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Tutorial DetailsTutorial DetailsProgram: Adobe Illustrator CS3Difficulty: IntermediateEstimated Completion Time: 2 hours

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Final Product What You'll Be Creating

Jared MacPherson on Aug 13th 2010 with 31 Comments and 0Reactions

Create a Glowing NeonCreate a Glowing NeonSign using theSign using theAppearance PaletteAppearance Palette

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Next This entry is part 1 of 22 in the Vector Text Effects Session - Show All

This tutorial shows the potential the Appearance Palette in Adobe Illustrator. Well be building an elaborateneon sign, utilizing the Appearance Palette to speed up the process and remove the need of drawingcomplex paths.

To understand what is possible with the Appearance Palette, have a look at the image below. A simple pathcan be turned into fairly complex vector artwork simply by applying multiple fills and effects. With this inmind, lets get started.

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Step 1Step 1Create an artboard of 500px by 500px. Make sure you have the Appearance Palette open as well be usingit right away. Pick a heavy typeface of your choice and type your words at about 70pt. When youre happywith the hierarchy, outline the letters by clicking Type > Create Outlines and then Ungroup them ifnecessary so each letter is independent from the rest. Remove the fill and strokes that are assigned to theletters by default. The appearance palette should show they have nothing applied to them yet.

Step 2Step 2To start the effect, well add a radial gradient to the letters, lighter in the middle, darker on the edges. (C=4M=55 Y=70 K=0) and (C=5 M=90 Y=100 K=0). In the appearance palette, click on the empty "fill" attribute.Open the Gradient palette, and select your colors.

(Note: For clarity, my images show the letters unselected, but in order to continue adding effects, you needto keep them selected throughout the tutorial.)

Step 3Step 3Next, select the empty "stroke" attribute in the Appearance Palette. Apply a 1pt stroke of a similar color tothose in your gradient fill, (C=4.5 M=80 Y=90 K=0). With the "stroke" attribute still selected, open theTransparency Palette, set it to Multiply and 50% Opacity.

We want this stroke to be offset a bit from the edges of the letters so go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Inthe options box that opens, select an offset of approximately -3 px. This dictates the stroke will be 3px awayfrom all edges of the letters. Click OK and the new effect will be applied and be visible in the AppearancePalette. The offset can be adjusted at any time by double clicking on the Offset Path descriptor in theAppearance Palette.

Step 4Step 4In the appearance palette, click on the drop-down menu on the side and select "Add New Stroke." With thisnew stroke selected in the palette, follow the same process as Step 3, only make the stroke yellow (C=5M=30 Y=65 K=0), 0.5pt, and Offset the path by -2.25 px.

Step 5Step 5The next step is to add a bit of dimension to the letter-forms so well want to add a slight 3D edge and ashadow. This will be done by adding two additional fills of color to the letters and adding effects to each fill

respectively.

First, click on the drop-down menu and select "Add New Fill." You will need to drag this fill layer to thebottom of the appearance palette so that it appears Below everything else weve already applied to theletters. Make the fill a bright red (C=5.5 M=100 Y=100 K=35) and then go to Effect > Distort and Transform> Transform. Under "Move," set the Vertical positioning as -2.5 px, which will cause this red fill layer toappear 2.5 px lower than the fills and strokes above it.

Create another fill layer, drag it below all of the others and apply a dark green color (C=100 M=50 Y=65K=50). Set this fill to Multiply and give it an Opacity of 30%. Again, Move the vertical positioning down by 2.5px like before, but this time also offset the path. Go to Effect > Path > Offset Path and set the offset to 1.5px. Youve just created the base of the neon letters!

Step 6Step 6Now were going to create the inner neon lights. First, Lock all of the letters by selecting them and going toObject > Lock. With the Pen tool (P) draw simple paths within all of the letters, defining their basic shape.

Step 7Step 7Select these paths and remove any fills and strokes they already have applied. In the appearance palette,start building up their glowing effect.

First, apply a 1.75pt stroke. Give it a dark orange color (C=5 M=90 Y=100 K=0) and set the stroke toMultiply. Using the same technique as before, move this stroke down by 2.5 px by going to Effect > Distortand Transform > Transform and adjusting the Vertical positioning to -2.5 px. This will serve as a slightshadow for the neon forms.

Create another stroke above. Make this one 4.5pt and set the Opacity to 20%. Set the color to a dull yellow(C=2 M=15 Y=30 K=0) This will serve as a subtle glow for the neon effect.

Step 8Step 8Were going to keep applying new strokes to build up the glowing effect. In the end, well have 6 strokesapplied to a single path.

