How to Adjust Character Spacing in Blender

Adjusting character spacing, also known as tracking or kerning, in a Blender text object is a quick process handled through the Object Data Properties menu. This article provides a clear step-by-step guide on how to locate the text spacing settings, change the overall character distance for a text object, and manually adjust kerning between individual letters.

Step-by-Step Guide to Adjusting Character Spacing

To change the uniform spacing between all characters in a text object, follow these steps:

  1. Select the Text Object: Click on your 3D text object in the Viewport or Outliner to make it active.
  2. Open Object Data Properties: Look at the Properties Panel (usually located on the right side of the screen) and click the green Object Data Properties icon, which resembles a letter "a" or an "F" depending on your Blender version.
  3. Expand the Spacing Dropdown: Scroll down the properties list until you find the Spacing section and click to expand it.
  4. Modify Character Spacing:
    • Locate the Character Spacing field (default value is 1.000).
    • Increase the value (e.g., 1.200 or higher) to push the letters further apart.
    • Decrease the value (e.g., 0.800 or lower) to bring the letters closer together.

Additional Text Spacing Controls

In the same Spacing menu, you can also adjust other typographic layout properties:

  • Word Spacing: Controls the distance between separate words without altering the space between individual letters.
  • Line Spacing: Adjusts the vertical gap between lines in multiline text objects.
  • Offset X / Y: Shifts the text relative to the object's origin point.

Adjusting Individual Letter Kerning (Edit Mode)

If you need to adjust space between two specific letters rather than the whole text object:

  1. Select the text object and press Tab to enter Edit Mode.
  2. Use the arrow keys to place the cursor between the two letters you wish to adjust.
  3. Press Alt + Left Arrow to decrease the space (tighten kerning).
  4. Press Alt + Right Arrow to increase the space (widen kerning).
  5. Press Tab again to exit Edit Mode and confirm the changes.