Working with tools of mass distortion

Getting into Shape: Envelope distortion

Ever see those cartoons where one of the characters gets his head stuck in a glass jar? And when he pulls his head out of the jar, his head is in the shape of the jar? Wouldn’t it be cool if you could do the same thing with your artwork? Well, you can, using Illustrator’s enveloping features.

An envelope is a regular vector shape that can contain other artwork. And any artwork that is contained inside the envelope becomes distorted to take on the shape of the envelope itself. As you will soon learn, envelopes use Illustrator’s mesh technology to distort artwork. In fact, these envelope meshes, as they are called, are identical to the gradient meshes.

There are actually three different ways to create an envelope distortion in Illustrator, and naturally, each offers a slightly different approach and warrants its own benefits. As you learn about these three different types of envelopes, you will understand when it’s best to use them for a specific project or desired result. These three methods are found in the Object > Envelope Distort submenu and are named Make with Top Object, Make with Mesh, and Make with Warp.

Method one: Make with Top Object

A commonly used Envelope distortion technique in Illustrator is the Make with Top Object method. Creating an Envelope distortion using the Make with Top Object method is similar to creating a mask. A regular vector shape at the top of the stacking order acts as the envelope, and all selected artwork that appears beneath the envelope becomes distorted to fit within the envelope shape. Here are the steps you’ll need to follow to perform this technique:

1. Select the shape that you will be using as the Envelope. Any vector object consisting of a single path can be used as an envelope.
2. Choose Object > Arrange > Bring to Front. This ensures that the envelope is at the top of the stacking order.
3. Select both the artwork that you want to distort and the vector shape that will become the envelope.
4. Choose Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Top Object (Figure 5).

Figure 5: On the left, the envelope shape and the artwork appear selected. On the right, after the envelope has been applied, the artwork appears distorted within the envelope shape.

Once you’ve created an Envelope distortion, you can edit the envelope shape using your direct selection tool—just as you’d do with any other vector shape. As you adjust the shape of the envelope, the distorted artwork updates to match the edited shape (Figure 6). Pay close attention to the position of the control handles that appear on the anchor points of your envelope path, because they also have an effect on how art within the envelope shape is distorted (Figure 7).

Figure 6: Changing the shape of the envelope after you’ve applied the distortion makes it easy to tweak your distortion to perfection.

Figure 7: When you drag one of the control handles higher on the shape, you can see that the Envelope distortion also pulls the artwork up higher near that point.

Using a distinct custom shape as a distortion envelope is useful for times when you need artwork to fit within the confines of a specific shape. However, you’ll notice that although you can easily adjust the outside path to change the overall shape of the distortion, you have little control over how the artwork inside the envelope is distorted. To control distortion across the entire object, not just the edges, you need to employ one of the next two methods: Make with Mesh, or Make with Warp.

Method two: Make with Mesh

When using the Make with Mesh method, Illustrator creates the envelope shape for you, so you don’t need to create a shape first. The shape that Illustrator creates is a rectangle, so no immediate distortion is visible when you apply this kind of envelope. Once the envelope is created, you can edit the mesh points to control how the distortion affects the artwork. Editing an envelope mesh is identical to editing a gradient mesh. To create an Envelope distortion using the Make with Mesh method, perform the following steps:

1. Select any artwork on your artboard. You can select multiple objects, and although you aren’t required to group them, you may want to do so to ensure easier editing later on.
2. Choose Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Mesh.
3. In the Envelope Mesh dialog, specify how many rows and columns you want the mesh to be initially created with (Figure 8). It doesn’t matter if you aren’t sure of the exact number of rows and columns at this point, because you are able to add mesh points later on as needed. Click OK to apply the Envelope distortion.

Figure 8: The Envelope Mesh dialog gives you the ability to set how many mesh points appear initially in the envelope. Creating more rows and columns gives you additional control over the amount of distortion you can apply.

4. Using the Mesh tool or the Direct Selection tool, move the individual mesh points and their control handles to apply distortion to your artwork (Figure 9).

Figure 9: Similar to working with a gradient mesh, adjusting the position and control handles of mesh points in an envelope mesh controls the distortion of the artwork.

If you want to add mesh points to your envelope, select the Mesh tool and click anywhere within the selected envelope. Hold down the Option (Alt) key while clicking with the Mesh tool to remove mesh points. Although you start out with a rectangle mesh shape, moving the individual mesh points on the envelope gives you control over not just the outer edge of the distortion, but also any points within the envelope shape. However, this method is harder to use only because you aren’t starting with a distorted shape, just a grid of mesh points.

Method three: Make with Warp

The Make with Warp method of applying envelope distortion is nearly identical to the Make with Mesh method—only with a twist (sorry, couldn’t resist). Instead of starting with a rectangular shaped mesh, Illustrator gives you the option of choosing from several different preset shapes. Actually, they are the same presets as those found in the Warp effect.

Follow these steps to apply an Envelope distortion using the Make with Warp method:

1. Select any artwork on your artboard. You can select multiple objects, and although you aren’t required to group them, you may want to do so to ensure easier editing later on.
2. Choose Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Warp.
3. In the Warp Options dialog that appears, choose a Warp style and adjust the settings as necessary. Click OK to apply the Envelope distortion (Figure 10).

Figure 10: Starting an Envelope distortion with a warp gives you a head start in getting the look you need.

4. 4 Using the Mesh tool or the Direct Selection tool, move the individual mesh points and their control handles to apply distortion to your artwork (Figure 11).

Figure 11: Although the envelope starts out as a warp, you can add mesh points as needed to adjust the distortion to your needs.

Overall, this third method of creating an envelope mesh is a combination of the first two. You start with an initial distortion using a warp, then you complete the distortion by editing the envelope as a mesh object. This method is useful for times when you want to use a warp shape but need the ability to tweak the distortion a bit—something that isn’t possible with the Warp effect. Refer to “Featured Match-Up: Envelopes vs. the Warp Effect” for an in-depth comparison of the Envelope and Warp effect distortion features.

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