Apply another stroke on top of the others. Make it 4.5pt thick, its color a slightly darker yellow, (C=3 M=16.5Y=36 K=0) and set the opacity to 25%. Create another stroke above. Make this one 2.25pt and set theOpacity to 30%. Set the color to a darker yellow (C=5 M=30 Y=65 K=0). Add another stroke above. Make it1pt and a brighter yellow than the rest (C=2 M=12 Y=26 K=0) and finally, add just one more stroke. This willbe the brightest of them all so make it practically white (C=0.5 M=3 Y=6.5 K=0) and give it a stroke thicknessof 0.5pt.

Note: Since all of the remaining steps incorporate an extremely similar process, only the necessaryexplanation will be given from now on. Please refer back to these first few steps for clarification if necessary.

Step 9Step 9Now that weve built the letters, well use the same techniques to build the rest of the lights on the sign. Draw

a rounded rectangle slightly wider than the letters. Following the process we have so far, well remove thedefault stroke and fill and build up the layers in the Appearance Palette.

First, apply a black fill. Set it to Multiply and the Opacity to 35%. We want this fill to act as a shadow so weregoing to stagger it a bit from the strokes well be placing on top. Go to Effect > Distort and Transform >Transform and set the Vertical positioning to -4.5 px. This time, were also going to adjust the vertical scaleto 200%.

Apply the first stroke as 9pt, (C=50 M=0 Y=10 K=0) and reduce the Opacity to 20%.Apply the second stroke as 5.5pt, (C=55 M=0 Y=12 K=0) and reduce the Opacity to 25%.Apply the third stroke as 5.5pt, (C=75 M=0 Y=15 K=0) and reduce the Opacity to 30%.Apply the fourth stroke as 4pt, (C=75 M=0 Y=15 K=0).Apply the fifth stroke as 3pt, (C=60 M=0 Y=12 K=0).Apply the sixth stroke as 2pt, (C=40 M=0 Y=8 K=0).Apply the seventh stroke as 1pt, (C=22 M=0 Y=5 K=0).

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Copy and paste the rounded rectangle six times and place them at equal distances beneath the letters.

Step 10Step 10To build the base of the sign, draw an ellipse, and then two rectangles overlapping it at the top and bottom.Open the Pathfinder Palette and while holding down the Option key (Alt on PC), select Subtract from shapearea.

Step 11Step 11With this new path, were going to follow the same process by assigning multiple strokes and fills to oneshape, but first we need to make a pattern that well used as one of the fill layers.

Create a 25 x 25 px square and give it a 1 px stroke of a light tan color. Next, fill the square with nine rowsand columns of small circles. You can use the Align Palette to space the circles evenly if necessary. Finally,using the direct selection tool, (A) delete the bottom-right anchor-point of the square. Select the entiregroup and drag it into the Swatches Palette, forming a repeating pattern. Well be applying it to our signshortly.

Step 12Step 12Returning to the path we created in Step 10, start building up the layers. Start with a solid black fill andadjusting the vertical positioning by -6 px so that it will sit lower than the fills well be putting on top. Createanother fill on top and fill it with a radial gradient, (C=43 M=48 Y=48 K=52.5) and (C=62 M=68 Y=70 K=75).

Make another fill and open the Swatches Palette. Choose the repeating pattern swatch we created in theprevious step. In the Transparency Palette, set the Opacity to 25% and the blending mode to Multiply. Andfinally, add a 3pt stroke to the path. Set the color to tan, (C=10 M=15 Y=40 K=40) and offset the path by -6.5 px.

Place this shape in behind the letters and the main structure of our sign is complete!

Step 13Step 13We have the main Appearance styles for the sign complete but will want to apply these same appearancesto other paths in order to complete the sign. To speed up the process, open the Graphic Styles Palette.Select the back of the sign and create a graphic style from it by clicking the "New Graphic Style" icon on thebottom of the palette. Do the same thing with all of the other sign elements as well.

Step 14Step 14Make a rectangle approximately 340 px wide by 100 px tall. Go to Effect > Warp > Arch and set the bend to25%. Click okay and then expand the warp by clicking Object > Expand Appearance. Place this rectangle ontop of the other sign elements.

Remove any default fill and strokes that might already be assigned to the shape. Click on the appropriatestyle in the Graphic Styles Palette, assigning all of the fills and strokes weve created for the sign.

Step 15Step 15Following the same technique, create a square, assign the same graphic style, and place this square at thebottom of the sign. The main structure of the sign has been created and all thats left is to add the finishingtouches!

Step 16Step 16Finish the sign by creating the remaining details. Since weve already created all of the Graphic Styles, weonly need to create empty paths to apply these styles to. Pick a scripty typeface and type out a secondarymessage for your sign. Create Outlines from the text by clicking Type > Create Outlines and clearing the fillsand strokes that they default to. Assign the graphic style created from the blue tube lighting and positionthis type in the arched rectangle.

Continue this process for any finishing elements. If you need additional graphic styles, follow the sameprocess as before but switch the colors of the strokes and fills.

