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whamalamaboom
whamalamaboom
Inspiring
February 26, 2020
Answered

How to Edit Envelope Contents WITHOUT Moving? (AI 2020)

  • February 26, 2020
  • 1 reply
  • 3595 views

If I use object>envelope distort>make with top object on text and an object, the text conforms to the shape of the object as expected. But if I edit the text, the whole thing moves around and changes since it's reshaping according to the new text size/length.

 

What I want is for the text to conform to an object but as if it's inside the object so I can edit the text freely and have nothing about the overall shape change, just how much text is being squished to fit it.

 

I know I can make text fill a shape by hovering over the edge of it before typing but that's not what I mean. I want the text to actually take on the shape of the object the way it does with envelope distort but without going out of the boundaries of that when I edit the text. 

 

Is that possible in AI? Natively, not with a thousand step workaround. Thanks! FYI: I've already read these and watched videos. I don't see what I'm trying to do. https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/reshape-using-envelopes.html

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/meshes.html

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer federico platon

When you apply the Envelope Distortion, the Text moves inside and centers inside the Top item (both selected)

But once you have done a content edit, the text, as you have seen, the text remains with its initial point fixed when (usually) it is left aligned, and then in order to distort uniformly the shape (envelope) must be displaced to the right side.

When the text is center aligned, it moves to both sides from the center while you type. If you have an envelope it will have no need to move either side.

Thus if you wish the text is distorted but keeps its original (vertical) relative position, center align it 

1 reply

F
federico platon
Legend
February 26, 2020

Excuse me but I do not follow you, the text distorts or adapts to the shape if you edit the text, the characters will have to reshape to fit the same shape, or else would have to jump out those limits if more letters were added.

Envelope Distort>Make with Top object, keeps all text inside the bound or limits of the (top) shape

 

Could you show a draft of what you would like to have? Thanks

PLease see an example like those you have already tried, at right two words fitting the same width.

whamalamaboom
whamalamaboomAuthor
Inspiring
February 26, 2020

I'll make up a test example to post so you can see what I mean. Pretend I'm making a lowercase letter "i" as a graphic and wanted to fill the dot on top with the word apple. Doesn't matter how I make the "i" (using pen tool, shapes, text I turn to outlines, whatever), I have the dot. I just added a second green one behind it so the outer shape of the envelope is more visible.

 

 

If I use make with top object on the word apple like in the first instance, it does what I want.  If I do the same with a longer word like pineapple, it still does what I want like in the second instance.

 

But if I already made the envelope using apple and decide later to edit contents to change it to pineapple, it doesn't stay within the bounds of the shape like in the last instance, which is a problem if the point is for the word to be part of a larger shape (in this case, being the dot on the i).

 

After messing with it, it seems it will only do what I want if the type originally used for the envelope was centered, which I didn't see mentioned in any video or article I found when I was trying to figure out why my text kept shifting.

 

It even said in the adobe support page I read that "When you modify the contents of an envelope, the envelope shifts to recenter the results with the original content", which makes it sound like your change should reconfigure itself to match back up with where the original shape was but mine clearly wasn't doing that.

 

Is this the normal behavior that the starting text should be centered? Thanks!

F
federico platonCorrect answer
Legend
February 26, 2020

When you apply the Envelope Distortion, the Text moves inside and centers inside the Top item (both selected)

But once you have done a content edit, the text, as you have seen, the text remains with its initial point fixed when (usually) it is left aligned, and then in order to distort uniformly the shape (envelope) must be displaced to the right side.

When the text is center aligned, it moves to both sides from the center while you type. If you have an envelope it will have no need to move either side.

Thus if you wish the text is distorted but keeps its original (vertical) relative position, center align it 

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