How to Use Clipping Masks in Adobe Illustrator to Create a Sliced Text Effect | How To
In the following steps, you will learn how to create a sliced text effect in Adobe Illustrator. For starters, you will learn how to set up a simple grid and how to create the background and a simple piece of text.
Taking full advantage of the grid and the Snap to Grid feature, you will learn how to create a set of pixel-perfect shapes. Using a series of clipping masks, you will learn how to give your text a sliced look. Finally, using some stroke and blur tricks along with more clipping masks, you will learn how to add some shading and highlights for the sliced area.
For more inspiration on how to adjust or improve your final text effect, you can find plenty of resources at GraphicRiver.
1. How to Create a New Document and Set Up a Grid
Hit Control-N to create a new document. Select Pixels from the Units drop-down menu, enter 850 in the width box and 600 in the height box, and then click that More Settings button. Select RGB for the Color Mode, set the Raster Effects to Screen (72 ppi), and then click Create Document.
Enable the Grid (View > Show Grid) and the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). You will need a grid every 5 px, so simply go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid, and enter 5 in the Gridline every box and 1 in the Subdivisions box. Try not to get discouraged by all that grid—it will make your work easier, and keep in mind that you can easily enable or disable it using the Control-“ keyboard shortcut.
You can learn more about Illustrator’s grid system in this short tutorial from Andrei Stefan: Understanding Adobe Illustrator’s Grid System.
You should also open the Info panel (Window > Info) for a live preview with the size and position of your shapes. Don’t forget to set the unit of measurement to pixels from Edit > Preferences > Units. All these options will significantly increase your work speed.
2. How to Create the Background and the Text
Step 1
Pick the Rectangle Tool (M) and create an 870 x 620 px shape. Make sure that this rectangle covers your entire artboard, and then fill it with the linear gradient shown below.
Step 2
Pick the Type Tool (T) and open the Character panel (Window > Type > Character). Select the Robinson font and then set the size to 270 px. Move to your artboard, click on it, and type your text. I’m using “Trancher”, which is a French word meaning “to slice”.
Make sure that this piece of text stays selected, and open the Align panel (Window > Align). Set the alignment to Artboard (open the fly-out menu and go to Show Options if you can’t see the Align To section as shown in the following image), and then click the Horizontal Align Center and Vertical Align Center buttons. This will move your text to the center of the artboard.
3. How to Create the Clipping Masks
Step 1
Pick the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 320 px square, and place it as shown in the first image. Fill this new shape with black (R=0 G=0 B=0) and lower its Opacity to 30%.
Make sure that your square remains selected, pick the Delete Anchor Point Tool (-), and simply click on the top-right anchor point to remove it. This will turn your square into a triangle, as shown in the second image.
Step 2
Duplicate your triangle (Control-C > Control-V). Select the copy, rotate it 180 degrees, and place it as shown in the following image. Make sure your two triangles are perfectly aligned.
Step 3
Pick the Pen Tool (P), and create the four-cornered shape shown in the following image. The grid and the Snap to Grid feature will make things easier. Fill this new shape with red, and lower its Opacity to 30%.
Step 4
Select the right triangle and add a copy in front (Control-C > Control-F). Select this new shape, change the fill color to yellow, and then move it 5 px up and 5 px to the right. Once again, the grid and the Snap to Grid feature will come in handy.
Move to the left triangle and add a copy in front (Control-C > Control-F). Select this new shape, change the fill color to yellow, and then move it 5 px down and 5 px to the left.
Step 5
Disable the Snap to Grid (Control-“) and then go to Edit > Preferences > General and set the Keyboard Increment to 5 px.
Select your text from the Layers panel (Window > Layers) and add a copy in front (Control-C > Control-F). Select this copy and move it 10 px up and 20 px to the left. Use the arrow buttons to easily make these changes. Remember that pressing a button once will move your selection 5 px in the specified direction.
Select the yellow triangle on the left, along with the text copy added a few moments ago, and simply go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make (Control-7).
Step 6
Reselect your original piece of text and add a new copy in front (Control-C > Control-F). Select this copy and move it 10 px down and 20 px to the right. Use the arrow buttons to easily make these changes.
Select your remaining yellow triangle along with the text copy added a few moments ago, and go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make (Control-7).
Step 7
Select your red shape and add a copy in front (Control-C > Control-F). Select this copy along with your original piece of text and go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make (Control-7).
4. How to Add Shading
Step 1
Enable the Snap to Grid (Control-“). Select the right triangle and add a copy in front (Control-C > Control-F). Select this copy, hold the Shift and Alt buttons, and then resize your triangle to 240 px.
Step 2
Make sure that your 240 px triangle is selected, and pick the Direct Selection Tool (A). Select the top-right anchor point and simply hit the Delete button.
Be sure that the remaining path stays selected, and focus on the Appearance panel. Remove the fill color and set the stroke color to R=39 G=0 B=76, and then open the Stroke fly-out panel. Change the Weight to 20 px and select Width Profile 1 from the Profile drop-down menu.
Step 3
Move to the left triangle and add a copy in front (Control-C > Control-F). Select this copy, hold the Shift and Alt buttons, and then resize your triangle to 280 px.
Step 4
Make sure that your 280 px triangle is selected, and pick the Direct Selection Tool (A). Select the bottom-left anchor point, and simply hit the Delete button.
Be sure that the remaining path stays selected, focus on the Appearance panel, and apply the same attributes used for the other path.
Step 5
First, select your two paths and copy them (Control-C), and then go to Effect > Stylize > Gaussian Blur. Enter a 13 px Radius, click OK, and then Group (Control-G) your two paths.
Step 6
Select your two triangles and turn them into a compound path (Object > Compound Path > Make or Control-8). Bring this compound path to front (Control-]), select it along with the group of paths made in the previous step, and go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make (Control-7).
5. How to Add Highlights
Step 1
Hit Control-F to add the copies of those two paths in the same place. Make sure that both paths remain selected, and focus on the Appearance panel.
Set the stroke color to white and decrease the Weight to 14 px. Change the Blending Mode to Soft Light, and then go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Enter a 15 Radius, click OK, and then Group (Control-G) these two paths.
Step 2
Bring your red shape to front (Shift-Control-]). Select it along with the group of paths made in the previous step, and go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make (Control-7).
Congratulations! You’re Done!
Here’s how it should look. I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial and can apply these techniques in your future projects. Don’t hesitate to share your final result in the comments section.
Feel free to adjust the final design and make it your own. You can find some great sources of inspiration at GraphicRiver, with interesting solutions to improve your design.
