How to Make an Editable Halftone Text Effect in Illustrator

Illustrator Text Effects

Halftone could be one of the most used effects in graphic design, adding depth, dimension, and a touch of vintage feel to any project. When creating eye-catching text effects, halftone patterns offer a unique aesthetic that can take your designs to the next level. So today, I will show you how you can make an editable halftone text effect in Illustrator using only the default tools and that is not only visually striking but also easily customizable to suit your design.

Step 1

Open Illustrator and make a new file at any size you want. In this case I will make mine at 1800 x 1200 px.

Step 2

Select the Type Tool (T) and type your text using any font that you wish. Here I will be using "Boldfinger" at 450 pt.

Step 3

Go to Window > Appearance.

Step 4

Click on the "Add New Fill" icon.

Step 5

Click on the color thumbnail of the fill layer and select the "White, Black" Gradient.

Step 6

Go to Window > Gradient. Set the Angle to 90º and the midpoint Location at 30%.

Step 7

Back in the Appearance Panel, click on "Type".

Step 8

Click on the "Add New Effect" icon and from the dropdown menu select "Rasterize".

Step 9

In the Rasterize window apply the following settings and click OK.

Step 10

Again, click on the "Add New Effect" icon and from the dropdown menu select Pixelate > Color Halftone.

Step 11

In the Color Halftone window, apply the following settings and click OK.
Note: You may pick any Radius and channel angle that you wish.

Step 12

Again, select "Type" in the Appearance Panel and press Ctrl+G on your keyboard to group it.

Step 13

Lastly, click on the "Add New Fill" icon and pick any color you want for your text.

Some Final Notes:

Now that you know how easy is to make an editable halftone text effect in Illustrator you can edit your text as you normally do in Illustrator and also try different Radius and Channel Angles in the Color Halftone window to get different halftone effects like in the following examples.