline is so thin, but particularly noticeable when converting really thin fonts. Is there a way of avoiding this? I am designing a logo and want to use a font that looks really good when thin, but when I convert it to outlines it looks slightly thicker and it just ruins its look. I need to convert to outlines because I want to export as SVG which looks really sharp on a website and can be resized without pixelation.

[@CaryHawkins]

This is usually not a big deal as most of the time, it's not noticeable. You lose some hinting information when you convert to outlines and that affects how these fonts are displayed slightly. Have you tried exporting to svg and seeing if it looks thicker there too? If nothing else, you could do path offset by a small amount so that when it thickens up it looks as intended.

[@lovemadeinjapan]

Viewing in Chrome? That browser is incapable of dealing with 0-thickness outlines. Only Firefox and Safari will render these correctly.

[@kristy.fountain]

I have the same issue here! Which is really noticeable on thinner fonts. Glad you asked.

[@lovemadeinjapan]

I'm looking for a similar but seemingly impossible variation: I want to vectorize bitmap fonts by turning the shape into exact pixel-contours, like if it turns into perfect squares that get united into polygons. All vector tools seem to try to interpolate into fluent shapes.

[@CaryHawkins]

I have another vector pixel art tutorial in there somewhere that might help. It has a pixel image of Megaman's face on it. See if that helps you. Vector tracing doesn't do well with sharp angles.

[@ShelleyG]

So helpful thank you!

[@BoredThatsWhy]

Please can you make the pen tool tracing video in details like you did here? The pen tool is just killing me in ai and psd

[@sojournroad6967]

You're awesome. Thanks!

[@CaryHawkins]

Glad you liked it!

[@Kevti1127]

Phenomenal. Thank you!!!

[@jamess7178]

I wish MyFont still had the 'Fit To Width' option available.

[@CaryHawkins]

I have switched my preference to Dafont's font identification forum. They typically respond faster and often find free versions. I still use MyFont, but they don't always respond in their forums these days.

[@kekbv]

How do you do this but with an object? Thanks!

[@CaryHawkins]

With the pen tool generally. You can also try to do a live trace, but results vary.

[@JohnCiber]

Thanks!

[@CaryHawkins]

You're welcome!

[@julietpurnell4702]

Freaking thank you.

[@Igoya972]

Nice tut's! You have some "easy listetning" channel. Easy and fully informational! Aside from that I already know some of these things, I think that your videos can be real good starting (and even more), but really, really, real point to start and evoluate some technicniques in future, for some ppl!

[@CaryHawkins]

Thanks! For this one, I needed to redo an old video (one of my first) and improve on some confusion over terms while addressing those different meanings.

[@studentoflife3149]

How do I save it though? I'm trying to add vector text to the image and it keeps pixelating it.

[@CaryHawkins]

Sounds like an issue with your settings. Check to see if View > GPU Preview is on. If so, try cpu preview instead. If your gpu isn't strong enough, the art may appear pixelated.

[@studentoflife3149]

@@CaryHawkins Thank you so much for answering Cary. I'm a writer and I'm trying to add vector text to jpeg images and when I save them to png or jpeg they don't look like on Illustrator. could it still be my settings or am I saving it wrong?

[@CaryHawkins]

Well, you are saving them as a raster filetype. If you want vector, you need to save as a vector filetype: ai, pdf, eps

[@CaryHawkins]

If you need a raster filetype, then just increase the resolution of the file if you can.

[@studentoflife3149]

@@CaryHawkins thank you 🙏🏻

[@razin275]

If i have a png image with text on it, after image tracing it, the text disappears. How to fix this?

[@CaryHawkins]

Threshold settings in live trace. It's either too high or too low probably. If you are doing something like a silhouette, all black, then the text is probably a lighter color and the threshold needs to be set higher to include it in the trace. Hope that helps.

[@razin275]

@@CaryHawkins Hey thanks for replying so quickly! I tried image tracing it with 16 colours and then expanding it, it's working great now!

[@morne1317]

Thank you so much!!!! happy days

[@CaryHawkins]

You are most welcome!

