How to Use the Type on a Path Tool in Illustrator: A Complete Guide

The Type on a Path tool in Illustrator is a powerful feature that allows you to create text that follows a custom path, such as a curve, circle, or line. In this guide, we’ll explore how to effectively use the Type on a Path tool in Illustrator, offering step-by-step instructions as well as introducing you to the video edition tool CapCut for a seamless experience. Let's dive in and discover how this tool can enhance your design projects.

What is the type on a path tool in Illustrator

The Type on a Path tool in Illustrator lets you place text along any drawn path, making it follow the shape of lines, curves, or geometric objects like circles and ellipses. This tool is perfect for creating eye-catching typography in logos, advertisements, or custom artwork where traditional horizontal or vertical text doesn’t quite fit the creative vision. With just a few clicks, you can bend and shape your text to match any path you draw.

Now that you understand its basic function, let’s move on to how you can use this tool in your projects.

How to path text in Illustrator (step-by-step)

Step
1. Create a path
2. First, open Illustrator and create a new document. Use the Pen Tool (P), Line Tool (\), or any shape tool to create a path. For example, you can draw a curve or circle depending on how you want your text to flow. Make sure the path is selected.
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Step
4. Select the type on a path tool
5. Next, select the Type on a Path Tool, which is located under the Type Tool in the toolbar. To access it, click and hold the Type Tool until the menu expands, then choose "Type on a Path Tool."
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Step
7. Add your text
8. Click directly on the path where you want the text to start. Illustrator will automatically create a blinking cursor, allowing you to type your text along the selected path. After typing, you can adjust the position and orientation of the text using the Direct Selection Tool (A) to achieve the perfect alignment.
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Now that you’ve mastered the basics of pathing text in Illustrator. However, Illustrator just allows you to create curved texts for images. For those who want to make curved texts in videos, CapCut is a nice choice, because it offers the curved text tool and rich text editing features to make your work perfect. Let's explore how to add curved texts in CapCut!

CapCut for curve text editing in videos in an easier way

CapCut is an easy-to-use video editing tool that supports a wide range of text customization options, including the ability to add and edit curved text. Whether you're creating engaging video intros, animated titles, or captions with a unique visual flair, CapCut offers powerful text features that make it simple to enhance your videos. For creating curved text for videos, download and try CapCut!

How to create curved text for videos

Step
1. Import your video
2. Open CapCut on your Mac or Windows and start a new project. To begin, click the "Import" button or drag and drop your video file into the timeline. This sets the foundation for your video editing, allowing you to add text and other effects directly onto the video.
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Step
4. Make curved text in video
5. Once your video is loaded, click on the "Text" option from the toolbar to add a text box to your video. After typing your desired text, navigate to the "Basic" section in the right panel. There, you'll find the "Curve" option—click on it and use the slider to adjust the curve strength of the text. You can choose subtle curves or dramatic arches depending on the style you want.
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Step
7. Export the video
8. Once you’re satisfied with the curved text and any additional edits, click "Export' in the top right corner. CapCut allows you to choose the desired resolution and format for your video. Best of all, the exported video is free of watermarks, ensuring a polished and professional finish. You can also export captions separately if needed.
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Key features

• Curve text: This feature allows you to easily bend or arch your text to match any shape or path in your video, adding visual appeal and creativity to your content.
• Customized text: CapCut provides full customization options for text, including font style, size, color, and alignment.
• Preset text styles: These preset text styles come with predefined fonts, colors, and text effects for a professional look in seconds.
• Plenty of text effects: Enhance your curved text with a variety of effects such as shadows, outlines, animations, and glowing effects to make the text stand out and integrate seamlessly into your video.

Let's explore further the uses of typing on a path. From logos to product packaging, curved text adds a dynamic touch to various branding materials.

Creative uses of type on a path in branding

Curved text is a popular design technique for branding, often used to create visually appealing logos, product packaging, and other branding materials.

• Curved text in logos
• For logos, text on a path can emphasize shapes, create harmony with symbols, or mimic the flow of the brand’s elements. For example, a circular logo might feature the brand name arched along the top or bottom of the design, creating a balanced look.
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• Curved text in product packaging
• On product packaging, curved text can help highlight important information while maintaining a clean and artistic design that aligns with the product’s shape.
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• Curved text in branding materials
• In branding materials, placing text along custom paths can give a unique, dynamic feel to business cards, brochures, and promotional items. For instance, a circular business card might feature the name arched at the top, with contact details curving around the bottom. This dynamic typography makes the card stand out and creates a memorable impression, aligning with modern design trends.
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Best practices for typing on a path in Illustrator

To achieve clean looking text on a path in Illustrator, there are a few best practices to keep in mind:

• Maintain consistent spacing
• When placing text along a curved path, ensure that the spacing between letters is even. Uneven spacing can make the text look sloppy or distorted, especially on tight curves. Adjust the tracking (letter spacing) as needed to ensure smooth, readable text.
• Use anchor points wisely
• When creating paths, especially for custom shapes, be mindful of the placement of anchor points. Too many or unevenly spaced anchor points can distort the text or make it difficult to achieve smooth curves.
• Align text appropriately
• Depending on the design, you may want to align the text to the baseline, center, or another part of the path. Use the Type on a Path Options in Illustrator to experiment with different alignments and orientations to ensure your text follows the curve naturally and doesn’t appear stretched or skewed.
• Avoid distortion
• Be careful not to over-distort the text along extreme curves or sharp angles. While it can be tempting to follow every twist of a custom shape, this can cause the text to become unreadable. Opt for more subtle curves where possible to maintain readability.

While Illustrator is perfect for placing text on a path in graphic design, video creators need similar tools for motion graphics. CapCut provides powerful features to add and animate curved text in videos, making it an ideal choice for dynamic text effects in video projects. Let's explore how CapCut can enhance your video editing with these creative text capabilities.

Conclusion

In this guide, we explored how to type on a path in Illustrator, giving your text creative flexibility by following curves, lines, or shapes. For video creators, CapCut offers similar dynamic text features, making it easy to add curved text to your video projects. Whether you're working with graphic designs or videos, both tools provide powerful text-editing capabilities. Ready to create standout videos? Download CapCut for free and start editing!

FAQs

1. How to create a spiral path for text in Illustrator?
2. To create a spiral path for text in Illustrator, use the Spiral Tool found under the Line Segment Tool. Click and drag on your artboard to create a spiral. Afterward, select the Type on a Path Tool and click on the spiral to make the text follow the spiral’s path. This creates a visually dynamic effect, making your Illustrator text follow the path of the spiral. For video creators, CapCut allows you to create curved texts, making it a great option for adding dynamic text to video content.
3. Can I type on multiple paths in Illustrator simultaneously?
4. In Illustrator, you cannot type on multiple paths at the same time directly. However, you can create multiple paths and apply the Type on a Path Tool to each one individually, making your Illustrator text follow the path of each shape. Once applied, you can adjust each path’s text to create cohesive designs across multiple paths.
5. How do I remove the path but keep the curved text in Illustrator?
6. To remove the path but keep the curved text in Illustrator, first select the path with the Direct Selection Tool. Then, set the stroke to "None" in the toolbar. This will make the path invisible while the text still follows its shape, keeping the Illustrator text follow path effect intact. If you're looking for similar features in video editing, CapCut lets you create curved text for videos without visible paths, perfect for dynamic video titles and effects.