Let’s see how we can create a glossy text effect in vector using Illustrator
1. Outline your text
Outline your text to make it an actual shape. To outline the text choose the text and go to Type>Create Outlines.
2. Offset your path
Offset Path takes the current path, duplicates it, and makes it as many pixels you choose, bigger or smaller. It makes a path inside or outside of the current path using a specified distance between the paths. Make another shape below and add a stroke without altering the font. For this, select the outlined text and go to Edit>Path>Offset Path.
In the options for the Offset Path enter a negative value in order to make the offset “inside” the original.
Click OK. Zoom in view of the -2px offset path:
3. Fill your new path with white
Select the offset path and change the fill colour to white, generally the universal “glossy” colour.
4. Make your cut
Using the Rectangle tool, create a white triangle that covers the part of the reflection you would like to remain visible
Select the square and navigate to Select>Same>Fill Colour. Select everything you need for the cut. Otherwise, you will need to select all of the shapes with the white arrow.
Before making your cut, make sure that you have selected all of the correct paths:
To remove all the paths outside the rectangle, click on ‘Crop’ in the Pathfinder window (Window>Pathfinder).
You have the new reflective shape below.
5. Adjust the opacity
Make some changes to the opacity to enhance the image.
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