How to add speed lines to text in Illustrator
The built-in route is to outline the text, draw a stack of thin rectangles off one side, and unite them with the letters, or to fake it with Effect › Stylize › Wind, which rasterises. JuicyType's Speed effect draws the trail as live vector in the text's own fill.
The manual way, in Illustrator
- Outline a copy of the text (Type › Create Outlines).
- Draw thin horizontal rectangles of varying length off the trailing side, aligned to the letters' edge.
- Select the rectangles and the outlines and click Unite in the Pathfinder panel.
- For a slanted, faster look, apply Object › Transform › Shear… to the result.
The word is outlined, so it cannot be retyped, and every line is placed by hand; a different word means starting again.
Menu paths checked against Adobe's current Illustrator documentation; hands-on verification and screenshots are still to come.
Speed with JuicyType
Select the text, open the JuicyType panel, choose Speed, and drag. It is a live effect, so the text stays editable and every control can be changed later.
- Speed0–200 mph, default 60: how far the lines run
- Speed trail0–100%, default 30: how much of the word's trailing edge streams away
- Detail0–100, default 35: how many rows the word is cut into
- Randomize0–100, default 50: uneven line lengths
- Motion blur0–100: softens the trail
- Direction0–359°: which way the word is travelling
- Slant letters−100 to 100: lean the letters into the motion
- Also apply to texton/off: cut the letters themselves as well as the trail
- ShapeSquare, Spike, Round, Down angle or Up angle: the end of each line, with Shape length and Spike/space
Common questions
Why does it look like one object moving?
Because the rows are cut across the whole word, not letter by letter. One wake leaves the word's leading edge, instead of every letter wearing its own fringe.
Does it work with 3D?
Yes. The cut is applied to the shape 3D extrudes, so the walls follow the speed lines.
What colour are the lines?
The face's own fill, whatever it is: a flat colour, a spot or a gradient.