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Participant
November 10, 2008
Question

Underline in Illustrator [Locked]

  • November 10, 2008
  • 6 replies
  • 106007 views

How do you underline a text in Illustrator

[Originally posted in November 2008. This thread is now locked.]

This topic has been closed for replies.

6 replies

mlc73879209
Participant
March 12, 2018

If you go along the top bar where it says 'Essentials,' click on the tab where you can change it to Essential classic and the text properties will appear.  Follow down to where it says 'character.' scroll and click on the 3 dots (more options) in the bottom right corner.

Along the very bottom is the Underline tab

jane-e
Community Expert
Community Expert
March 13, 2018

This thread was started in 2008. Underlining in Adobe Illustrator is no longer a work-around and this thread is now closed.

Participating Frequently
June 21, 2014

I just found this on youtube

Steve Fairbairn
Inspiring
May 13, 2012

Inspiring
May 13, 2012

Let´s add an artistic way to get a live faux underline but preety editable via Appearance panel. Once an user asked for a way to get an underline editable and possible to set effects.

I made this some months ago so it was based on Illustrator CS5. But it´s the same for Illustrator CS6.

If you want a special (faux) underline to the text you can make it as an effect...So you could use Appearance panel to control and even to apply effects, set new colors and so on.

One way to do it is:

1. Select your text in the artboard. Now, go to Appearance panel and click the Add New Fill button.

2. After adding a new fill..select only this new fill in the body of the Appearance Panel. Now go to Effect > Convert to Shape > Rectangle. In this effect´s dialog box..set extra widht and extra height to 0 (or a negative extra height).

4. Keeping this fill still selected to Appearance panel..now go to Effect > Distort and Transform > Transform. Enable preview in this effects dialog box. Set Vertical Scale slider to the weight you want the underline and use Vertical Move slider to move below the text. Click ok

5. Now...the underline is a shape in your text. You could apply effects to it (just select this fill to Appearance panel)....change colors and even apply effects like Scribbe. As it´s a live effect..if you edit the text then the underline refreshes.

That´s it. Save as Graphic Style and go.

Best Regards

Gustavo.

David R. Purnell
Participating Frequently
May 25, 2014

Gustavo . . . you are brilliant! Thank you, thank you, thank you for your "workaround."

On the LinkedIn group, "Adobe Illustrator," I have provided a link to your post (above).

BELOW is my post on LinkedIn, May 25, 2014:

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/How-change-customize-line-weight-121555%2ES%2E5876439305399848964?qid=c382bda0-ea0b-4466-89f5-aed8323a2641&trk=groups_most_recent-0-b-ttl&goback=%2Egde_121555_member_5876439305399848964%2Egmr_121555

How to change (customize) the line weight of underlined type

Owner and Medical Illustrator at NEW YORK WEST Medical Illustration Studio

The fact that Adobe — even in the current Ai CC (17.1.0) — has never provided a way to do this . . . just has me shaking my head in wonder.

But, after spending more than an hour searching through Adobe Help files and Adobe forums, I finally found someone who provided a workaround for this issue. It does require some jumping through hoops, but they're not too bad. I feel a debt of gratitude to Gustavo Del Vechio, who posted on May 13, 2012 an explanation of his workaround for creating a "live faux underline" that is easily editable via the Appearance panel. He wrote that his description is based on Ai CS5, "but it's the same for Illustrator CS6." I can confirm that it works in Ai CC 17.1.0. —David


On the forum page, scroll down to the post by Gustavo Del Vechio (May 13, 2012):
https://forums.adobe.com/message/4402467

Glen Charles Rowell7855424
Known Participant
May 13, 2012

If you want a special underline you can also use the standard line tool but make sure you don't make the screen scroll. The image won't refresh. This has a been a problem since CS3 and is still in CS6.

http://a4jp.com/design/3443.html

Glen

Participating Frequently
November 10, 2008
CS3 and CS4 it is a part of the type engine you can select underline in the character panel and prior to that you have to do it drawing a line by some means and placing it by another means under the text you wanted underlined.
JETalmage
Inspiring
November 10, 2008
Version?

JET