Changing stroke on parts of text

[drewcolby16]

I’ve included two reference pictures to show the effect I want to experiment with. Basically I want to create imagery, only using text with varying boldness or stroke. In the reference pictures it’s shown that only portions of certain letters have an increased stroke. Can anyone explain how to increase only parts of a letter in stroke? Thanks

[Ton Frederiks]

I don't think this is done in Illustrator by changing the stroke on text.

Looks more like done in Photoshop at a high resolution.

A layer with text and a layer with the portrait.

If you load the gray channel values of the portrait layer as a selection, you can use the Maximum filter on the text layer to make the text fatter.

Use Posterize to get rid of the grays.

[drewcolby16]

Thanks for the response, I'm going to work on this shortly and post what I come up with.

[tromboniator · Accepted solution]

This was done with two copies of live text, one with stroke and one without, and, and opacity masks:

Peter

[Ton Frederiks]

Nice!

That looks good for pure black and white, but not with variying shades of gray.

Time to sleep over here, but I think about it.

[tromboniator]

Thanks, Ton. I took the OP to mean a single color for type and stroke. I suppose multiple shades could be accomplished with as many opacity masks as you care to make.

Here's my graphic advisor:

Peter

[Ton Frederiks]

Hi Peter, we've got similar advisors 🙂

[drewcolby16]

Thanks for the help guys, I went with tromboniator​'s approach because I'm more comfortable in Illustrator. Here's my final result.

[drewcolby16]

I personally prefer the inverse of my original.

[Ton Frederiks]

Good to hear you found a solution!

[tromboniator]

Hi, Ton. I just assumed that this specimen was on your payroll, and not just a stray you picked up on the web.

[Ton Frederiks]

Unfortunately he passed away a few years ago, but his memory lives on!

[tromboniator]

Ah, my condolences. I don't believe I've been catless more than about two weeks through all my seven decades. And this one knows all the keyboard shortcuts!

[Ton Frederiks]

I can't remember being catless either. We have 2 at the moment.

[Jacob Bugge]

Ton, Peter,

Unlike yous, I have been helpless/catless very long. And I have never had a red/white one.

Too long ago, I had two helpers/advisors, mother (Sheba, spotted black on grey with yellow/brownish, passed away 12 years ago) and daughter (Sarah, tortoise with white, passed away 9 years ago). Sheba mostly helped with writing, sometimes contributing several pages. Sarah mostly helped with drawing, using a very precise thrust with her lovely pink nose on my (left) forefinger exactly when/where she knew a click was needed. The mouse never feared any of them.

Right now we are trying to convince a stray young mother (Bella, black with parts in white) and her kitten (Nina, same colours) to (completely) move in, neither having been inside a house before.

[tromboniator]

This is my first of this coloration. In order to acquire one, simply appear in a movie with one, and take it home when the shooting is done!

[Jacob Bugge]

Indeed, Peter; I believe that after the care and feeding it must be unavoidable; just as the (re)renaming after the sorrowful end.

[tromboniator]

I do not believe I would ever have chosen Walter (or, for that matter, Jack) as a name, but felt it would be unfair to subject him to yet another one after so much time in the shelter with what was undoubtedly not the name he grew up with. I have gotten used to it, and he has never complained; indeed, he responds most favorably when he hears it.

[Jacob Bugge]

I quite understand, Peter. Obviously, I have seen him as Jack, but I thought it would be painful to stick with that. I sometimes wonder how easily, and soon, they take on a new name. You may have at least a hunch by now.

[tromboniator]

I never considered Jack for him any more than I considered Barney for me. Nothing to do with pain, just a role.

[Jacob Bugge]

I believe that is a kind of freedom required for the skill of (at least effortless and/or convincing) performing.

[Ton Frederiks]

Renaming cats is something to avoid. Both our cats come from an animal shelter.

One is named Brummie by someone from Birmingham. People from Birmingham are sometimes named Brummies. He listens very good to his name.

We renamed one, her name was Miauw and we found that too siilly.

Our kids decided for Snorretje (Moustache).

That is sometimes confusing when we go to the Veterinarion with her. The vet comes into the waiting room and says “Moustache may come in” and I have to explain to the others in the waiting room that she is not talking about me.

[tromboniator]

You're welcome! I'm delighted that you have a method that works. Wonderful to have choices.

Peter