- [Narrator] Adding inline shapes
to type using the blend tool.
Start with type, right click, create outlines
switch the fill and stroke, shift X
so that we can now see the outlined letter shape.
With the direct selection tool, first of all, de-select
and then swipe over these path segments
at the start and end and delete them.
Now, if we look in the top left,
our selected objects we see is a group,
we need to un-group that.
We now see that it is a compound path
and we need to release the compound path.
Now that the compound path has been released,
we can create a blend
between those two separate parts.
Object, blend, make.
It remembers the last settings that were used.
While the blend is still selected,
double click on the blend tool
and we can change the type of blend,
in this case, I want specified steps
but I might just want to change the number of steps.
Keeping the blend selected,
I'm going to come to the stroke panel.
I will increase the weight of the stroke.
I'll also add rounded caps.
If I want to color the interior shape independently,
then I will need to expand the blend
so that I can now with my direct selection tool,
select that interior shape and give it a different color.
It won't always be this easy, certain letter shapes
are going to present different problems.
Here is a more difficult letter shape.
We begin the same way, converting the type to outlines.
Shift X to switch the fill and stroke.
Swipe over those ending path segments and delete them.
Un-group the result, and then release the compound path.
What we now have are three paths rather than two.
So we need to do some surgery
on our paths, with the scissors tool,
we'll break the path in two places, there and there.
And now holding down my shift key,
I'll select those two anchor points.
Join them together, command or control J.
I'll now extend my selection to the outer path
and I can make a blend between those two shapes.
Double click on the blend tool if necessary
and change the specified number of steps.
And I'll now create a blend between these two shapes.
This time I'll use the keyboard shortcut,
command option or control alt B.
If the blend looks like this,
it's because we need to reverse
the path direction of one of those parts.
So I'll de-select, select just one of those paths,
from the object menu, choose path reverse, path direction,
and then we can come and change
the specified number of steps.
As I did before, I will change the stroke weight.
And I'll also add rounded caps.
I'll now expand the result so that I can come
and color the interior shape differently.
But just before I do that, that extra path
that I added that was needed to join these two segments
is no longer needed, so I will delete it.
But that means that I have two open end points.
They're exactly on top of each other,
but I do need to join them.
So with my direct selection tool, I'll swipe over them
and then use the keyboard shortcut command control J.
And now I can select those interior shapes
and color them independently.