In all software, there is many ways to accomplish the same results. Adobe Illustrator is not an exception. In the image below we see four rectangles with some text where we “see through” them allowing the image underneath to be visible.

• Illustrator Gradient Mesh Tool

They look identical but each one have been made with different technic in Illustrator. We will see each one of these method to achieve the see through effect. It’s up to you to pick the method that best fit your need. The Compound Path Method 1. Draw a rectangle 2. Click on Artboard with the type tool and enter/set your type 3. Convert the type to outline Type Create Outline Cmd+Shift+O (Mac) / Ctrl+Shift+O (Win) 4.

Free Downloadable Illustrator Gradient Swatches for you to try. While Illustrator comes shipped with a range of gradient swatches you will probably find that there. Five Talented Vector Artists and their Favourite Illustrator. Of some talented vector artists who use Adobe Illustrator. Gradient used as a. Learn how to work with meshes in Adobe Illustrator. Learn & Support. For more information on creating a gradient mesh object.

Select both the rectangle and the outlined type and Use the Object Compound Path Make Cmd+8 (Mac) / Ctrl+8 (Win) B. The Compound Shape Method 1. Draw a rectangle 2. Click on Artboard with the type tool and enter/set your type 3. Select Both, than Option+click (Mac)/Alt+click (Win) the Minus Front Button in the Pathfinder Panel C: The KnockOut Group Method #1 1.

Draw a rectangle 2. Click on Artboard with the type tool and enter/set your type 3. With the text still selected, set the opacity to 0% in the Transparency panel 4. Select both objects and Group them Object Group Cmd+G (Mac) / Crtl+G (Win) 5. In the Transparency Panel, enable the Knockout Group option.

D: The KnockOut Group Method #2 1. With the Text tool, click and drag to create an Area Text (to the desired size of your rectangle) 2. Enter and set your text attributes, set the opacity of the type to 0% 3.

Choose Type Area Text options to enter a Inset amount to position the text. Now with the Direct Selection Tool, click on the edge only of the text area (by doing so you are selecting the “frame” of the text only and you can than apply a fill/stroke color different than the one apply to the text character) 5. Deselect everything and reselect the entire text object with the Selection tool 6. In the Appearance panel, click on the Opacity blue link and enable the Knockout Group option. In conclusion: It’s easy to see why the method B, C and D is favorable since the text is kept editable and can be modified anytime. The Knockout Group method is C and D add the capabilities to use a semi-opaque effect on the type and use different colors.

Like in this example below: It’s also important to remember that the method in C can be used to create a hole in everything like: image, complex objects or even entire group or layer and is not limited to text as the source for the “see through”. Let’s go and make some holes!

Update: Doug Katz in the Adobe Illustrator User to User Forum showed me a fifth way to create hole. Let call it: E: The Pathfinder Effect Method 1. Draw a rectangle & Create your text object 2. Group both 3.

With the Group selected, Choose Effect Pathfinder Substract.

Dress up your text in Adobe Illustrator using gradients, patterns, and brush strokes. Text and images © Sara Froehlich If you've ever tried to fill text with a gradient, you know it doesn't work. At least, it won't work unless you take another step before applying the gradient fill. Create your text in Illustrator. This font is. Go to Object Expand, then click OK to expand the text. This turns the text into an object.

Now you can fill it with a gradient by clicking on a gradient swatch in the swatches palette. You can change the angle of the gradient by using the gradient tool in the tool box.

Just click and drag the tool in the direction you want the gradient to flow, or type in an angle in the gradient palette. Of course, you can adjust the colors in the gradient just as you could with any filled object. Move the distribution diamonds on the top of the gradient ramp preview window, or adjust the gradient stops at the bottom of the gradient ramp preview window.

You can also use the Create Outlines method. After typing your text, click the selection tool to get a bounding box on the text, then go to Type Create Outlines and fill the text with a gradient as above. If you want to use different fills in the letters, you'll have to ungroup the text first. Go to Object Ungroup, or select them separately with the direct selection tool. You may have tried to add a gradient stroke to text only to find that even if the stroke button is active, the gradient applies to the fill. You can add a gradient to a stroke, but there's a trick to it.

Type your text and set the fill color as you like. You can use any stroke color because this will change when you add the gradient. This is Mail Ray Stuff, a free font from for Windows or Mac OS X. The stroke is 3 point magenta. Decide the text fill color before proceeding because you won't be able to change it later. Convert the stroke to an object using one of these two methods. Go to Object Expand.

Illustrator Gradient Mesh Tool

Then go to Object Path Outline Stroke. The stroke is no longer a stroke. Now it's an object, and it can be filled like any object. Rapidshare status quo. Click a gradient swatch in the swatches palette to fill the expanded stroke with a gradient.

This is the rainbow gradient in the Default RGB swatches palette. Or. Go to Type Create Outlines, then to Object Path Outline Stroke.

Click a gradient swatch in the swatches palette to apply. If Create Outlines is grayed out, click the selection arrow in the tool box and try again. The results will be the same regardless of which method you use. You may not know that there are available in Illustrator, too. The same steps apply when filling your text with one of these seamless patterns as when you're filling with a gradient. Create your text. Expand the text with Object Expand or use the Create Outlines command on the text menu.

Load a pattern file in the swatches palette. Click the swatches palette options menu and choose Open Swatch Library then Other Library from the bottom of the menu. You'll find a lot of great patterns in the Presets Patterns folder of your Illustrator CS folder. Click the pattern you want to apply. If you want to apply different patterns to the individual letters, go to Object Ungroup to ungroup the text or use the direct selection arrow to select one letter at a time and apply the pattern.

These fills are from the NatureAnimal Skins pattern file in the Presets Patterns Nature folder. A two-pixel black stroke was applied.

This one is easy and you get great effects with almost no effort. Start by creating the type you want to stroke with a brush. Set your fill and stroke colors and make sure the stroke chip is active in the toolbox. Click the selection tool in the toolbox and go to Type Create Outlines to make the text into a group of individual objects. The text will no longer be editable with the text tool. I decided to fill this text with the jaguar pattern from the NatureAnimal Skins pattern. Open the brush palette and choose a brush to edge the type.

This is one of the paintbrushes from the ArtisticPaintbrush brush sets in the Presets Brushes folder. It was too wide, so I changed the stroke width to 0.50 in the Stroke palette. Froehlich, Sara. 'Text Effects with Gradients and Patterns in Illustrator.' ThoughtCo, Jul. 31, 2017, thoughtco.com/basic-text-effects-in-illustrator-1701843.

Froehlich, Sara. (2017, July 31). Text Effects with Gradients and Patterns in Illustrator. Retrieved from Froehlich, Sara. 'Text Effects with Gradients and Patterns in Illustrator.'

(accessed February 14, 2018).