Outlining and Expanding Type

Outlining and Expanding Type

Learn how to outline your text and when you should do it.

When to use

Outlining and expanding text is most useful when you are handing off an Illustrator file to someone who doesn't have the font. There are also certain effects that can only be applied to outlined text.

Instructions

Outlining Your Text

• Make a copy of your headline and subhead text box from the previous lesson.
• Select the new copy of your text box with the Selection Tool (V) and then go to the Type Menu and choose 'Create Outlines' from the menu.
• Go to the Object Menu and choose 'Ungroup' or use the keyboard shortcut Command/Ctrl + Shift + G to ungroup the letters.
• You can now select the individual letters and reposition them, scale them, rotate them, or modify their points.
• Try selecting a few of the points with your Direct Selection Tool (A) and extending the top or bottom of the 'H' and the 'L' in 'HEADLINE' to customize the type.
• Once you are happy with how your text looks, you can always group it back together by selecting the text with your Selection Tool (V) and using the keyboard shortcut Command/Ctrl + G.

Expanding Your Text

• Make a copy of your outlined text, and then press 'D' on the keyboard to reset your default colors.
• Increase the weight of the outline using the Stroke Panel.
• With your text still selected, go to the Object Menu and choose 'Expand' to expand the text.
• Now when you select your type you will notice that the stroke has been converted into a solid fill color.

Hints & tips

• Command/Ctrl + Shift + O is the keyboard shortcut to create outlined text.
• Once you outline your type, it is no longer editable or 'live'.
• If you want to convert your outlined text back into editable text, you can use the Retype (Beta) feature found under Type Menu. 
• Command/Ctrl + Shift + G is the keyboard shortcut to ungroup your text.
• Command/Ctrl + G is the keyboard shortcut to group your text.
• Expanding your text converts all of your strokes and outlines into solids so that you can resize your text without having to worry about whether or not the stroke sizes or thickness of your lines will stay the same.