Align objects to path with existing spacing

[displaced7]

I need to align text (outlines) to a curve but can't seem to find out how.  I do NOT want even spacing, I want the spacing I made (the font's kerning is awful).  

I can't seem to find anything beyond even spacing, font along a path, etc.

Is there a way to do it?

[Monika Gause]

Text on a path.

And then you can use the Tracking and Kerning settings in the Character panel.

[Imaginerie]

I understand that your text is outlined, is that the case?
If it is, you won't have access to the font options, because it's no longer a font

when it's still a font, all the options will be available if you click on the word "character" on the top bar

Or the properties panel

Obviously you will need first to type your text on a path

Hope it all makes sense!

[displaced7]

I need to be able to space the letters appropriately.  The kerning in the font is horrible (I also am adjusting the fonts after converting to outlines).  Thanks though.

[Imaginerie]

You can change the kerning (so individual letters) before creating the outlines if that's what you are fater. After creating the outlines, your options will be limited with what you will be able to place by hand or use @Jacob Bugge 's solution below.

Spacing is also called tracking

Maybe you're familiar with the terms and in that case ignore it all 🙂
In case not, there is a quite enlightning tutorial here...
https://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/a-beginners-guide-to-the-character-panel-in-illustrator--cms-4...

[displaced7]

Yes, but I've customized some of the letters after converting to outlines, so I can't do it before hand.  Thanks though.

[Monika Gause]

Yes, but I've customized some of the letters after converting to outlines, so I can't do it before hand.  Thanks though.

By displaced7

You should have told us in your initial post.

What you can do now is copy all your letter shapes over to InDesign. There you can have inline graphics in text.

[Jacob Bugge]

displaced,

Given what you have, and that you prefer to set the spacing freely (between outlined letters), you may like the one and only 1 STEP BLEND FAKE.

When you wish to have undistorted objects distributed along (part of) a circle or another curved path, you can use the 1 step fake blend, with some preparation to make things fit together:

1) Start with your set of outlined letters placed with the spacing you made, forming a straight horizontal line as they would be on a straight path;

2) With the centre Reference Point selected in the Transform palette use the X values of the first and last objects to establish the total width (which must be measured centre to centre) for the next steps;

3) Select the curve you wish to align the text to, copy it in front of itself if you wish to retain the actual path behind the objects, then lock/hide the original so you work with the copy, then cut the path where you want the centres of the first and last letters and establish the total path length, you should be able to see it in the Document Info palette;

4) Adapt the size of the objects 1) or the path 3) so that the width and the path length become identical; you may use the Transform palette and multiply/divide the value in the W or H box by the quotient of the two lengths (just add * or / and then the number) and press Ctrl/CmdEnter to retain proportions;

5) Object>Blend>Options>Specified steps, set the value to 1 and set Orientation to Align to Path;

6) Select all the objects and Object>Blend>Make, create a copy just in case (now you have some distorted intermediate shapes between the letters, but not for long);

7) Select the Blend from 6) and the cut path from 3) and Object>Blend>Replace Spine;

8 ) Object>Blend>Expand and Ungroup, and delete the distorted intermediate shapes;

9) Enjoy.

You can see a somewhat similar/different use here (with 1 and 2 digit numbers instead of letters and spread evenly along a part of a circle) showing the use of the temporary distorted shapes.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator-discussions/step-text-on-a-circle-double-digit-numbers/td...

[displaced7]

Thanks, interesting....it aligned the outlines to the curve, but in a totally random way (letters are rotated randomly and in the wrong order).

Am I missing something?  I tried a few different paths/splines, but the same thing.

[Jacob Bugge]

displaced,

I ought to have mentioned that the letters need to be in a strict (ascending) stacking order, sorry.

But, obviously, you can also use the manual spacing in the form of kerning/tracking on live the Type while it follows the path, as suggested by the others.

[displaced7]

I am not sure what you mean by "ascending stacking order".  They are arranged in a line (it's only a 5 letters).  

I ended up just making it all with the standard text tool and moving the outlined/custom letters into place manually.  Frustrating that there isn't a simple way to do this (other software I use regularly can do this in 2 clicks).

Thanks

[Jacob Bugge]

displaced,

I am referring to the stacking order in the expanded Layer in the Layers panel, the leftmost letter being at the bottom and the rightmost letter at the top.

I apologize for my consistently lacking explanations.

[Bobby Henderson · Accepted solution]

Text on Path effects are a very imperfect thing. The way the letters get rotated as they follow a curving path can yield a jumbled or even wacky looking end result (especially if the letters are big in relation to that target path). Stock letter spacing (or tracking) in a font will be thrown off when a text object is applied to any curving path. That's just a matter of geometry.

One possible solution: turning the type object into an Art Brush and applying that to a path. This is not a perfect solution, but it is one where the spacing between the letters will be maintained. The letters themselves will bend in relation to the path rather than merely rotate. In some cases it delivers a more desireable effect. The Width tool can deliver some really dramatic looking effects. I've done things like adjust the lettering I turn into an Art Brush to match the path length of the target path to get more fine tuned results.  

[displaced7]

Thanks, but it's outlined text I need to be placed on the spline, not the text itself.  It's for a logo, so controlling the look of the letters is crucial (including kerning), I can't have any distortion, etc.

[Bobby Henderson]

Usually I have to convert the text to outlines to turn it into a work-able Art Brush. Given the realities of geometry, the Art Brush approach I offered is the only easy way to precisely preserve letter tracking of a text object applied to a path. Otherwise you will have no other choice but to manually kern each letter on that path one letter at a time. And you have to live with how the rotated looks appears. If that isn't good enough you have to convert the text object that's affixed to the path into outlines and then manually rotate and move each letter one at a time.

[Monika Gause · Accepted solution]

Thanks, but it's outlined text I need to be placed on the spline, not the text itself.  It's for a logo, so controlling the look of the letters is crucial (including kerning), I can't have any distortion, etc.

By displaced7

The long answer is: you cannot have that.

So you can either go with Bobby's approach and distort the letters or you can go with Jacob't approach and create the blend (and basically redo the spacing or you can go with the InDesign approach and redo the spacing as well or you can take each of your shapes and move and rotte it in Illustrator until it fits an imaginary line.