Changing the kerning in Adobe Illustrator is an essential skill for graphic designers and typographers. Kerning refers to the adjustment of the spacing between individual characters in a font, helping to achieve a visually appealing and balanced typographic design. Adobe Illustrator provides users with the flexibility to adjust kerning to enhance the visual appeal of their designs. In this article, we will explore how to change kerning in Adobe Illustrator and discuss the best practices for achieving optimal typographic results.
Step 1: Select the Text
To begin adjusting kerning in Adobe Illustrator, you need to select the text that you want to modify. Use the Selection Tool to click and drag over the text to make the selection. Alternatively, you can double-click the text with the Type Tool to select the entire text box.
Step 2: Access the Character Panel
Once the text is selected, navigate to the Character panel. If the Character panel is not visible, you can access it by going to Window > Type > Character or by pressing Ctrl+T (Windows) or Command+T (Mac) to open the panel.
Step 3: Adjust Kerning
In the Character panel, you will find the Kerning option represented by a VA symbol, which stands for optical tracking. By default, the kerning is set to “Auto”. To manually change the kerning, click the dropdown menu next to the VA symbol and select the desired option. The available options include:
– Metrics: This option uses the kerning information specified by the font designer.
– Optical: This option adjusts the spacing based on the visual appearance of the characters, providing a more balanced and visually appealing result.
– None: This option removes any manual kerning adjustments made to the text.
Step 4: Manual Adjustment
If you want to make specific adjustments to the kerning between individual characters, you can do so by placing the text cursor between two characters and pressing the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (Mac) along with the right arrow key to increase the spacing between the selected characters or the left arrow key to decrease the spacing.
Step 5: Fine-Tuning with Tracking
In addition to kerning adjustments, you can also fine-tune the spacing between all the characters in a text block by using the tracking feature. Tracking adjusts the overall spacing uniformly between all characters. You can access the tracking option in the Character panel and adjust it to achieve the desired spacing for your text.
Best Practices for Changing Kerning
When adjusting kerning in Adobe Illustrator, it’s important to keep a few best practices in mind:
– Use manual kerning sparingly and only when necessary, as excessive spacing adjustments can negatively impact the readability and overall aesthetic of the text.
– Opt for optical kerning whenever possible, as it often provides a more visually pleasing result by taking into account the shapes of individual characters.
– Consider the context of the text and the overall design when making kerning adjustments, ensuring that the spacing aligns with the intended visual hierarchy and aesthetic of the design.
In conclusion, changing kerning in Adobe Illustrator is an important skill for achieving visually appealing typographic designs. By following the steps outlined in this article and adhering to best practices, designers and typographers can effectively adjust kerning to create visually pleasing and well-balanced text layouts in their designs. With careful attention to detail and a good understanding of typographic principles, Adobe Illustrator provides the tools necessary to achieve optimal kerning results.
