Bevel/Emboss - Can't figure this out!

[Diego Mejia]

I'm trying to create some joke "Collector Cards" for friends, but I can't seem to get the effect I need for certain text areas.

How would I get:

1. A rounded frame

2. An inset text area

3. The proper highlight/shading...

I'd appreciate any and all advise!

Diego

[Eugene Tyson · Accepted solution]

Construct your basic shapes

Use the PathFinder Merge Tool

Then play with the settings

There's 3 things to consider across the top of the Panel

Object - Material and Lighting

I just did the Object and the Lighting

Then center your text over it.

[Diego Mejia]

Perfect!

Thank you very much for your help!

I kept going back to the 3D (Classic), thinking it would be simpler, but the method you showed is clean, clear and gives me the result!

Thanks again!!

Diego

[Ton Frederiks]

Unfortunately, the new 3D effect creates pixels...

[Eugene Tyson]

Yeh I was looking at that... Thought it was weird.

[Diego Mejia]

Is that a known issue to be resolved. or is that the way it is?

Had I known I was getting a bitmap, I could've done it in Photoshop with less trouble...

[Ton Frederiks]

That is currently the way it is. It is currently a work in progress.

[Eugene Tyson]

Sorry about that - unexpected behaviour I guess. I've never seen it get turned to pixels like that. 

Very roughly you can do it manually

Add a gradient to shade the outer portion

Add basic shapes to make up the inside

I just drew the x as a basic guide. 

With a bit of care.

I know it's not the exact same as what we did the other day - but I have not got a lot of time.

I hope it helps. 

[Ton Frederiks · Accepted solution]

There is a way to get some vectors from the new 3D effect.

Click the arrow in the upper right corner of the 3D and Materials panel (Render Settings).

Check the Render as vector checkbox and click Render.

Object > Expand Appearance.

Ungroup as many times as necessary.

Select the image (shown as <Non-Native Art> in the Layers panel) and delete it.

You will have 0.01 pt stroked paths that you can fill with gradients.

[Eugene Tyson]

Cool!

[Diego Mejia]

Y'all make it look so easy!

Can't get the gradients to look right!

I think I'll stick to the pixels for now...

Thank you for showing so many methods to get it done correctly. 

Now, back to exploring gradients... lol

[Eugene Tyson]

Practice makes perfect! 

Keep going!