Is there a way to get the outline and dropshadow effect even when text overlaps itself?

[SG Pilgrim]

Is there a way to get the outline effect and drop-shadow to be visible at all times, even when the text overlaps itself?
(see video for example issue)

At this point, the only thing I can think of is to create two separate text boxes and copy the effect to each one so I can adjust the layers, but I'd prefer not to go through the extra steps of multiple layers if I don't have too.

[PaulEC]

1 hour ago, SG Pilgrim said:

the only thing I can think of is to create two separate text boxes and copy the effect to each one

That sounds like by far the fastest and easiest way to do it. (If there is another way, which I can't think of off hand!) Although I'd tend to use Artistic Text, rather than Text Frames.

[Old Bruce]

1 hour ago, SG Pilgrim said:

Is there a way to get the outline effect and drop-shadow to be visible at all times, even when the text overlaps itself?

Have you tried using a stroke, not a stroke effect, an actual stroke  from the stroke panel?

[PaulEC]

I was assuming that the lower line of text was supposed to look as though it was on top of the upper line, giving a 3D effect, in which case the shadow of the top letters should fall on the letters below them. If all the text is on the same layer, the shadow will look flat in the background. In this particular case it may not matter, depending on the size and angle of the drop shadow.

[SG Pilgrim]

1 hour ago, PaulEC said:

I'd tend to use Artistic Text, rather than Text Frames.

Same here. It's not apparent from the image, but this is actually artistic text, just with two lines of text and a smaller Leading Override than the font size.
I believe the font size is 60pt and the Leading Override is 28pt.

[PaulEC]

Just to show what I mean about the drop shadow. (A bit exaggerated.) The top version looks a bit more three dimensional. It just depends on the effect that you want.

[SG Pilgrim]

1 hour ago, Old Bruce said:

Have you tried using a stroke, not a stroke effect

No, I had not thought to try that. This is a partial solution though, as the stroke now correctly displays, but the drop-shadow is still not visible.

[SG Pilgrim]

43 minutes ago, PaulEC said:

I was assuming that the lower line of text was supposed to look as though it was on top of the upper line, giving a 3D effect, in which case the shadow of the top letters should fall on the letters below them. If all the text is on the same layer, the shadow will look flat in the background. In this particular case it may not matter, depending on the size and angle of the drop shadow.

Yes, you are correct. The idea was to have the second line of text look as though it was on top of the first row and cast a shadow on the second line. Something like a z-index value of +1 for each additional line of text.

 

[Old Bruce]

16 minutes ago, SG Pilgrim said:

Yes, you are correct. The idea was to have the second line of text look as though it was on top of the first row and cast a shadow on the second line. Something like a z-index value of +1 for each additional line of text.

 

Two shadows will require two layers of text. Same as any other objects.