How do I create a visual poem text in a photograph in Adobe Illustrator?
March 21, 2018 11:12 AM Subscribe
I would like to write a visual concrete poem in an iceberg photo I found. I do not know how to make the text stay within the boundaries of the iceberg without sliding over it. Afterwards, I want to remove the iceberg photo once the poetry text is finished. I do not know much or how to create visual poetry and text wrapping as well. I am a novice with Adobe Illustrator.
If I understand what you want to do (and I had to look up what a "visual concrete poem" is), then Illustrator is a fine tool for it. You should be able to use the pen tool to trace the outline of the iceberg, then use the "text inside a path" function to paste in your text. Maybe this will help:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQdyC3DYD7s
posted by TochterAusElysium at 11:52 AM on March 21, 2018 [6 favorites]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQdyC3DYD7s
posted by TochterAusElysium at 11:52 AM on March 21, 2018 [6 favorites]
Can you link to an example or two that you are trying to go for?
posted by jeff-o-matic at 12:43 PM on March 21, 2018
posted by jeff-o-matic at 12:43 PM on March 21, 2018
Response by poster: @jeff-o-matic Yes, here is link: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/438326976215884478/?autologin=true
posted by RearWindow at 1:10 PM on March 21, 2018
posted by RearWindow at 1:10 PM on March 21, 2018
You can use the text wrap function. You may not be able to remove the photo, but you can set the photo to 0% opacity, so it's invisible (Or set a white box on top of it.)
Normally text wrap wraps around an image, but you can use it to wrap inside an image as well (invert wrap).
Here's one tutorial.
posted by hydra77 at 1:23 PM on March 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Normally text wrap wraps around an image, but you can use it to wrap inside an image as well (invert wrap).
Here's one tutorial.
posted by hydra77 at 1:23 PM on March 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
By the way, creating a template layer will make your life a lot easier. Honestly, what I would do in your case is just make a duplicate layer of the original image (whic becomes the second layer), delete the first layer with the original image, then just work on creating the text on top of it as a third layer. Delete the second layer (that's the copy of the first image), and you have your perfectly made text poem without having to worry about the iceberg photo at all.
Source: 10 years of experience with Photoshop for fandom purposes, and just took a Photoshop/Illustrator class for design majors at my college.
posted by yueliang at 12:16 AM on March 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Source: 10 years of experience with Photoshop for fandom purposes, and just took a Photoshop/Illustrator class for design majors at my college.
posted by yueliang at 12:16 AM on March 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
I’ve been using Illustrator as my main art medium for nearly two decades now. Do what TochterAusElysium says.
In more detail:
* drag and drop the image of an iceberg into AI, or do file>place
* in the Layers palette, lock the layer with your iceberg
* make a new layer, drag it above the layer with the iceberg if needed
* use the pen tool to make a rough outline of your iceberg, use whatever color/stroke on the outline you need to see it while you’re making it
* use the type tool, hover around the shape you just drew until a pair of parenthesis appear around the cursor, then click
* start typing some text
* you will probably want to visit the Paragraph palette’s dropdown menu (every palette has its own little menu, hit the little arrow in it’s upper right corner) and change the hyphenation settings, it defaults to on and you probably want it off.
* sometimes the hyphenation change doesn’t take the first time, just change into again and it should stick. At least it always does for me.
* when you’re done, use the Artboard tool to change the size of the canvas to suit your compositional desires (or do this earlier, whenever) and turn off the layer with your reference image
* maybe save the .ai somewhere, maybe even do this early on in the process and save regularly, Illustrator is almost old enough to run for President and is not always the most stable program
* file>export>for web, make sure “crop to artboard” is on, pick a size/file format/etc that looks good, save, post online!
posted by egypturnash at 10:55 AM on March 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
In more detail:
* drag and drop the image of an iceberg into AI, or do file>place
* in the Layers palette, lock the layer with your iceberg
* make a new layer, drag it above the layer with the iceberg if needed
* use the pen tool to make a rough outline of your iceberg, use whatever color/stroke on the outline you need to see it while you’re making it
* use the type tool, hover around the shape you just drew until a pair of parenthesis appear around the cursor, then click
* start typing some text
* you will probably want to visit the Paragraph palette’s dropdown menu (every palette has its own little menu, hit the little arrow in it’s upper right corner) and change the hyphenation settings, it defaults to on and you probably want it off.
* sometimes the hyphenation change doesn’t take the first time, just change into again and it should stick. At least it always does for me.
* when you’re done, use the Artboard tool to change the size of the canvas to suit your compositional desires (or do this earlier, whenever) and turn off the layer with your reference image
* maybe save the .ai somewhere, maybe even do this early on in the process and save regularly, Illustrator is almost old enough to run for President and is not always the most stable program
* file>export>for web, make sure “crop to artboard” is on, pick a size/file format/etc that looks good, save, post online!
posted by egypturnash at 10:55 AM on March 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:43 AM on March 21, 2018 [2 favorites]