Need help with blend mask.

[jdanek]

I know I've done this in the past, but everything I try becomes invisible...

but what I want to do is put the gradient ( blend ) in the "blue" letters.  Can someone help?

[Monika Gause]

Is the text outlined or still editable?

Or is this still a live envelope? In that case: make the text black and then create an opacity mask (check "Invert")

In case it's already outlined: make sure it's a compound path and then make a clipping mask

[jdanek]

Hi Monika. The blend is "live" and is behind outlined text. I did not create a compound path. Let me try that. I am using CD3.

Sent from my iPhone

[jdanek]

I was able to get the mask to work, however the centers of the "o" are still not open.  I am able to delete the center of the o and the number 0; but one of the o's refuses to release.  Should I expand the blend?

[Monika Gause]

You don't need to touch the blend.

Can you maybe upload that Illustrator file somewhere, so we can take a look?

[PrepressPro1]

Try applying a compound path to the "o" again with the center and the outer vectors selected, be sure the center of the character is the top most object of the two.

[jdanek]

Thank you both for your help.  I think it was a problem with the letters being grouped.  In a bind for time, I came up with this...

which, sad to say, was a matter of placing a gradient behind each letter separately and ungrouped.  Actually created a rectangle, angled it, and applied a new gradient direction on each to give the illusion of a blend.  I suspect had I more time, I could have done what I wanted and may still just to see if my theory holds water.

[jdanek]

No.  Even with letters ungrouped, I couldn't get the blend to work.  When I attempted to do the mask, only the exclamation point retained the blend.  Everything else dropped out.

[PrepressPro1]

Try making it a compound path or adding the Outline Object Effect to the type prior to using it as a mask.