TSB

Computers and Software => Raster and Vector Manipulation Programs, and How to Do Stuff in Them. => Topic started by: jason-23 on June 18, 2012, 11:30:08 AM

Title: curving fill?
Post by: jason-23 on June 18, 2012, 11:30:08 AM
Inside text that is. It seems when you have a multipul color fill in text and then curve the text, the fill stays straight...is there a way to make it curve correctly or am i just screwed? I tried to look it up in past threads but the search bar doesnt work for itsh! ;D
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Frog on June 18, 2012, 12:18:10 PM
How about a pic to show us just what the fill looks like, and what program are you using?
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Denis Kolar on June 18, 2012, 12:19:49 PM
I think that you have to expand the fill (In illy, do not know about corel)
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: jason-23 on June 18, 2012, 02:21:24 PM
in corel x4 andy...and again the search box is inop for me.
in the image the top one is straight, unlike homer ;D, in the bottom two when you apply interactive envelope the fill stays straight and doesnt bend with the curve of the text.
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Screened Gear on June 18, 2012, 02:53:11 PM
I work in illustrator and I didn't think that is possible. Well until I messed with it a little. You can do it if you expand the fill (making the gradient fill an object. Then you apply the curve. You will not be able to change the color or gradient after the curve is applied.
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Frog on June 18, 2012, 02:56:09 PM
Well, following the advice in what I did find when searching (can't find now, lol!) In CorelDRAW, I broke the text apart, and filled each individually, adjusting the angle.
It's a lot more work, but is this what you need?
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: inkman996 on June 18, 2012, 03:04:24 PM
One way is to first fill the text when horizontal then export it as a .emf or some other similar export and then reimport and apply envelope effects, the reimported graphic has the fountain fill broken into vectors many thin lines of it but it does work.

Or you can go the really hard way and try to use Corels Radial fill, but good luck with that.
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Screened Gear on June 18, 2012, 03:15:54 PM
Frog your gradient is still straight. Its just applied to each letter giving the effect of a curve. Below is the results if you expand the gradient then apply the Curve.



Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Frog on June 18, 2012, 04:14:23 PM
But, is that an option in CorelDRAW?
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: inkman996 on June 18, 2012, 04:29:37 PM
Not an option in Corel which is why you have to reimport as a emf or some such file, that converts the raster created in Corel to object based, albeit a ton of objects but it does work.
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Screened Gear on June 18, 2012, 04:35:05 PM
send me the file and I will flatten it for you in AI. Then you can do the curve. When you flatten the gradient in AI it breaks the gradient into bars of color. It looks funny on the screen but still prints fine.
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Gabe on June 19, 2012, 10:08:28 PM
yo@screengear how do you go in order to flatten the gradient
I am only a corel guy,
thanks
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Screened Gear on June 19, 2012, 10:21:14 PM
there is a couple ways...in AI

1)  select object then, from the top menu - Object / expand/ then check the fill box, then click OK.


2) Then the one that not many know about and that may work for you in Corel.

Save the file back to an  old version. I don't know off the top of my head but Illustrator didn't have gradients in the older versions so it just flattens the gradients into objects. (they are not editable but will work for what you are trying to do.) After savign the file close the file your in and open the file again. (make sure to keep a version so you can edit it if you have to.)

Hope that helps. 



Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Gabe on June 19, 2012, 10:55:26 PM
nice tips it works like a charm
Thanks
Gabe
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Screened Gear on June 20, 2012, 12:31:56 AM
nice tips it works like a charm
Thanks
Gabe

The second option worked in Corel?
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Gabe on June 20, 2012, 10:00:47 AM
second option did flatten the gradient,
but when importing in to Draw it crash it
no problemo with the first one
Gabe
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Frog on June 20, 2012, 10:06:30 AM
CorelDraw seldom plays nicely with Illy's "gradients" for me.
Clients have often sent files like this composed of hundreds of slivers making up the fade.

So. bottom line sounds like Jason's curved fill is do-able in Illy, but not in CorelDRAW
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: inkman996 on June 20, 2012, 10:11:32 AM
I explained how to do it in Corel.
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Frog on June 20, 2012, 11:09:35 AM
Yeah, I'm playing with that, and the fill is great, but I would need some real practice to get manipulate the envelope accurately to get the letters in the exact same position as I get with my "Fit Text to Path " option.

