Adobe INDESIGN 2.0 - USING HELP Help Manual page 216

Adobe InDesign Help
Using Help | Contents
To create a compound path:
1 Use the selection tool
compound path.
2 Choose Object > Compound Paths > Make. A hole appears wherever selected
paths overlap.
Two separate closed paths (left) and two subpaths of the same compound
path (right); the compound path uses the center circle as a hole
To break up a compound path:
1 Using the selection tool, select a compound path.
2 Choose Object > Compound Paths > Release.
Note: The Release command is unavailable when the selected compound path
is contained inside a frame, or when the path contains text.
To reverse the direction of a subpath:
1 Using the direct-selection tool, select a point on the subpath you want to reverse.
Don't select the entire compound path.
2 Choose Object > Reverse Path.
Creating paths from text outlines
Use the Create Outlines command to convert selected text characters into a set of
compound paths that you can edit and manipulate as you would any other path. The
Create Outlines command is useful for creating effects in large display type, but it is
rarely useful for body text or other smaller-size type.
If you simply want to apply a color stroke, or a gradient fill or stroke to text characters,
you don't need to convert the text to outlines. You can use the toolbox and the
Swatches, Color, or Gradient palettes to apply colors and gradients directly to the strokes
or fills of selected characters.
About creating text outlines
The Create Outlines command gets its font outline information from the actual Type 1,
TrueType, or OpenType files. When you create outlines, characters are converted in their
current positions, retaining all graphics formatting, such as stroke and fill.
When you convert type to outlines, the type loses its hints—instructions built into outline
fonts for adjusting their shapes, so that your system displays or prints them optimally at
small sizes. Therefore, type converted to outlines may not display as well when rendered in
small sizes or at low resolutions.
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