Create a Polished Raised Type Treatment
Tutorials | August 12th, 2010
If you have read some of my other type tutorials, you know I love the Appearance panel. This tutorial is no different. Using the Appearance panel, some gradients, and transforms, you can create a polished lifted type treatment. Using the Appearance panel makes it super easy to apply the treatment to other fonts and vector elements.
Final Image
Below is the final type treatment we will be working towards.
Tutorial Details
- Program : Adobe Illustrator CS5
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Topics Covered: Appearance Panel
- Estimated Completion Time: 15-20 minutes
Step 1
In a new document, use the Rectangle tool (M) to create a rectangle the size of your document and fill it with a gray color. Having a background color from the beginning will make it easier to see the changes we will be making to the text.
Step 2
With the Type tool (T), type out some text. Mine is around 100pt for big header text, but you can adjust the text to fit your needs. Next, remove any fill and stroke from the text, we will be directly adjusting these in the Appearance panel.
Step 3
With the text selected, choose Add New Fill from the pop-up menu of the Appearance panel. Change the new fill to a linear gradient with the first color stop white and the second a light gray. From the Gradient panel change the Location of the first white color stop to 40 and change the Angle to -90.
Step 4
From the Appearance panel, create a new fill like in the previous step, fill it with white, and make sure the white fill is below the first gradient in the Appearance panel. Select the white fill in the list and go Effect > Path > Offset Path. In the Offset Path dialog change the Offset to 1 px. With the white fill still selected in the Appearance panel list, go Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. In the Transform Effect dialog, change the Vertical Move to 1 px.
Step 5
From the Appearance panel, select the white fill, and press the Duplicate Selected Item button at the bottom of the panel. Select the bottom copy and fill it black. Expand the attributes on the fill by pressing the small arrow to the left of the fill thumbnail if it is not expanded already. Click on Transform to open the Transform Effect dialog and change the Vertical Move to 2 px.
Step 6
Duplicate the black fill like in the previous step and change the fill to a linear gradient. Add two more color stops to the linear gradient and change the first to black, the second to a dark gray, the second to a slightly lighter gray than the second, and the fourth to a gray slightly darker than the second. Next, change the Angle to -90.
Step 7
Expand the attributes of the new linear gradient in the Appearance panel, and click on the Transform Effect. With the Transform Effect dialog open, change the number of Copies to 10 and the Vertical Move to 1 px.
Step 8
With the four color stop gradient fill still selected in the Appearance panel, go Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. In the Drop Shadow dialog, change the Opacity to 100, the X Offset to 0, the Y Offset to 2, and the Blur to 2. That is pretty much it!
Step 9
You can save the treatment as a Graphic Style to easily apply to other type and vector objects. Simply select your text and press the New Graphic Style button in the Graphic Style panel. Now press the new graphic style with any object to apply the style. Pretty cool!
Final Image
At this point you can make the treatment better by jazzing up the background with some grain textures and simple offsets to other text.
I bow to your use of the appearance palette sir. Really stellar work!
I tried to do it on CS3, and I guess the biggest difference is that Illustrator CS3 won’t allow me to use pixels as a unit.
If you want pixels as a unit, Type px after the number. Ex: 1 px = 1 pixel
I used points as a unit rather than pixels, and I still got the same result. I have CS5 though, so I’m not sure.
Same…
Help! I had trouble with this tutorial. I’m using CS4; are you perhaps using CS5? I could come close to your example if I used negative numbers. instead of positive, on the vertical transforms, but I couldn’t figure out how to apply a drop shadow. Such a lovely type style you’ve developed, and I would so like to be able to recreate it!
Muito bom o tutorial!!! Fiz aqui no CS5 e deu tudo certo!!!! Vale a pena fazer esse tutorial!!!
I am using CS4 and i didn’t even came closer to something like this. Have you done this on CS5, please help.
“Tutorial Details
Program : Adobe Illustrator CS5
Difficulty: Intermediate
Topics Covered: Appearance Panel
Estimated Completion Time: 15-20 minutes”
right under the main picture….
