Guides / Split Face
How to split or slice text in Illustrator
Outline the text, draw a zigzag with Effect › Distort & Transform › Zig Zag on a line, expand both, and use Pathfinder › Divide. Then colour the halves and open a gap. JuicyType's Split Face effect does it on live type with angle, ridges, size, roundness and gap controls.
JuicyType Split Face · screen recording goes hereSkip to JuicyType ↓
The manual way, in Illustrator
- Duplicate the text, then Type › Create Outlines on the copy.
- Draw a horizontal line across it and apply Effect › Distort & Transform › Zig Zag; then Object › Expand Appearance.
- Select the line and the outlined text, click Divide in the Pathfinder panel, and ungroup.
- Colour the top and bottom pieces, and move one half to open a gap.
Divide works only on outlined text, so the manual result is shapes, not type.
Steps drafted from Illustrator's documentation; to be checked in Illustrator 2025–2026 before launch.
Or, with JuicyType
Split Face with JuicyType
Select the text, open the JuicyType panel, choose Split Face, and drag. It is a live effect, so the text stays editable and every control can be changed later.
- Part 2 colourNone / TC1 / TC2 / Black / White / spot; default Black
- Angle0–360° (slider −180 to 180)
- Horizontal / Verticalanchor shift −100 to 100%
- Ridge count1–20, default 2
- Ridge size0–200% of the face
- Ridge shift0–100%, lean
- Roundness top / bottom0–100%, lockable; 0 = sharp tent, 100 = smooth wave
- Gap start / end0–200 pt, lockable
- Gap fillon/off, with its own colour; off cuts the band through the extrusion
- Foldon/off: each half gets its own Shift −100 to 100%, Shear −45 to 45°, Stretch 0–500% and Project −100 to 100%, lockable top and bottom
JuicyType≡
Split Face✓
Part 2 colour
Angle
Horizontal / Vertical
Keep live text●
Apply
0:45
Common questions
Can the split line be curved instead of zigzag?
Yes, draw any path. In JuicyType, Roundness morphs the ridges from sharp tent to smooth wave.