Manual Kashida Insertion in Arabic text.

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

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.