Any tool for creating artistic bitmap font from a given one?

Lokibes wrote

on 28 Dec 2012 12:56 PM

Hi everyone,

Currently I intend to create a bitmap font with just basic characters (A - Z, 0 - 9, and some punctuation marks).

I tried this tool http://www.high-logi...ontcreator.html and it was helpful... just in publishing bitmap fonts from true type fonts. When it comes to creating fonts with some art effects, for instance, characters with their shadow, characters that have grass-like skin, or a little outter-glow effect ..etc.. I must do the following things:

1. Define the desired effects (using Photoshop or similar tools).

2. Type the character using Text tool, apply the defined effects to the Text layer.

3. Trim that layer, leave the background transparent, publish EACH character in a .PNG file.

4. Using tools like Texture Packer to create a bitmap font from those .PNGs, for being read later by programmer's code.

Therefore, even changing the skin of font is a boring, terrible task to me... Not to mentioned creating another font with same effects... @_@

If you guys know about tools that allow adding effects, or useful features of Photoshop such as "auto arrange characters cell-by-cell", ..etc.. please let me know ~^^~

My deeply thanks for your sharing 

Paul Sullivan wrote

on 3 Jan 2013 12:01 PM

Lokibes—

From what you have written, it sounds like you simply want to modify existing type, creating special effects. Also, I understand that the special effects you want to create are fairly simple, like letters that have a glowing look. And you said that you wanted to work with bitmap type.

It should be noted that bitmap fonts are not smooth edged. They carry the hard, jagged edges of the pixels that form them. However, these jagged edges can be smoothed some in Windows with the anti-aliasing option for screen fonts. Anti-aliasing softens the hard pixel edges, blending the edges, pixel to pixel. Glowing effects require the smooth blended pixels of a photo application.

The effects you want to apply to type are graphics effects and can be best achieved with graphic arts applications that are designed to do this. You should be working with the professional version of Adobe Photoshop. This is not a simple application. It will take some time and effort. The good news is that with Photoshop the results you want are fairly simple. If you want to create your own font designs, you should be working with a vector application such as Adobe Illustrator.

I would not recommend any short cut tools. If the professional process of working with type and its modification does not interest you, I think you should purchase fonts designed with the look that you want. You might try http://www.myfonts.com as a start or http://www.letterheadfonts.com —

I hope this helps,

Paul

Lokibes wrote

on 5 Jan 2013 1:43 PM

Paul Sullivan:

From what you have written, it sounds like you simply want to modify existing type, creating special effects. Also, I understand that the special effects you want to create are fairly simple, like letters that have a glowing look. And you said that you wanted to work with bitmap type.

It should be noted that bitmap fonts are not smooth edged. They carry the hard, jagged edges of the pixels that form them. However, these jagged edges can be smoothed some in Windows with the anti-aliasing option for screen fonts. Anti-aliasing softens the hard pixel edges, blending the edges, pixel to pixel. Glowing effects require the smooth blended pixels of a photo application.

The effects you want to apply to type are graphics effects and can be best achieved with graphic arts applications that are designed to do this. You should be working with the professional version of Adobe Photoshop. This is not a simple application. It will take some time and effort. The good news is that with Photoshop the results you want are fairly simple. If you want to create your own font designs, you should be working with a vector application such as Adobe Illustrator.

I would not recommend any short cut tools. If the professional process of working with type and its modification does not interest you, I think you should purchase fonts designed with the look that you want. You might try http://www.myfonts.com as a start or http://www.letterheadfonts.com —

I hope this helps,

Paul

You really read my mind, Mr.Paul ^^

Actually I'm making a small game, together with a friend. I'm in charge of the graphical part - shouldn't use the word "Artist" here since I'm just an amateur with some experience in Photoshop, and some basic Art-concepts in mind.

From the start, my intention was to "modifying things so they can stand well together". After viewing those links of yours, I realized that some shadows or glows are just not enough for a good font, in my case, a compatible game-font...

The way you said "I would not recommend any short cut tools" is just like my father (He 's an Artist for real, though he never use computer). Maybe I'll spend time studying more about Art-concept instead of depending too much on some computer tools...

Ah, the links you gave also added many cool fonts to my reference store... So thank you, Mr.Paul ^^