Make "Create Outlines" not greyed out when text is selected
If I am creating a text element for the sole purpose of converting it to outline, it is confusing that the "Type > Create Outlines" option is greyed out when the text is selected.
"Create Outlines" should not be greyed out, and when the user clicks there could potentially be a warning the first time saying:
"Creating Outlines will make it impossible
to edit the text box, would you like to proceed?
[ ] Do not show this message again"
Although one could assume that the user knows what they are doing, and that the warning message might be annoying rather than helpful.
At the present moment, it is annoying to not be able to access the feature, and adds extra steps to have to deselect the very object that the user wants to modify to be able to enable this modification.
It makes it feel like the user made a mistake, and could confuse them into thinking that one of their actions disabled the feature.
Additionally, it would make sense for a user to be able to select only a selection of text from a text block, and then proceed to Create Outlines for only this selection (for example to create decorated initials for print).
In this scenario, Illustrator would divide the text block into two elements upon clicking the menu, one with the outlined text and one where the remaining part of the text block remains editable.
Fab
shared this idea
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Text mode is one of several existing modes, and I can’t say AI does a perfect job to signal some commands would work or not or change the behavior in different modes enough. This command is one of them. Create Outline works in general mode, but not in the text mode, because it works with objects only, not with characters you selected. Ai doesn’t offer splitting text in characters, lines, or paragraphs (there’s a request for this, BTW: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/40953034 — an there are many free and paid scripts and plugins that offer this, most powerful being the Astute Graphics’ VectorFirstAid’s Break Text at Selection — https://docs.astutegraphics.com/vectorfirstaid/vectorfirstaid-panel/vectorfirstaid-panel-flyout-menu). And since Ai doesn’t offer it from the box, it can’t allow to outline a portion of text, breaking the flow of text (imagine selecting one word in the very middle of an area type text...)
Anyway, sorry for ranting, the request makes total sense, but it solely depends on the missing functions requested above.
Crosslinkining, upvoting! Thanks
