Guides / Underline & highlight
How to underline or highlight text in Illustrator
Underline is in the Character panel: show options and click the Underline button. For a marker-style highlight, add a fill in the Appearance panel and apply Effect › Convert to Shape › Rectangle to it, then drag it below the text fill. JuicyType's Ribbon Banner puts a bar behind the text in one step.
JuicyType Ribbon Banner · screen recording goes hereSkip to JuicyType ↓
The manual way, in Illustrator
- Select the text. Open the Character panel (⌘T), choose Show Options from the panel menu, and click Underline, or press ⇧⌘U.
- For a highlight: open Window › Appearance, click Add New Fill, colour it, and apply Effect › Convert to Shape › Rectangle with a small relative extra width and height.
- Drag the new fill below the Characters row so the letters sit on top.
- Set the fill's blending mode to Multiply for a marker look. A thin Absolute height instead of a relative one gives you a custom underline you can colour; move it below the baseline with Effect › Distort & Transform › Transform on that fill.
The underline has no thickness or offset controls; for a custom rule, draw a line or use the Convert to Shape fill with a thin height.
Menu paths checked against Adobe's current Illustrator documentation; hands-on verification and screenshots are still to come.
Or, with JuicyType
2 effects in JuicyType
Ribbon Banner draws the bar from the text, so it stays the right length when the word changes.
- Ribbon Bannera banner or bar behind the word, with bend
- Strokesa band under the letters for a heavier underline look
Common questions
Can I change the underline colour?
It follows the text colour. For a different colour, use the Convert to Shape fill method.