How to Make Your Text Pop with Outer Glow in Illustrator

Making text stand out against complex backgrounds can be challenging, especially when adding depth with layered effects like outer glow in Illustrator to enhance your design. Many people feel stuck when customizing these effects, unsure of how to create the perfect glow they’re after.

In this article, you’ll find step-by-step guidance on how to make text glow in Illustrator, even if you're just starting.

Make your text engaging with Adobe Illustrator's glow effect

Adobe Illustrator’s glow effect is a simple yet powerful tool to make your text pop. Adding a soft, luminous glow can bring focus to words and make them stand out in any design. This effect is perfect for digital art, promotional graphics, or any design needing extra energy and flair. With just a few adjustments, you can transform ordinary text into eye-catching visuals that captivate and engage viewers instantly.

The 5 best glow text effects in Illustrator

From soft and dreamy to bold and fiery, Illustrator provides a variety of glow effects that can enhance your text. Here are some of the best glow effects to help your designs stand out.

• Soft pastel effect
• The soft pastel effect adds a gentle, dreamy glow to your text, perfect for light and airy designs. It creates a subtle, pastel-colored halo around each letter, which makes your text feel inviting and calm without overpowering the design.
• Fire glow effect
• With the fire glow effect, your text takes on a fiery, intense look that’s great for bold statements. Each letter gains a warm burning glow that mimics the look of flames and makes your words stand out dramatically.
• Gradient glow effect
• The gradient glow effect creates a smooth color transition that wraps around your text to enhance depth and vibrancy. This layered glow, with multiple hues, brings a polished and dimensional appearance to your text.
• Outer glow shadow effect
• The outer glow shadow effect surrounds your text with a shadowy glow. It enhances readability while giving your design a soft shadowy highlight that’s easy on the eyes and enhances the text’s presence.
• Soft neon glow effect
• The soft neon glow effect creates a fun, vibrant look that resembles classic neon signage. With a radiant halo around each letter, this effect is perfect for adding an exciting, modern vibe to your text.

How to add outer glow in Illustrator in 3 easy ways

An outer glow in Illustrator adds a captivating touch that makes the text stand out beautifully. Here are three simple methods to achieve this look:

1. Gaussian blur

Gaussian blur is a great tool for creating a smooth and natural-looking outer glow in Illustrator. It not only softens the edges of your text or object but also gives it a gentle, diffused glow that feels professional and polished. This effect is perfect for adding a subtle highlight that enhances visibility without overwhelming your design.

How to add glow to text in Illustrator with Gaussian blur

Here are the steps on how to make text glow in Illustrator with Gaussian blur:

Step
1. Create your text
2. Open Illustrator, type your text, and adjust the font and size to your liking. Make sure the text is selected to apply the effect.
Step
3. Apply Gaussian blur
4. With your text selected, go to "Effect" > "Blur" > "Gaussian Blur." A pop-up box will appear; adjust the radius to control the blur strength to give your text a soft, glowing edge.
Step
5. Set the glow color
6. To make the glow more vibrant, go to the Appearance Panel, add a new fill, and select a lighter or contrasting color for the glow effect. Place this fill behind the original text fill to create a layered glow.
Step
7. Adjust the blur effect
8. Adjust the opacity and blur radius until you get the perfect glow effect. This helps create the right balance of glow intensity and sharpness for your design.
9. 

   

2. Glow effect

Another effective method to add an outer glow in Illustrator is by using the glow effect itself. This built-in effect is specifically designed to create a soft, luminous halo around your text or objects. It's a versatile option that can be customized to match various design styles, from subtle highlights to bold, radiant glow.

How to make text glow in Illustrator with a glow effect

Here are the steps on how to add glow text in Illustrator using the glow effect:

Step
1. Select your text
2. Start by typing and formatting your text in Illustrator. Select the text to which you want to apply the glow effect.
Step
3. Apply the outer glow effect
4. With your text selected, go to "Effect" > "Stylize" > "Outer Glow." When the dialog box opens, you can personalize the glow settings to your preference,
Step
5. Adjust the glow settings
6. In the "Outer Glow" options, choose a color, adjust the opacity, and set the blur to control the glow’s intensity. Experiment with these settings to get the desired look.
Step
7. Finalize the glow
8. Once you’re happy with the effect, click "OK" to apply. You can always revisit the Appearance Panel to fine-tune the glow settings if needed.
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3. Gradient glow effect

The gradient glow effect is a creative way to add a dynamic, multi-colored glow to your text in Illustrator. Unlike a single-tone glow, this effect blends several colors to create a vibrant, layered look around your text. It’s a great choice for adding depth and making your design visually engaging, especially when you want the glow to have a unique, colorful touch.

