Path FX, type, group, fail

[sPretzel]

This one's for Monika for sure! 😉

I have two type objects (or it could be one type and one path). I am trying to add a stroke to the combined path but whatever I do, I am not getting what I want.

I have attached a file where I show:

1- the two type objects.

2- the two type objects, each converted to shape with a stroke around it.

3- Grouped objects, added Path FX Add. The stroke is how I want it but anything I tried to get to show the text again fails.

Is there are non-destructive way out (in other words, with FX)?

This is for CS4.

Thanks.

[Monika Gause]

I hope you don't need to have a knockout group, because then you might get into trouble because of my hack

[sPretzel]

Hi Monika. Thanks. I'm not sure it opens properly for me. What did you do? In item 1, I am seeing decoupled text and stroke (seem to be separate objects now).

[Monika Gause]

THis is what I did: https://youtu.be/aEUF5WN6ghU 

[sPretzel]

Got it. Quite similar to what I did but you have a step where you introduce transparency (0% opacity). That is likely going to be a problem for me and it will rasterise when flattening the artwork.

[Monika Gause]

Why would you need to rasterize it? It's not there.

It would be a problem if you plan with knockout groups.

[sPretzel]

It is rasterised for print so I can't have transparency.

[sPretzel]

Hi Monika. Where you change opacity to 0%, I left it at 100% and instead, changed the stroke to none. It seems to have done the trick. I think there should no longer be transparency anywhere.

I must say I still don't have a good grip on how these effects interact and affect each other, unlike you!

Thanks.

[Monika Gause]

When I changed the stroke to none, it completely disappeared.

[sPretzel]

Monika, I reproduced the steps in your video. If I change the stroke colour to none at 0:25, then leave opacity at 100%, and go through the remaining steps in the video unchanged, I get the desired result.

At what step did you change stroke to none? At the very end?

[Monika Gause]

It's not in the video.

I tried that and didn't succeed, so I didn't include it in the video.

[sPretzel]

I know it's not in the video. I meant at what stage, if referenced back to your video, did you change the stroke to none? At the very end?

Did you try it where I indicated (around 0:25)? It worked in CS4.

[Monika Gause]

It only makes sense where I did it. At the level where I used the opacity instead. ANd yes, CS4 is most probably the reason why it works for you.