Character panel overview

Last updated on Sep 18, 2025

Learn about the options in the Character panel that let you customize the appearance of text in your artwork.

To open the Character panel, select Window > Type > Character.

By default, the Character panel shows only the most used options. To view all the options, select    in the panel, and then Show Options.

Character panel options

Function

Set the font family

Selects the typeface for the text.

Set the font style 

Changes the text style to Regular, Bold, Light, Italic, or other available variants.

Set the leading

Sets the vertical space between lines of text.

Set the tracking for the selected characters

Adjusts the overall spacing between multiple selected characters.

Horizontal Scale

Stretches or compresses the text horizontally.

Character Rotation

Rotates selected characters to a specified angle.

Set the anti-aliasing method

Applies edge smoothing to improve text appearance on screen. Options include None, Sharp, Crisp, and Strong.

Set the font size 

Sets the size of text in points.

Set the kerning between two characters

Adjusts the spacing between a specific pair of characters.

Vertical Scale

Stretches or compresses the text vertically.

Set the baseline shift

Moves selected characters up or down relative to the text baseline.

Language

Assigns a language to the text.