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Table Of Contents
Text Path Options in the Layout Pane
This group of controls in the Layout pane lets you specify the initial shape of a text path,
and to modify the path and text on that path. This group is only active when the Layout
Method pop-up menu at the top of the Layout pane is set to Path.
For more information about creating a text path, see Text Layout-Related Tasks.
The Transform Glyph tool can be used with text on a path. For more information, see
Working with Text Glyphs.
Path Shape: Use this pop-up menu to set the shape of the path. Choosing different
shapes will cause different controls to appear in the Path Options parameter group.
Parameters are described below. There are six menu options:
Open Spline: The default shape, a straight path defined by one point at the beginning
and one point at the end of the path. You can work with Bezier or B-Spline control
points. Option-click (or double-click) on the path to add points.
Closed Spline: A closed path where the last point is in the same location as the first
point. You can use Bezier or B-Spline control points. Option-click (or double-click) on
the path to add points.
Circle: A simplified version of Closed Spline, in which the X radius or Y radius can be
adjusted to create a circle or an ellipse.
Rectangle: A closed path where the width and the height can be adjusted to create a
square or a rectangle.
Wave: A wavy path (a sine wave) defined by one point at the beginning and one point
at the end, and controlled by the End Point, Amplitude, Frequency, Phase, and Damping
parameters.
Geometry: A shape path where the object travels along the edge of a shape or mask.
An animated shape can be used as the text path source—for example, a circle shape
with an applied Oscillate Shape behavior.
Path Type: Use this pop-up menu, available when Path Shape is set to Open Spline or
Closed Spline, to choose how to manipulate the shape of the path:
Bezier: Lets you manipulate the keyframe curve by dragging Bezier handles. For more
information about creating and adjusting Bezier curves, see Editing Bezier Control
Points.
B-Spline: Lets you manipulate the keyframe curve by dragging B-Spline points. B-Splines
are manipulated using points—there are no tangent handles. The points themselves
do not lie on the surface of the shape. Instead, each B-Spline control point is offset
from the shapes surface, magnetically pulling that section of the shape toward itself
to create a curve. B-Splines are extremely smooth: By default, there are no sharp angles
in B-Spline shapes, although you can create sharper curves, if necessary. For more
information about working with B-Spline curves, see Editing B-Spline Control Points.
873Chapter 16 Creating and Editing Text