[@myllinescarrasquilloescale2486]

That was THE BEST explanation, EVERRRR! Thanks! You gave me hope. I'm gonna try again!

[@CaryHawkins]

Awesome, thanks!

[@juanasa636]

Sorry to be off topic but does anybody know a tool to get back into an instagram account..? I somehow lost my login password. I love any assistance you can offer me!

[@littlecarp2277]

How can you export just the text without the background? I need to use the text as a Logo with no background

[@CaryHawkins]

Easy, delete any background elements you have and save as a pdf or png.

[@hzupd1tes]

And if I want to copy any design or vector?

[@CaryHawkins]

You can follow one of my other tutorials for vectorizing a logo. They are a bit old at this point and need updating, but should still be adequate for getting you started.

[@drazenp55]

Why when I do the outline of the letter and then I try to do the inside part of the letter, the outer part deletes, like when i try to minus the second part of letter it doesnt want to do it

[@CaryHawkins]

Sounds like any number of possible problems. I'd need more info to give you an answer. You can always try the tutorial again and see what's different about your setup.

[@drazenp55]

@@CaryHawkins lets say i have a Word "cloud", and when Im on letter "O", first I do the outer part, and when I try to do the inner circle the lines i did on outer one disappear like i didnt do them, i cant do 2 things on one letter

[@CaryHawkins]

It sounds like you need to expand the object before doing the inside of it, or possibly release compound path. Try one of those and see if it changes for you.

[@markandrew490]

thanks so much... appreciate it.

[@CaryHawkins]

You are welcome. I appreciate the feedback.

[@markandrew490]

@@CaryHawkins really basic question... trying to vector fonts so that i can use them in pp cc. i'd like to vector my fonts then choose to fill with a certain color.. usually black or white... using an ultra thin helvetica... but not sure of the best way to do it... was able to follow your video... but not sure i was able to get the asset that i needed.

[@CaryHawkins]

I'm not sure what you need. Is pp PowerPoint? What's cc?

[@markandrew490]

Cary Hawkins sorry. Premiere pro creative cloud.

[@CaryHawkins]

If you vectorize the font, then just import the vector file like an ai or pdf, you should be able to place it in a Premiere Pro timeline, I think. My Premiere Pro knowledge is limited. I use it to make these videos and a few odds and ends.

[@dviramontes2024]

Great teaching

[@fariatasnim8586]

Super helpful video😍😍😍

[@mookymakesmusic]

This was great and to the point love that

[@benmikola]

how to i edit text in a photo that i screenshotted from a website?

[@CaryHawkins]

That's just a bitmap. You'll have to recreate it to edit it or do some Photoshop work on it. Clone stamp or heal brush might be a good place to start.

[@toriAllisonP]

Ok. I have a logo with an image and font (The Anthalope) but I think I'm doing something wrong at some point in the process.. Why does my PNG logo keep pixelating after I save it?

[@CaryHawkins]

PNG logos are raster graphics made of pixels. They pixelate at certain sizes. Save as a vector instead.

[@toriAllisonP]

@@CaryHawkins thank you 🙏🏼

[@picassie]

This was fantastic! Thank you so much for the clear and concise walkthrough :) you have a new subscriber!

[@CaryHawkins]

Awesome, welcome to the channel!

[@peterdelfin8606]

this is so helpful! thank you! you got yourself a new sub!

[@CaryHawkins]

Awesome!

[@serjio96]

When I convert my text to outlines on AI, it gets slightly thicker. Do you know how to convert text to outlines without modifying the thickness of the text? Thank you for the video, it was really helpful !!

[@CaryHawkins]

Does it actually print thicker, or is it just a visual issue for you? I've never had my text actually get thicker before.

[@adrianvillalobos2944]

Yes, this process actually creates an outline around the letters. It's much more noticeable on thin fonts because you can really tell the difference between before and after converting to outlines. I still haven't found a solution for this and it's very annoying.

[@kristy.fountain]

@@adrianvillalobos2944 : Yikes, this is a huge problem for me right now! It literally ruins the thin style of my font.