Reading goes a long way.
haha sweet!
This is pretty sweet. And I don’t wanna be an ass people, but if you actually read from top to bottom, he says what version he is using. Now go read again!
This is amazing. nice work. I love the fact you can apply it to anything once its made. just a shame i don’t have CS5 yet.
I’m using CS3 and the only “impossible” step is the “offset path” one. The result is quite the same ^_^
Hiay, thanks a lot. It looks great!
I did it in CS2, I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to do it in CS1 as well…
Love it
oh that’s a nice one!
This is absolutly adorable work!
Thanks
You are the best! Low bow
very nice. Thank for tutorial
awesom! thanks!
This is Great!
Thanks for the new Graphic Style!
This looks like an awesome tut!! Can’t wait to try it out!!
Thanks.
Cool technique– thanks! I had no problems doing in CS4– just had to change the vertical offsets to negative values to get the required angle.
Precisely…I did the same thing and created two styles, one for a top offset and one for a bottom offset..
Great tut. Another weapon in my arsenal!
Saw a tutorial on how to create something similar in plain CSS3… but this looks way better!
Thanks a lot, worked perfectly in my CS4, just had the volume or shadow effect upside down, but it isnt that important, looks as cool!
Really cool man!!! That’s a tight text effect!
很好，很喜欢，太厉害了！GOOD！
Just amazing! Thank you for all the help that you give to all us
How did you do the step 2 ^^’ ?
Just remove the colors for fill and stroke like so: http://grab.by/73Id
I managed to do this in CS3 as well, just had to change the vertical offsets to negative values (as most of you) to get the proper result.
Be sure to read the tutorial throughly and compare your result to every step in the tutorial and you should be just fine.
Got this result: http://grab.by/73I9
so cute~~!!!真喜欢～～～
Thanks sharing your knowledge. Your tutorials are just great!!!!
Just change unit at Edit>Preferences>Units & Display Performance
Change unit in General Box.
interesante
organize file give me!!
Thanks for this amazing VECTIP!
Awesome
step 7 mistake – not 1 px vertical move, but -1px.
Thanks !!!
The Best !!! ( my one wasnt exacly from the first time but it’s look cool)
It’s clean and nice work !
I’ll try it
Can any one help me ?
where is appearance panle option in photoshop cs5.
This tutorial is for Illustrator, not Photoshop.
thanks so much!
hey looks good, but im wondering how you did that fine lines in the final result, is there any effect you used, the look kinda 3d’ish.
thanks
marc
Ok, I’m not sure why, but I don’t think that when I made it that it looked the same… Any thoughts? What did I do wrong?
[IMG]http://i56.tinypic.com/348534k.png[/IMG]
http://tinypic.com/r/348534k/7
Great effect. Is this possible to make it in photoshop cs5 as well?
I so enjoyed it.
Just saved my skin on a logo I’m working on — this fits absolutely perfect! Thanks.
Hi!
I liked it
This technique is very good for Text Effects! Can you post the same technique using any logo.
very nice!
Really great work, Once again brilliant use of the appearance panel.
I’m stomped, when I try to do the offset path the command menu is as if that function does not apply in other word the offset path function is not hihglited and it does not work.
What am I doing wrong? HELP…
Hi, I was wondering what font did you use for the “Vectips” lettering in Step 9? I love the cursive font but can’t find it on my Illustrator
Thanks for this. I was just designing a logo for somebody and running out of ideas. I just applied this effect to one of the designs and they approved it! The best thing about it is when they wanted the logo text to be changed I didn’t have to redo the whole thing from scratch like I used to. As it’s editable I just retyped it out. Fantastic!
I’m curious to find out how did you do the smaller font, can you provide a tutorial for that please?
Awesome tutorial. As a novice in illustrator, this is a very helpful tut.
Wonderful. Good tutorial.
Good Day
As a beginner in Ai I have to say your tutorial was more then perfect I had no problem following your directions and I thank you for taking the time to help us learn.