Convert text to curve

[silverdust]

I can convert shapes to curve but I'd like to know if I can convert text to curve as I don't see an option for that in the context menu when I have a text selected. What I'm really trying to do is break up a text so I could put one part of its layer above an object and the other behind the object like the object is going through it. It's actually just the letter S.

[R C-R]

In Affinity Designer, select the text object with the Move tool & choose "Convert to Curves" from the Layer Menu.

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, silverdust said:

I can convert shapes to curve but I'd like to know if I can convert text to curve as I don't see an option for that in the context menu when I have a text selected. What I'm really trying to do is break up a text so I could put one part of its layer above an object and the other behind the object like the object is going through it. It's actually just the letter S.

Hi silverdust,

Menu "Layer", "Convert to curves"

[silverdust]

Thank you @reglico I almost never use the main menu. I should have seen it there

[Guest]

Thanks silverdust for your feedback.

[A_B_C]

You can also use the Context Menu, but you will have to Ctrl + click the entire text frame with the Move Tool, not the entered text itself with one of the text tools. 

 

 

[silverdust]

Ctrl + click on my Mac gave me a secondary click (right-click) option which had the "convert to curve". That's probably not what you meant but cmd + click wasn't doing much

[Guest]

On Windows, right-click directly to access the drop-down window that offers "Convert to curves". The procedure is certainly the same on Mac

[silverdust]

Oh did you just add the screenshot? Didn't see it earlier. That's what I get. I guess it works for me then. Thanks for the tip. But I could use a little tip since I'm still here although it's not completely related to the topic. I've been trying to break the S to two curves and it's trickier than breaking basic shapes. Could use some help perhaps a screenshot. I just want to cut out the upper curve of the S and place it above something else

[silverdust]

55 minutes ago, R C-R said:

In Affinity Designer, select the text object with the Move tool & choose "Convert to Curves" from the Layer Menu.

@R C-R I totally didn't see your message. Sorry if it seem like I ignored it. Just saw it in my email and was like I didn't see that on the website

[Guest]

You can draw a very thin line (0.1 pt) across the part to be cut, "Expand the stroke", select the S and the stroke and do a Boolean "Divide" operation. If necessary draw a line to conceal the void between the two parts of the S.

[silverdust]

Thanks once again @reglico . I didn't even think of this. Was too focused on achieving it with "Break Curve"

[Guest]

Thanks Silverdust, happy if I could help you.

[Alfred]

5 minutes ago, reglico said:

You can draw a very thin line (0.1 pt) across the part to be cut, "Expand the stroke", select the S and the stroke and do a Boolean "Divide" operation. If necessary draw a line to conceal the void between the two parts of the S.

 

Alternatively, conceal the gap by curving one of the 'join' lines with the Node Tool to make it overlap the other one.

 

[Guest]

Very fair Alfred, I had not thought of it!

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, silverdust said:

Thanks once again @reglico . I didn't even think of this. Was too focused on achieving it with "Break Curve"

You can also use the Break Curve action for this, but keep in mind two things:

1. You can only break a curve at an existing node (so you may need to add one or more nodes to break the curve where you want).

2. The action only works on one node at a time, so to break a closed shape into two parts, you will have to select two nodes, one at a time, & break the curve at each of them.

 

You don't necessarily need to close the open curves this creates. Below, I broke the Arial font S at the two nodes indicated by the red circles.

Closing either one of the two resultant curves will eliminate the gap Alfred mentioned.

[Guest]

Thanks R C-R,

I had tried this method: I had zoomed a lot to precisely place an additional node and, after opening the curve on two nodes, when I selected the top, I felt that the whole was always selected. This is because the upper right part of the S was lower than the cutting nodes. It was my fault, I should have reduced the zoom level before the selection!

[JimmyJack]

On July 22, 2017 at 4:40 PM, silverdust said:

.... What I'm really trying to do is break up a text so I could put one part of its layer above an object and the other behind the object like the object is going through it. It's actually just the letter S.

 

It's worth mentioning then, that you might not have to convert to curves at all if you don't want to..... you can keep your text editable as text.

Place a copy of the S in a simple clip shape. No issue with a line/gap space as well.

 

(new forum!! .... nice look. The uploads seem to take a lonnng time for me.)

 

[R C-R]

34 minutes ago, JimmyJack said:

(new forum!! .... nice look. The uploads seem to take a lonnng time for me.)

For me, uploads are generally very quick, possibly because I have relatively fast 20+ Mbps upload service, but downloading files & images attached to posts can be very slow, even though my download service is very fast at 300+ Mbps.

[silverdust]

@JimmyJack I'll have to try this on something else soon so I don't forget. Thanks

[SS Gilbert]

On 7/22/2017 at 1:52 PM, R C-R said:

In Affinity Designer, select the text object with the Move tool & choose "Convert to Curves" from the Layer Menu.

OK, I'm a newbie -- then what? 

[R C-R]

6 hours ago, SS Gilbert said:

OK, I'm a newbie -- then what? 

That depends on what you want to do & why you converted the text object to curves to begin with.