Hi there! In this video we’ll be talking about a very nice feature called ‘text on a path.’
I’ve got this sample listing made for you,
in which we’re going to learn two ways to add a curve to type on, so let’s learn how to do it.
In the first way, we’re going to use the ellipse tool, so let’s grab it from the toolbar, and let’s
make an ellipse, as illustrated. We don’t need a perfect circle for this one. Using the selection
tool, let’s drag the ellipse to touch the corners of the image, in order to get a perfect alignment.
Once happy with the alignment, let’s add a stroke color to our ellipse.
Now grab the ‘erase tool’, which sits under the pencil tool. Let me zoom-in, and using
the erase tool, just brush it over the corner to severe the top from the bottom, on the left.
Now do it on the right as well. Basically, we don’t want the curve on top of the image,
so we need to remove that by detaching that portion of the ellipse, using the eraser tool.
Alright, now select the bottom of the ellipse, and delete it.
Drag the top away from the image a bit, for it to have some breathing space.
Go to the type tool, and click it for a second, to reveal the ‘type on a path tool’, and select it.
Now click once on the path, and you shall find the blinking cursor. Don’t worry,
even if the cursor appears on the right, we’ll fix that soon enough. Let’s type in ‘Odyssey
Water Sport Association’, and then, select the text, and center-align it, from the alignment
options on top. With the text still selected, let’s change the font to ‘Marketing Script’,
or any other font that makes you happy. Let’s also increase the font size to about 30 points.
Now go to ‘type’, and then ‘type on a path’, and click ‘options.’
From the popup menu, check the flip box, and your text will now be readable.
If you want the text a little above the base line, select the ‘descender’ option
from the ‘align’ dropdown menu. If you want it under the line, select ‘ascender’.
Selecting ‘center’ will center-align it to the path, so let’s keep it center-aligned.
Let’s reduce the spacing on either sides of the path, which will give more character
space to your text. Try these effects on top, to further customize your text,
so you have ‘rainbow,’ which is the current setting. Change it to other effects, to see
how they are displayed, and this is up to you as a designer, how you want your text to be displayed.
Some options do make the text go crazy though, so I’m going to stick to ‘rainbow’.
The ‘to path’ option on the right, will make slight changes to the baseline alignment of
your text, so pick the one that suits the best. I’m going to stick to center, and hit okay.
Obviously, we wouldn’t want our text to have this curvy line striking through it, so to get rid of
it, just change the path weight to zero, and it shall be gone. Let’s change our font to a slightly
thicker one, so I’m going to select it, and change it to ‘Marketing Script Inline’. Perfect!
You’ve just learnt one way to create the curve to add your text to. Now let’s move to the
second way. Let’s delete the text. Let’s drag a guide from the ruler on the left, and drop it at
the left edge of the image. Similarly, drop another one on the right edge of the image.
Now drag one guide from the ruler on top, and place it, as illustrated.
We’ve done this to establish the points on both sides, as we’ll need them now. Grab the pen tool,
and click the left point where both guides meet. Now click the center point at some elevation,
and without releasing the mouse, drag it to the right, holding shift, for a straight line.
Release the shift button, and click the right point, where both the guides meet, and your curve
should be made. Add black color to your path, and there you have it ready. Now the rest of
the steps should be easy for you, as we’ve done it already, so grab the ‘text on a path tool’,
and click once on the path, and start typing your text. Center-align the text. Change the font to
‘Lobster’, and also update the font size to 30 points. Actually, let’s change it to 32 points.
Go to type, and then type on a path, and select ‘options.’ Center-align the text to the path,
and also reduce the spacing on the side, to give your text some breathing space, and hit okay.
Lastly, change the path width to zero point, to make it vanish. Hit the ‘W’ key for a preview,
and you’ve successfully learnt both the ways to add a curve, and type text on a path, in InDesign.
Alright guys! That concludes our session, so it’s time for a short break,
and I shall see you in the next one, in just a bit. Good bye!