There will be a lot of vertices which are the paths along this outline. This will create an outline path of the selected text, in this case, the letters, O and K. To create an outline of a shape or letter, select it using the Selection tool and go to the Type menu and select Create Outlines. Creating Text OutlinesĬreating text outlines is an easy and fun way to add some effects to text and change the characteristics of individual letters or words without needing to change the whole font. If you find the need to frequently work with paths, it is a good idea to dock the Pathfinder panel along with the other panels for easy access.

You can close open paths or convert paths into known shapes.įor example, if you want to convert the earlier drawn path into a triangle, simply select the Converts shape to triangle in the Convert shape section and you will have a perfect triangle. The Pathfinder consolidates all the path tools under one panel. The Pathfinder panel can be found by going to the Window menu, then to Objects and Layout and finally selecting Pathfinder. The Pen tool can be used for basic Bezier curve drawing, however, if you want a finer control over the geometry, you need to use the Pathfinder panel.

If you hover the Pen tool over any of the vertex points, the cursor will change to a Pen with a minus symbol, which means that the vertex can be deleted. You will notice that you can start a new curve from the end vertex of the previous curve. Select the Pen tool from the toolbar and draw on the document.

There are many ways to create paths or Bezier curves in InDesign much similar to what can be done in Adobe Illustrator or any vector graphics software.

Adobe illustrator pathfinder panel