Manual Kashida Insertion in Arabic text.

[Shoaib@Liwa]

Hi, I’d like to know how to manually add Kashida in Arabic text in the latest version of Illustrator. In older versions, it was done using Shift+J, but that doesn’t seem to work anymore.

[dora87booth]

Hi, I’d like to know how to manually add Kashida in Arabic text in the latest version of Illustrator. In older versions, it was done using Shift+J, but that doesn’t seem to work anymore.

By Shoaib@LiwaHomeDepotSurvey

In the latest version of Adobe Illustrator, adding kashida (the elongation mark in Arabic text) manually works a bit differently than in older versions where you could use shortcuts like Shift+J. Here's how you can manually add kashida in the latest Illustrator:

Method 1: Using the Glyphs Panel

1. Select the Arabic Text: First, make sure your text is in an Arabic-supported font.

2. Open the Glyphs Panel:

   • Go to Window > Type > Glyphs. This will open the Glyphs panel where you can see all the available characters for the selected font.

3. Locate Kashida:

   • In the Glyphs panel, scroll through the list of available glyphs. Kashida should be listed as a special character (elongation mark).
   • Depending on the font you're using, it may be located under the "Arabic" section of the glyphs or might appear with other punctuation marks.

4. Insert Kashida:

   • Simply click on the Kashida symbol in the Glyphs panel, and it will be inserted at the position of the text cursor.

Method 2: Using the "Horizontal Scale" (Manual Adjustments)

If you want to manually elongate the text (effectively creating a kashida), you can use the "Horizontal Scale" option.

1. Select the Text: Click on the text tool, and select the Arabic text you want to edit.

2. Open the Character Panel:

   • Go to Window > Type > Character to open the Character panel.

3. Adjust Horizontal Scaling:

   • In the Character panel, you'll see an option called Horizontal Scale (represented by a percentage). Increase the percentage slightly (e.g., 120-150%) to stretch certain characters in the text manually.
   • This method isn't perfect for adding kashida, but it can be used to visually elongate specific parts of the text if Kashida characters are not directly available.

Method 3: Arabic Text Features (Auto Kashida)

If you are working with Arabic text and want Illustrator to automatically insert Kashida for elongation, you can enable Arabic features:

1. Enable the Middle Eastern Features:

   • Go to Edit > Preferences > Type (or Illustrator > Preferences > Type on Mac).
   • In the Preferences dialog box, under Type, enable the Show Indic and Middle Eastern Features option.

2. Use the Paragraph or Character Panel:

   • After enabling Middle Eastern features, you can use the Paragraph panel (Window > Type > Paragraph) to apply the kashida option to your Arabic text. You can set it to automatically elongate characters in the text.

3. Enable Kashida:

   • In the Paragraph panel, you may see an option labeled Kashida. You can adjust the length of kashida (the elongation) for the whole paragraph or selected text.

Method 4: Use a Specialized Arabic Font

Some Arabic fonts, like Scheherazade or Al-Qalam, automatically add kashida when you type in Arabic. These fonts are designed for Arabic typesetting and may have kashida support built-in, meaning you don’t have to add it manually.

[Zaid382270846ymd]

The kashida is still there in Illustrator on Mac and Windows. Try another font.