How to add glow to text in Illustrator with a gradient glow effect

Here are the steps on how to add a glow effect to text in Illustrator using the gradient glow effect:

Step
1. Create and select your text
2. Type your text and adjust the font and size to your preference. Select the text to get started with the gradient glow effect.
Step
3. Duplicate the text and apply the gradient
4. Copy your text and paste it in place (using Ctrl/Cmd + C and Ctrl/Cmd + F). Select the duplicated text and open the "Gradient Panel," then apply a gradient fill to create the color transition for the glow.
Step
5. Add Gaussian blur to the gradient layer
6. With the gradient-filled text selected, go to "Effect" > "Blur" > "Gaussian Blur" and adjust the blur radius to soften the gradient.
Step
7. Adjust and position the glow
8. Arrange the gradient glow layer behind the original text for a seamless look. You can adjust opacity or gradient colors in the Appearance Panel until you achieve the perfect glow.
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An alternative way to make glowing texts for videos: CapCut

CapCut desktop video editor is another great alternative that provides an easy solution for adding glowing text effects to your videos. With a range of creative tools, it lets you enhance text with vibrant glow effects that stand out on screen. With a flexible option for creating visually appealing videos, CapCut stands out as the perfect choice for both beginners and experienced editors looking for a streamlined approach.



Key features

• Add outer glow with AI
• CapCut’s AI font generator lets you apply a realistic outer glow to text in seconds. It gives your video an eye-catching effect that looks professional and polished.
• Versatile font styles
• With CapCut’s numerous font styles, you can easily create glowing text that suits any video theme or aesthetic.
• Layered glow effects for depth
• CapCut layered glow feature lets you apply several layers of glow around your text to make your text stand out more prominently in your design.
• Glow animation for text effects
• Keyframe animations help you add movement to the glow around your text. This animation adds a lively energy to the text and grabs the viewer’s attention.
• Easily adjust glow intensity
• CapCut provides an easy slider to control glow intensity, which empowers you to choose between subtle highlights or bold, vibrant glow to suit your video’s style.

How to apply glow effects to texts in CapCut

If you haven't tried CapCut before, click the "Download" button below and follow the steps to run the installer.

Step
1. Import the video
2. Open CapCut and navigate to the upload section. Click on the "Import" button to upload media from your device.
3. 

   

Step
4. Employ and customize the text glow effect
5. Navigate to "Text" > "Default text" > add text to the video. Now go to the right-side editing panel, scroll through the customizable options, and click on "Glow" to make radiating texts. Moreover, you can change its color and adjust intensity, size, and position in the video.
6. 

   

Step
7. Export and share
8. After finalizing, click on the "Export" button at the top-right. Adjust frame rate, resolution, and codec to optimize quality, then save your work. When you’re ready, share it directly on YouTube or TikTok to reach your audience.
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Conclusion

To sum up, with Illustrator’s step-by-step tools, adding an outer glow in Illustrator to your text becomes easy and impactful. A few simple adjustments can make your text pop against any background and create visuals that grab attention effortlessly.

However, if you want to integrate glowing text into video projects, consider using the CapCut desktop editor. It lets you add dynamic glowing text effects that make your content shine across all platforms.

FAQs

1. How do I layer multiple text glow effects in Illustrator?
2. To layer multiple text glow effects in Illustrator, start by selecting your text and applying an initial glow effect through the "Effect" > "Stylize" > "Outer Glow" menu. To add more layers, go to the Appearance Panel, click on the glow effect, and duplicate it. You can then adjust the settings for each layer, such as color, opacity, and blur, to create a rich, multi-layered glow effect that enhances depth and vibrancy. However, if you’re looking to add glowing text effects directly into video content, the CapCut desktop video editor provides an easy and effective way to achieve this with video-specific tools.
3. Is it possible to animate glowing text in Illustrator?
4. Illustrator itself doesn’t support direct animation for glowing text, as it’s primarily a static design tool. However, you can create the glow effect in Illustrator and then export the text as layers or in a format compatible with animation software like Adobe After Effects. From there, you can animate the glow, adjust the intensity, and add movement to bring your text to life in a video format. However, the CapCut desktop video editor provides a quick, all-in-one solution for adding animated glowing text directly to videos without the need for additional software.
5. Can I apply outer glow to shapes in Illustrator?
6. Yes, you can apply an outer glow to shapes in Illustrator just as you would with text. Select the shape, then go to "Effect" > "Stylize" > "Outer Glow" to access the settings. From there, you can adjust the glow’s color, opacity, and blur to customize the effect and give your shape a soft, glowing outline that enhances its appearance. When it comes to video projects, the CapCut desktop video editor is a great tool to add glowing effects directly to shapes within video content.