drop shadow on type made via a clipping mask over a graphic 1

[ylustrata]

i start with a "graphic" - a multicolored object
i type over the object
i make a clipping mask - now my type is multicolored - no two letters alike
now how do i add a drop shadow to the type?

I did it once before but can't reproduce the steps!
On the appearance palette i see <image>, this has the shadow but i don't know how i got it.

 

[carlow]

Hi,
Take a second version of your type without the clipping path, colorise it with white, apply a drop shadow to it. And send it to back, place it under your colorized type.
hope this helps
grillhouse

 

[afral]

1017PM
Tues.
27AUG02

Alfral here,
From my experience drop shadows are best left to Photoshop since this requires rastorization any way. Create type in Illustrator (outlined). Assemble both in Quark. Let freedom ring!

 

[carlow]

hi Afral,

Sorry but in Illustratot the text is still editable after you applied a drop shadow to it, no problem at all

grillhouse

 

[afral]

855PM
Wednesday
28AUG

Hello grillhouse,
When I wrote of drop shadows best handled in PShop I was referring to just the drop shadow. As you know type may also be edited in PS however in the final product type created in Photoshop is not as clear as from Illustrator. I just troubleshot a customer Illustrator 10 file with a spot color background, a white floret (flower) with a dropshadow. Now this dropshadow was created from a clone of the white floret however the lines were pumped up to 2.7 point then a gausion blur of 3.2 pixels was applied. The artist did not know by doing this the vector lines of the floret rasterised. The problem I had was getting it through our Postscript level 3 Creo-Scitex Brisque Extreme CTP computer. It interpreted (sp) the background of the shadow as white -- looked terrible. I copied the drop shadow from AI10. In PS6 created a new document pasted from clipboard at 300 dpi greyscale. Then flattened. Then converted to bitmap at 600 dpi with screen at 150 lines at 45 degrees since it prints on the black plate. It worked great. However the artist did not realize in order to print screens or gradient DOTS have to be used in the printing method. The last trick in my back is to do the procedure over but use diffusion instead of the screen. How's that for a complicated solution to a simple file?

alfral Let freedom ring!

 

[blueark]

Just thought I'd add my two cents.... I agree that creating drop shadows in Photoshop is the way to go, for now at least. Until all RIPs can handle transparency effects effortlessly, it's the most trouble free method, even if it's not as convenient as doing it in Illustrator. Also, PS 7 can now export vector data in EPS files, so as long as you keep a master copy of the original PS document, you've got editable text that outputs razer sharp, and all the drop shadow effects to go with it.

 

[afral]

1141PM
Thurs
29AUG02

This about PS7? I did not know. . . I will install tomorrow and start working with. . . Thanks for the tip. By The Way (BTW) we have been waiting for over two years for upgraded software from Creo-Scitex! Our unit does not really support Freehand 9! Also the customer with the file I spoke about earlier. She accepted the image I produced from her file, why because I ran film for a second generation to soften the edges. CTP is great in 99% of the cases but there are always exceptions...

afral Let freedom ring!

 

[askIllustrator]

Dont forget type layers and envelopes in PS! It's been a long time since I had to work with a Scitex machine. I would imagine alot of the neat PDF stuff AI does now would just wreak havoc on a scitex rip. So your probably better off in photoshop since you would have to rasterize the good stuff in order the CT and LW files to sep correctly. I just remember doing things in PS that these big $25,000 work stations couldnt. BEHOLD! As Steve Jobs introduces us the latest in desk-lamp technology!

http://www.apple.com

 

[askIllustrator]

I just have to add this..

As much as I hate to say it. Drop Shaddows in AI on a Windows machine (along with all other effects) just plain are not good. I have an extremely powerful gaming machine running XP and AI is telling me &quot;theres not enough memory to preview a shape&quot;! What kinda bullshit is that? So now, not only can I not go back and edit the effects in the appearance menu, I cant even apply them at all!! GOD I hate windows and their darned affordability.
This never happened on a Mac, even before their OS was PDF based. I am ordering a new iMac as soon as I hit submit. I just cant believe that microfluffy is still polishing the same code from 15 years ago. Can you say &quot;new core&quot; anyone? It appears apple can, goodbye clunky kernal and hello UNIX based processing.

 

[carlow]

jAQUAN, the problem with windows is the memory management possibilities, or the lack of it. It always keep coming back, although they have fast chips windows just treats you as a dummy and wants to do everything in your place.

grillhouse

 

[askIllustrator]

Well, there are parts of both OS's memory managment that I like and dislike. Windows true demons lye much deaper, at the heart if you will. Every single time Microsoft had a chance to really change things, they instead tried to copywrite it. They have endless selfishness and are too big to do anything creative under their own weight. Whenever you have to make something work universally (on everyones hardware) you have to sacrafice certain things, and to stop and patch all thier holes now would wreak havoc on a periphial industry built on working around them. The misconception is that since AI looks the same on both OS's it must be the same underneath. You wouldnt believe the bastardizing that had to go on with AI's code to make it work on Windows. That's why there were no versions: 88, 2, 3, 5, or 6 for Windows. If the second largest software developer (adobe) can't write code for the biggest, you gotta wonder. I don't have proof but I firmly believe there are fundamental differences in how AI works on both platforms and signs that it would run better on a Mac are overwhelming, namely the fact that they are both PDF based. BEHOLD! As Steve Jobs introduces us the latest in desk-lamp technology!

http://www.apple.com