Create paths from text outlines – Adobe InDesign User Manual
Page 598
Note:
Compound shape used as a text frame (left) compared to one created from a text outline (right)
Create a compound shape
You can work with a compound shape as a single unit or release its component paths to work with each separately. For example, you might apply
a gradient fill to a part of the compound shape, but leave the rest of the shape unfilled.
Gradient applied to a compound shape (left) compared to gradient applied to one part of the compound shape (right)
1. Choose Window > Object & Layout > Pathfinder to open the panel.
2. Select the objects you want to combine in a compound shape.
3. Click a button (such as Add) in the Pathfinder section on the Pathfinder panel.
You can also choose a command from the Object > Pathfinder submenu.
Release paths in a compound shape
Select the compound shape. Choose Object > Paths > Release Compound Path. The compound shape is separated into its component
paths.
To regroup component paths without losing changes you’ve applied to individual paths, choose Group in the Object menu, rather than
Compound Paths > Make.
Create paths from text outlines
Use the Create Outlines command to convert selected text characters into a set of compound paths that you can edit and manipulate as you would
any other path. The Create Outlines command is useful for creating effects in large display type, but it is rarely useful for body text or other
smaller-size type.
If you simply want to apply a color stroke, or a gradient fill or stroke to text characters, you don’t need to convert the text to outlines. You can
use the toolbox and the Swatches, Color, or Gradient panels to apply colors and gradients directly to the strokes or fills of selected characters.
The Create Outlines command gets its font outline information from the actual Type 1, TrueType, or OpenType files. When you create outlines,
characters are converted in their current positions, retaining all graphics formatting, such as stroke and fill.
Some font manufacturers block the information needed to create outlines. If you select such a protected font and choose Type > Create
Outlines, a message will explain that the font cannot be converted.
593