As a designer, you understand the significance of typography. Adjusting the space between two characters, known as kerning, is a critical element in achieving a cohesive aesthetic. Our blog post will provide step-by-step instructions on utilizing kerning in Adobe Illustrator.
Step 1: Open Your Text in Adobe Illustrator
First, you will need to create or open an existing text that you want to kern in Adobe Illustrator. To create a new text, use the Type Tool (shortcut: T) in the tool panel and click anywhere on your artboard.
Step 2: Select the Text
Next, you will need to select the character pair you wish to kern. To do so, use the Type Tool (T) and click between two characters to place the text insertion cursor.
Step 3: Adjust Kerning
With the text cursor between the two characters, navigate to the top control panel. Here, you will find the Character Panel where you can adjust the kerning value. If you do not see the panel, go to Window > Type > Character to enable it.
The kerning value is set to Auto by default. However, you can change it to a specific numeric value. Remember, entering a positive number increases the space between the characters, while a negative value decreases it.
Select Type Tool (T) > Click between two characters > Go to Character Panel > Change Kerning Value
Step 4: Fine-Tune Your Kerning
To fine-tune the kerning, you can use the Optical Kerning feature. This feature automatically adjusts the spacing between adjacent characters based on their shapes. To use this, select your text, and from the kerning menu in the Character Panel, choose Optical.
Conclusion
Learning how to kern in Adobe Illustrator can take your typography skills to the next level. By adjusting the space between your characters, you can significantly improve the readability and aesthetics of your text. Keep practicing, and you’ll become a kerning pro in no time.
