Live paint doesn't want to shape up text?

[kaatje]

Hi,

I want to put text into shape with envelope distort ~ Make With Top Object (Ill.cs4 and cs5). When I use a circle or a square for this, it works. But instead I've got a live paint shape, and the text doesn't want to go into shape. I tried releasing the live paint group, but it still gives the error "This requires a selection of multiple objects. The top object must be a single path or mesh, or a symbol containing a single path or mesh." Does anyone know if I need to do some more things to the live paint group? It's not really a shape, but releasing it should sorta make it one, yes?

Thanks,
Karin-Renate

[handrawn]

if I read you right - you want to distort the text to the shape of the live paint group?

after you make the live group - try expanding it and then ungrouping [make sure you do not have a background in the live paint of course] - you should be able to use any one of the ungrouped shapes to distort the text, afaik groups cannot be used to distort, so the trick will be to get the live paint 'envelope as a single object

[Albacore]

No you can't do a envelope distort with a Live Paint Group. Just use expand to the group, but watch, that command will expand both lines and fills to 2 separate groups so then you will need to group them again.

[kaatje]

if I read you right - you want to distort the text to the shape of the live paint group? ..

Hi Handdrawn, yes, that's it ..

...after you make the live group - try expanding it and then ungrouping [make sure you do not have a background in the live paint of course] - you should be able to use any one of the ungrouped shapes to distort the text, afaik groups cannot be used to distort, so the trick will be to get the live paint 'envelope as a single object

I must've forgotten to ungroup before somehow, because it worked!! Thank you so much for the quick reply .. Don't know where my head was at that time, or maybe my system was playing tricks, because I even made the live paint group again this time with the pencil tool, but the text didn't want to get in there either. Today I could put the text in the released-ungrouped shape, and in the shape I re-penciled.

No you can't do a envelope distort with a Live Paint Group. Just use expand to the group, but watch, that command will expand both lines and fills to 2 separate groups so then you will need to group them again.

Thanks Albacore!! Ungroup did it for me probably, I didnt need the lines, only the shape itself for the text. It's weird though that I didn't even go with this option when I saw the result. Even when I cut up the shape into several parts, the text looked "funny" in it. Text on path is so simple but looked perfect for the ribbon.

Anyway, thanks again guys

[handrawn]

glad you got it to go