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Illustrator CS2
Releasing a Path Used by Text
This tutorial was updated on Jan. 29, 2007.
When you make text following a path, the previously created path disappears while the text gets a new form. Getting a new form for the text is great, but what if you want to keep the path, add a graphic style, make it look like the text is underlined, etc.?
Usually a copy of the path is made before text is applied to it, so you can still have an editable path. So far so good, unless you forget to make a copy and this is where this tutorial can be useful for you. You don’t need a copy of the path in order to apply styles / effects to it.
Hit Ctrl + U to turn the Smart Guides on.
Smart Guides highlights paths when the mouse is placed over them, even when the path has no fill or stroke information.
Deselect everything on the artboard (hit Ctrl + Shift + A).
Click and hold the Direct Selection Tool (white arrow) to display the Group Selection Tool. Select this tool and move the mouse cursor over the path that you want to release and click on it.
The Group Selection Tool selects all points from a path, different (in theory) from the Direct Selection Tool that selects individual points. For this tutorial you can also just use the Direct Selection Tool, but since we are talking about the selection of an entire path it is good to develop a habit of also using the Group Selection Tool ;)
Create a new layer for the path if you wish and hit Ctrl + C and then Ctrl + F (which pastes in the same place).
Now you have both a path to add effects to and text still following its shape.
With the path selected, apply any styles / effects you wish.
Text · Apr 29, 2006 ·