Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Adjusting the kerning and tracking
By adjusting kerning, you can add or subtract space between specific letter pairs. Tracking
creates an equal amount of spacing across a range of letters. You can use both kerning and
tracking on the same text.
Here, you'll manually kern the space between the drop cap “S” and the remainder of the
word, “ure.” Then you'll track the heading “If You Go” in the blue box.
1.
To see the results of the kerning more clearly, select the Zoom tool ( ) in the
Tools panel and drag a marquee around the drop cap.
2.
Using the Type tool ( ), click to place an insertion point between the “S” drop
cap and the “u” after it.
Tip
When you kern text, the Right Arrow key adds space and the Left Arrow
keyremovesspacewhencombinedwiththeAlt(Windows)orOption(Mac
OS) key. To change the amount of kerning applied using the shortcuts,
you can edit the Keyboard Increments value in Preferences (Units & Incre-
ments).
3.
Press Alt+Left Arrow (Windows) or Option+Left Arrow (Mac OS) to decrease the
amount that the letter “u” moves to the left. Continue to press this key combination
until the spacing between the two adjacent letters looks visually pleasing to you.
The example shows the text kerned -10. You can see the new kerning values in the
Control panel as well.