[@sabriritonga8734]

perfect tutorial, thanks brother, and really happy to subscribed your channel

[@CaryHawkins]

Thanks!

[@Arleneim]

This was a great help and saved me a lot of time so thanks!

[@CaryHawkins]

Great, glad it was useful!

[@nnyv0040]

Great tutorial! Thank you!

[@CaryHawkins]

Glad you liked it!

[@habibnasr4377]

That was precise and to the point. Thanks

[@RR3EURO]

Great tutorial thank you!

[@CaryHawkins]

You're welcome, thanks!

[@kellylaurenblackvideo]

Excellent description. Thank you!

[@CaryHawkins]

Thanks!

[@russelrealeza7142]

One word man, you just helped me by being efficient with the short-cut key. Thanks Cary!

[@CaryHawkins]

Sweet!

[@hakanhildingsson2954]

Great and a good help for me :)

[@CaryHawkins]

Awesome, glad you like it.

[@fernandollano6290]

This was so useful. Thank you so much!!

[@CaryHawkins]

Awesome! Thanks for letting me know.

[@saiidmoussaif4076]

hey ! is there a way to change words on a premade text vector .? is that possible ? can send me any links if so. thank you

[@CaryHawkins]

Only if the file has editable text, so not converted to outlines. Most won't.

[@nosnhojneb78]

Thank you. I will be learning a lot from you.

[@CaryHawkins]

I hope so. I'll have to learn more so I can keep you interested!

[@puresoulg]

Thank You So Much for this Post!

[@CaryHawkins]

You're welcome! Thanks for the feedback!

[@bainez183]

This Was A Very Good Tutorial, Thank You Very Much👌🏾💯

[@CaryHawkins]

Thanks!

[@sumydesigner5425]

THANK YOU! Really useful and advanced Tricks

[@CaryHawkins]

Glad you liked it. Thanks for the feedback l

[@samytaylor7145]

I wish it will be more clear on how to do if we know already the font. I watched the whole video and I have the impression that after you found the font for free and downloaded it (it is 3 years I have it already) you didn't explain how to transform it in a vector I think and you went directly to "If we don't find the font for free" or something like that.

[@CaryHawkins]

If you have the font and installed it, it will be typed in as vector, so no explanation needed.

[@samytaylor7145]

@@CaryHawkins How do I type it in as a vector ?

[@CaryHawkins]

Use the text tool, click, and start typing.

[@samytaylor7145]

@@CaryHawkins It didn't work and by watching other tutorials I finally found out that I had to click on "create an outline".

[@CaryHawkins]

Convert to outlines is different. The font is vector with or without being converted to outlines. Glad you found the answer. Ctrl + shift + O for a hot key.

[@endimios]

"Select the text" has a different meaning for most people using digital editing tools.

[@Odonsuccess]

The 2nd one is what most people search for I think..... For images also

[@CaryHawkins]

I noticed in my analytics that people had multiple meanings under the same searches, so I made this one to cover all possibilities.

[@smartsavvyshoppers6826]

1:58 crt + shift + o Thank me later

[@CaryHawkins]

Cheater!

[@smartsavvyshoppers6826]

@@CaryHawkins lol

[@ryanvorce]

Thank you for saving me the torture of a time-wasting preamble, the scourge of KZbin tutorial videos!

[@CaryHawkins]

Oh, the drama!

[@fran1647]

ctrl + shift + o

[@CaryHawkins]

That's just for converting text into outlines. Sometimes, you have to recreate the font by hand.

[@Strakos0]

Yes. I have found a professional. I am getting Ai as it is a must-have for my projects. Thank you.

[@CaryHawkins]

Thanks!

[@vlenhoff]

CONTRL + shift + O

[@jradhouser]

hit CTRL shift O

[@CaryHawkins]

To convert text to outlines, yes.

[@z4eldiablo69]

capo

[@mcroman-superfeat]

Copy This::: That was THE BEST explanation, EVERRRR! Thanks! You gave me hope. /// McRoman ;)

[@theChefnut]

Came to the video to learn how to convert text to vector and got a seminar on what are vectors? Why convert? Who is Vector. blah blah blah blah