Participant

Answered

Unite and gradient in text

Forum|Forum|4 months ago
January 7, 2026
2 replies
293 views

Do these still not have a shortcut for Pathfinder's Unite? Also does gradient on text still need to be applied by doing an excorcism on an extinct unicorn?

My suggestion is to make the "Unite" and other pathfinder commands smaller, like 4x4 pixels, so that we REALLY have to aim.

And for gradient in text, they should introduce a secondary subscription.

[abuse removed by moderator]

Tools

Correct answer Doug A Roberts

I have no way of knowing from here if a joke is just that, or if it also masks a question/lack of knowledge.

Like a lot of things in AI, it's clunky and (seemingly) unnecessary. Add your vote and comments here:

Add ability to apply gradient to text without using new fill – Adobe Illustrator

Keyboard shortcuts for all Pathfinder options (Unite, Divide, Trim, etc) – Adobe Illustrator

Doug A Roberts

Community Expert

You can add a gradient to a fill added at the object level of text (use the black selection tool rather than the type tool):

DougARoberts_0-1767866236163.png

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Dragan28619945374pAuthor

Participant

I know how to add a gradient to text. Did you too REALLY not get the sarcasm?

This is how it should be: Click on text, click on gradient, done. The text is gradient.
This is how it is: Click on text, click on gradient, nothing. Go google "how to add gradient to text". Click on text, open appearance, double-click the text element, delete the color, WHILE STILL SELECTED change to selection tool, click add fill, click gradient.

Do you really not understand how ridiculous and unnecessary this maneuver is? And it's been like that for 20 years. THAT is what my comment is about.

B

Bobby Henderson

Community Expert

I agree it is pretty ridiculous that it takes a few extra steps using the Appearance panel to add a gradient fill to a live text object. Rival vector graphics apps don't require that. On the other hand, the Appearance panel does have its own unique advantages with what it can do to a single object. Multiple live effects can be applied. The stacking order can be changed. The rival apps don't have the same capability.

Bill Silbert

Community Expert

This is a user to user forum with no way to implement any suggestions that other users might have. Any new features that you would like to see can be logged into https://illustrator.uservoice.com/ where they can be seen by the Adobe engineers.

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Dragan28619945374pAuthor

Participant

Thank you but my sarcasm didn't seem to register. People say if you have to explain a joke, it isn't funny. But here we go: I'm calling them out about things they should've fixed 20 years ago. Like clicking on text, then clicking on gradient and text recieves the gradient. You know, like in all other normal apps, not the stupendously complicated way we all had to learn in 2000 and something, that never got fixed. And the Unite joke was that there are no shortcuts for tools people use most often.

Monika Gause

Community Expert

@Dragan28619945374p schrieb:

Thank you but my sarcasm didn't seem to register.

It wasn't sarcasm, it was abuse.

That's a difference.

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