Finishing TouchesFinishing TouchesAll thats left to do is place a dark background behind the sign and you have an easily editable neon sign.And the best part is there are only several paths in the whole thing! No complicated bezier curves orstacking multiple vector shapes on top of one another was needed. The Appearance Palette does all thehard work for you. Take a look at the images below to see how simple the paths are compared to how

impressive the final product looks.

ConclusionConclusionTo really accentuate the neon sign effect, bring the vector artwork into Photoshop and apply some glowsand atmospheric imagery. Experiment to create some really intriguing artwork! I hope the tutorial wasbeneficial and you learned the power the Appearance and Graphic Styles palettes can have.

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By By Jared MacPhersonJared MacPhersonRollover to read this author's bioor click through to see a full list ofposts by this author.

DiscussionDiscussion CommunityCommunity

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Manuel 5 months agoThank you for the tutorial. I ve learnt a lot.

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Nikhil Goyal a year agoGreat Tutorial with very clear instructions !

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Cynthia Della-Rovere 2 years agoTotally fun. Thanks for a great tutorial. I enjoyed working with the appearance palette. (I created my own color palette and shapes while doing this.)

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Amy 2 years agoThis is a fabulous tutorial! Thank you kindly!!

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Ed 2 years agoSweet tutorial!Only one problem i have is that when using the pen tool, I end up with no 'glow' on the end of the lines, as you can see in the close-up detail of the'V'From the tutorial it looks like you drew just straight lines, or is each line in fact a loop?

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Todd Hanlon 2 years agoThanks so much the tutorial is great!

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Ilma 2 years agoThank you very much for sharing this great tutorial.

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Dwight Hipp 3 years agoI made a series of three signs for two school teachers based in this tutorialhttp://picasaweb.google.com/sk...

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VAL SYGGEY 3 years agoI hate this tutorial because am a beginner and it doesnt really work out for me well enough pliz bring every step cleally i find it really hard tofollow this tutorial i really hate it.

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LoungeKat 3 years ago VAL SYGGEYThe difficulty of this tutorial is intermediate. If you're a beginner you should take a look at our Basix section -http://vector.tutsplus.com/tag... or our Tips and Tricks section - http://vector.tutsplus.com/tag... :)

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Mandeep Khunkhuna 3 years agoI have never really used the appearance panel and have been looking for a good tutorial on creating neon style signs and type. I like theway that you have explained each step in this tutorial, it nicely explained and looks easy to follow. I will most definitely have to give this a try. I alsohave to agree with Vibe Tutorials, that the alternative version at the end looks great.

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Nathan Ho 3 years agoHi,after making the blue white rounded rectangle lines and putting them behind the words, I see them becos the words Vector Tuts+ has an opacity,how can this be fixed?Great tuts so far :)kind regards,Nathan

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Nathan Ho 3 years ago Nathan HoI found the solution myself, I put the lowest attribute on multiply 100% instead of default. Anyway thanks, great tut!

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art_freak 3 years agocan you use these techniques in cs2? I was trying and my appearance pallet doesn't let me do some of the things that you can do incs3....Like it will not let me offset a second path inside the appearance layers with out moving the entire selected object..... really like this techniquea lot and want to know if i can do it in cs2.... thnaks

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Dwight Hipp 3 years agoWhich font did you use for the neon Vector Tuts ?

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Dwight Hipp 3 years ago Dwight HippMyriad Pro Regular. I went into the source files.

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Dwight Hipp 3 years ago Dwight HippI found a font on www.dafont.com (Ackbar) that worked well for this tutorial.http://www.dafont.com/theme.ph...

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LoungeKat 3 years ago Dwight HippThe source has flattened text. Myriad would be used as a substitute for people who don't have Gotham Black.

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Jared 3 years ago Dwight HippActually, it's Gotham Black. :) http://typography.com/fonts/fo...

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Brandon 3 years agoVery Nice! Great tutorial.

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tutorial blog 3 years agoI like it. very nice, Thank

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Jill DZ 3 years agoAbsolutely AMAZING - really fabulous tut - definitely going to use some of these techniques - thank you!

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sarah 3 years agojust finished this tut (except for the photoshop bit).looks great!!learned a lot, thank you.

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Vibe Tutorials 3 years ago

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ALSO ON VECTORTUTS

Reply AWESOME MAN! I like the alternative version especially!!!

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steelie 3 years agoIndeed, the Appearance Palette is brilliant. ;^)Sweet tutorial.

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everytuesday 3 years agolove the outcome, one to try for sure! Thanks!

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Artjunks 3 years agoGreeeat Tutorial - looks so smooth :D

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Amanda 3 years agoAwesome.

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Dave 3 years agoLike it - great tut, Thanks

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Jacob Lee 3 years agoTHAT! is a great tutorialThe Appearance panel is awesome once you have it mastered

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Philip Ze 3 years agoI have just started to use Adobe Illustrator, will definitely follow this tutorial myself.

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3 comments 3 days ago 12 comments 7 days ago

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