When you try to apply transparency effects to a text frame, you may occasionally see all the controls of the Effects panel are grayed out.
This can be caused by two things:
1. You have your cursor in the text frame.
If this is the case, press ESC to select the frame and make the effects controls available.
2. You have selected the frame and Formatting Affects Text (the T button) in the Swatches panel or the Tools panel.
In this case, press the Formatting Affects Container button, or use the keyboard shortcut, j.
To apply effects to text you must have the frame selected. Then either target the Text level in the Effects panel:
Or if the text frame has no fill, you can apply effects at the Object level and they’ll appear on the text.
If you later decide to give the frame a fill, you can easily apply the effects to the text by dragging the FX icon from the Object level to the Text level.
This article was last modified on December 21, 2021
This article was first published on May 24, 2011
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