Faux Emboss/Deboss

[iamtheblues]

This subject has cropped up before, but here's a new (to me) twist on how to achieve this effect.
The font I chose was Austral Slab {LINK}, but you can use whatever font you want.
1. Type some letters.
2. Copy and paste them on top and slightly offset them from the original. (See Fig.1) Save a copy of what you have done so far.
3. Select both sets of letters and Ctrl+4 to slice them. Save only the thin pieces and discard the rest.
4. Now select the copy you saved and slightly offset them so that they are positioned like the bottom text in Fig.1
5. Select both sets of these letters and Ctrl+4 to slice them. Save only the thin pieces and discard the rest. (See Fig.2)
6. Colour one set of thin pieces to Black and the other to White and align them as in Fig.3 and group them.

I clipped a noise texture into a rectangle and placed my text effect on top of that (Fig.4).

[gwpriester]

That's how we used to do it before we had the Emboss Tool, Bob. Except I never used trim. I made the top text the same color or pattern as the background.

[RKissane]

Gary,

When you say the Emboss tool, if I am following you right then what you are referring to is the Bevel tool in Xara?

Ray

[iamtheblues]

If Ray is correct, then the Bevel tool, which I dislike because, like the 3D tool, the end result isn't vector. At least it isn't if you export from Xara as a.pdf and then open it in Illustrator.
The method I used (prehistoric though it apparently is () produces a vector result.
Bob.

[Mark321]

If Ray is correct, then the Bevel tool, which I dislike because, like the 3D tool, the end result isn't vector. At least it isn't if you export from Xara as a.pdf and then open it in Illustrator.
The method I used (prehistoric though it apparently is () produces a vector result.
Bob.

Yeah. I don't use any technique that makes my image raster and no longer vector. I even turn my photos into vector just because I need my images to be crisp at any size. Awesome technique Bob! I still prefer to make multiple clones of display sized text to create depth than to use the blending tool. The blending tool doesn't turn anything raster but it won't let you have darker sides to the text. If you want to create depth by making the sides of the text have a shadow then just make the fill darker on all the clones except for the top layer.

Mark

[Egg Bramhill]

That technique is also great for creating an unobtrusive watermark on an image if you apply a transparency to both shapes Bob.

[gwpriester]

Yes, Bevel Tool.

[iamtheblues]

That's a cool tip, Egg, thanks.