Using Type > Reshaping type

Reshaping type

To reshape, erase, and otherwise manipulate type, you convert it to its component lines and fills. As with any other shape, you can individually group these converted characters, or change them to symbols and animate them. Once you've converted type to lines and fills, you can no longer edit them as text.

You can convert only entire text blocks to shapes, not characters within a text block.

To convert type to its component lines and fills:

1 Select the Arrow tool and click a text block.
2 Choose Modify > Break Apart. The characters in the selected text are converted to shapes on the Stage.

Note: Break Apart applies only to outline fonts such as TrueType fonts. Bitmap fonts disappear from the screen when you break them apart. PostScript fonts can be broken apart only on Macintosh systems running Adobe Type Manager (ATM).