PLACING IMAGES AND TEXT IN PATHS

As mentioned previously, any closed path can be used as a container for an image, type (text), or a stroke and fill. This includes paths like those you can create with text following the instructions in the earlier section "Creating Outlines."

To make any changes to the appearance of the text you have placed inside a path, just use the Type tool along with the Control palette, or Character and Paragraph palettes to adjust font, size, alignment, kerning, and so on. If you need to make changes to the copy itself, the easiest way is to open the Story Editor by clicking in the text with your Type tool and then choosing Edit, Edit in Story Editor. You will get a good look at your text in the Story Editor window, which is helpful if the text on your page is very small, or the shape it is placed in is complicated.

To place an item in a path, choose File, Place. In the Place dialog, browse to your image and click Open. If your path was selected before you choose File, Place, the item will automatically be placed in the path. If a path was not selected, position the mouse over the closed path. The lines around the loaded graphic or loaded text cursor will curve, indicating your item will be placed in the path. Click to place.

If you place text, you may need to adjust the size, font, tracking, kerning, or leading to help its appearance within the path. As long as the path's shape is open without numerous twists and turns, your text's appearance should be fine. If you have a complicated path, however, such as the paths that can be created when you use the Create Outlines command, it may become necessary to do more adjusting to your text.

If you place images, use the Direct Selection tool to select them for resizing or cropping. Reposition the image within the path using the Position tool. Remember to click and hold for a moment before you attempt to move the image so you can see how it will appear within the frame.

A reminder about using the Scissors tool to split frames with text and image placed in them: First, you cannot split the path of a text frame using the Scissors tool. If you split a path containing a graphic, a copy of the graphic stays with each resulting frame. Simply delete any graphic you do not want to stay there