How to Create Vignetted Pixel Text
Here’s how to create a special effect that gives text a fuzzy edge, while keeping the text editable:
1: Create a text box and type in your text. In the Colors palette, the background of the text box must be set to “None” in let the text to cast the shadow.
2: Apply a drop shadow to the box (last tab on the Measurements palette: Drop Shadow). Set the Drop Shadow Scale to 100%, Drop Shadow Distance to 0 and uncheck Inherent Opacity. Your settings should look like this (click this picture to enlarge):
3: Select the entire text and set its Opacity to 0% in the Colors palette.
A soft pixel font effect now appears, which can be adjusted further via the Drop Shadow options in the Measurements palette, for example Opacity and Color. The text can also still be edited.
Note: you can also use the old Item> Modify dialog box to make your changes if you prefer to work that way:
Jay Nelson is the editorial director of PlanetQuark.com, and the editor and publisher of Design Tools Monthly. He’s also the author of the QuarkXPress 8 and QuarkXPress 7 training titles at Lynda.com, as well as the training videos Quark includes in the box with QuarkXPress 7 . In addition, Jay writes regularly for Macworld and Photoshop User magazines and speaks at industry events.
This is an advancement over previous versions of Drop Shadow [which sometimes had unwanted side effects]. Im sure that this could also be used as a text highlight or ‘glow.’ Thanks Jay! I’ll try this the next time the opportunity arises.