Jason is probably a little sharper than me so it may work great for him sooner.
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Prosperi-Tees on June 20, 2012, 12:14:53 PM
Mikes way of doing it works in Corel, it just looks funky on screen.
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Frog on June 20, 2012, 12:17:20 PM
I tried it as well, and like I said, the fill does exactly as advertised, I just have trouble manipulating the envelope easily and accurately. Jason should do fine.
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: inkman996 on June 20, 2012, 12:20:19 PM
Yea it does look funky on screen because the raster gradient is turned into thousands of filled objects, it still prints out fine.
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: inkman996 on June 20, 2012, 12:22:28 PM
Another way of it doing it while still having full text and text to path control is to use power clips, it would be a major PITA because you would have to creat a very large object "circle" with a radiant fill and then power clip with in the text but any tweaking would be time consuming, I think the new X6 has a much better power clip system where you can adjust power clipped objects in real time.
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Fluid on June 26, 2012, 01:35:01 PM
I think the new X6 has a much better power clip system where you can adjust power clipped objects in real time.

You are correct. The best term to use for this is Fill Following Shape and it is something I have been working on trying to get introduced into DRAW for a couple betas now.  Hopefully we will see it yet until then there are methods that will create this fill with a couple extra steps. Once you do it one or twice it isn't that big of a deal as your talking about a minute tops for thew workaround. 
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: mk162 on June 27, 2012, 07:53:23 AM
it would be nice if they would do something like "lock fill" or something like that where you could distort something with a power clip or gradient and it would distort the fill evenly as well.
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Inkworks on June 28, 2012, 10:15:57 PM
You could also fit the text to path then use a radial fountain fill in corel and adjust the center point so it lines up like you want.

this one took me 4 trial-and-errors to get right, center point at -75
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Chadwick on June 28, 2012, 11:00:11 PM
Why not add all the 'real' gradient bs AFTER you've finished the blackine layout, and had it approved for scale layout spelling, etc?

Vector programs have all sorts of stuff to give you a preview and such, but that should never be considered final. ( TRUTH! )

A radial color-fill gradient, or layers of individual, multiplied, color gradient transparencies is how you achieve that, AFTER the fact.
( multiple objects give you better control )

Don't make funky effects ( the final stuff ) before you are done with your initial layout. ( moar TRUTH! )

This goes back to 'Art crap 101'.

Just sayin', cause many of you, apparently, don't know any better yet.

Cheers.


Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Inkworks on June 29, 2012, 12:17:35 AM
nice.

He asked how to do it, and got several options.

Not sure what your problem is with that.

maybe if he asked to see a blackline layout he would have got that.....

...Guess we don't know better than to show someone what they've asked to see.... customer service 101.
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Chadwick on June 29, 2012, 02:41:53 AM
No..not what I meant.

My apologies....just typing thoughts, and not being very 'social' about it.

All options presented were good, but I'm talking about cart before horse stuff.

Thing is, the workflow running in that manner just won't quite do what he wants.

If you shape the fill object ( blackline or frame or whatever ) before doing the 'shiny' you will get better results.
'Shiny' stuff comes later.
That's what I'm referring to.

And Inkworks, I'm also agreeing with your example above, as well as several others.

Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Inkworks on June 29, 2012, 07:38:15 PM
Sorry, my bad for being touchy last night, too many 12-14 hour days and working weekends, coming in grumpy usually means one will read "grumpy" into things that may not be meant that way.

It's all good now, 2700 black poly Dry-tech t's printing good and holding awesome detail on the back tiny multi sponsor print... was weighing heavy on my mind, heck the white is even staying white for a change thanks in no small part to tips posted on this forum.

Gotta get caught up and go fishing I guess.

cheers,
jon
Title: Re: curving fill?
Post by: Chadwick on June 30, 2012, 09:49:02 PM
No apology necessary.
I've been known to come across as a prick.
( and believe it or not, it's not usually intentional )

Back on topic here though, what I said is valid.

Many of you will want to do things in an order that isn't 'logical' from an art constuction perspective.
Like..the nuts and bolts of the process.
It will cause you grief, and you'll wonder why the hell (whatever) isn't working properly.

I'm just suggesting that one thinks about the order ( of the things ) one creates stuff in.

I'm not sure how the math would work to create an out of round ( ie: not a perfect radius ) gradient fill in a vector environment.
I can surely understand why the fill is independant of the object though.
I usually do this stuff like inkworks example if constrained by vector bs.

If, however,
your blackline, shapes, objects, whatever, is all finished, at scale, and you're adding the shiny after the fact,
one could use a bitmap program to 'stroke along path' with a brush and have a perfect contour fill with the desired results.
It's easy enuf in photoshop, I imagine photopaint must have something similar.
You can import that bitmap back into your vector program simply enuf and you're golden.

I'll try not to come off as such a prick in the future, although, come the end of the week, we're all in crap moods anyways, haha.
Cheers all.