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Text filled with a gradient fill when selected with
the Selection tool.
Individual characters filled when selected with the
Shape tool.
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Text with a fountain fill in CorelDraw is easy. Select the object and
follow the steps we worked through on the previous page. Text is no
different from any other object as it is in some other programs, which
is a nice feature, since your text remains editable even with a fountain
fill. However, the entire word is treated as one object and the fill
runs continuously through the object.
You can also select your text, and choose Arrange>Convert to Curves
to create individual objects from each character. Since the text has
been converted to a graphic object, however, you cannot edit it as text
after performing this conversion.
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This image shows the selection just after the
second character was filled.
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Top: Text with an outline. Middle: Text outline converted
to object and moved away from text. Bottom: Former outline, now object
is filled with a fountain fill.
Converted outline with fountain fill and a new outline
applied.
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Neat trick
Finally, there is one feature that is not well known in CorelDraw. You
cannot fill an outline with a fountain fill. You can however choose
Arrange>Convert Outline to Object from the main menu. Just as it
sounds, it takes the outline and turns it into an object, separate from
the object it used to outline. While it can make some great effects
on objects, it is really powerful when you take one extra step and use
it on text.
Create your text. Apply a fairly thick outline – I have used a
20px outline for 140pt text for the example shown here. (The original
text was 140pts but I made it smaller on export to fit.) Increase your
letter spacing if necessary, since the outline tends to join letters
together. (See Text as Design
for text manipulation techniques).
Now let's start the magic. Choose Arrange>Convert Outline to Object.
The outline becomes a separate object. The sample at the left shows
the text with regular outline first, with the outline moved away from
the text in the second sample. Fill with the fountain fill you desire
... neat effect. If you really want to push the technique, start with
your characters spread further apart, and apply an outline to the original
outline.  You
may find the result is better when you specify a wide outline. Then
open the Outline Pen window through the Outline Pen tool, and check
Behind Fill, located at the bottom left of the window. This sends the
outline behind the object and can be easier to control the effect.
At the left, I have included a magnified version of the outline on
an outline effect. Of course, you could also have the original text
behind filled with yet another color. It is when you see effects like
this, and how easy and accurate the methods are, that you begin to realize
why designers insist on having both raster and vector programs at their
disposal.
Now, lets take a look at creating blends for even more color blending
power.
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