Which file types?

Discuss FontCreator here, please do not post support requests, feature requests, or bug reports!
ellenelle
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2014 4:58 pm

Which file types?

Post by ellenelle »

Which file types are supported as import and export for glyphs? And, is this testable in the trial version?

Thanks,
Ellen
Bhikkhu Pesala
Top Typographer
Top Typographer
Posts: 9869
Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2002 5:28 am
Location: Seven Kings, London UK
Contact:

Re: Which file types?

Post by Bhikkhu Pesala »

You can see on the Picture Import dialogue — most common bitmap formats, WMF and EMF are imported and traced as bitmaps, and PDF or AI are imported as vectors (which is very much faster).

This is fully testable in the unregistered version. See the FAQ at the top of the support thread re limitations of the Font Output in the Trial version.
File Types Imported.png
File Types Imported.png (9.16 KiB) Viewed 10262 times
My FontsReviews: MainTypeFont CreatorHelpFC15 + MT12.0 @ Win 10 64-bit build 19045.2486
ellenelle
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2014 4:58 pm

Re: Which file types?

Post by ellenelle »

I use CorelDRAW, and not Illustrator, so the files are not natively in Illustrator formats. Do you know of anyone who successfully imports/exports with CorelDRAW?
Bhikkhu Pesala
Top Typographer
Top Typographer
Posts: 9869
Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2002 5:28 am
Location: Seven Kings, London UK
Contact:

Re: Which file types?

Post by Bhikkhu Pesala »

CorelDraw can export both AI and PDF formats AFAIK.
My FontsReviews: MainTypeFont CreatorHelpFC15 + MT12.0 @ Win 10 64-bit build 19045.2486
ellenelle
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2014 4:58 pm

Re: Which file types?

Post by ellenelle »

That's true, and eps as well, but I have sometimes found that there is an incompatibility just the same. I thought I'd ask if anyone knew, but I guess I'll have to try it out to really find that. Thanks again.
MikeW
Posts: 625
Joined: Mon May 20, 2013 2:51 pm

Re: Which file types?

Post by MikeW »

There's no need to export from CD, at least from the last couple versions.

For your use, you'll need to figure out the ideal size to create the glyphs in CD (I'm using X6 at the moment) and the font I am working on is 1000 units per em. I have guidelines set up in CDX6 spaced 2.375" apart for my baseline to cap height. When I am finished with a capital letter with no descender in CDX6, I size it between the guidelines and simply copy and paste.

This works for several vector applications.

Mike
Bhikkhu Pesala
Top Typographer
Top Typographer
Posts: 9869
Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2002 5:28 am
Location: Seven Kings, London UK
Contact:

Re: Which file types?

Post by Bhikkhu Pesala »

MikeW wrote:There's no need to export from CD, at least from the last couple versions.
Does it import as vectors, though, or does it use FontCreator's built in bitmap autotrace? There will be fewer nodes and smoother curves if vector import is used.
My FontsReviews: MainTypeFont CreatorHelpFC15 + MT12.0 @ Win 10 64-bit build 19045.2486
MikeW
Posts: 625
Joined: Mon May 20, 2013 2:51 pm

Re: Which file types?

Post by MikeW »

Bhikkhu Pesala wrote:
MikeW wrote:There's no need to export from CD, at least from the last couple versions.
Does it import as vectors, though, or does it use FontCreator's built in bitmap autotrace? There will be fewer nodes and smoother curves if vector import is used.
CorelDraw X6, Xara Designer Pro Illustrator all paste as vector...one sees the "Retrieving Contours" dialog flash by on screen before it appears.

The screen shot shows the results of each method. I am not claiming it is perfect. But I'll take the copy/paste over an EPS any day. Even over a PDF. Less work to do once it is in FC.

Take care, Mike

(Clipboard from DP is a bitmap.)
Alfred
Top Typographer
Top Typographer
Posts: 1030
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2013 8:08 am

Re: Which file types?

Post by Alfred »

MikeW wrote:the font I am working on is 1000 units per em
Apologies for the OT question, but wouldn't 1024 funits be better? I'm sure I read somewhere that the UPM value should be a power of two.
FC14 Pro (Help) + MT11.0 Pro (Help) • Windows 10
MikeW
Posts: 625
Joined: Mon May 20, 2013 2:51 pm

Re: Which file types?

Post by MikeW »

I'm working on someone else's font.

So while I read an article this morning about apathy perhaps having a correlation to aging, I don't care <g>.

Mike
MikeW
Posts: 625
Joined: Mon May 20, 2013 2:51 pm

Re: Which file types?

Post by MikeW »

BTW...

LibreOffice's Draw application also pastes as curves...but it is ugly. I am of the opinion that whatever is on that clipboard, FC can either retrieve the contours well, or not. Perhaps it is the metafile description from LO Draw is what is being grabbed by FC, but I dunno. But it isn't pretty.

Microsoft Expression Draw (both 3 and 4) pastes into FC is a bitmap. The PDF export from MS ED is pretty much the same "lot's o' nodes" as the other applications that export as PDF.
Bhikkhu Pesala
Top Typographer
Top Typographer
Posts: 9869
Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2002 5:28 am
Location: Seven Kings, London UK
Contact:

Re: Which file types?

Post by Bhikkhu Pesala »

MikeW wrote:CorelDraw X6, Xara Designer Pro Illustrator all paste as vector...one sees the "Retrieving Contours" dialog flash by on screen before it appears.
If one sees the "Retrieving Contours" dialog then FontCreator is tracing the bitmap on the clipboard and converting it to vectors before retrieving the contours to display in FontCreator.

If imported from a PDF, no matter how complex the drawing is, the "Retrieving Contours" dialog does not appear even for a millisecond. The result that I get when importing a PDF generated from PagePlus, as opposed to the same shape copied/pasted via the clipboard is much more faithful to the original.
My FontsReviews: MainTypeFont CreatorHelpFC15 + MT12.0 @ Win 10 64-bit build 19045.2486
MikeW
Posts: 625
Joined: Mon May 20, 2013 2:51 pm

Re: Which file types?

Post by MikeW »

It would be nice if Erwin would pop in.

When I am pasting a known bitmap, I get a title in the dialog Creating Contours, not Retrieving Contours.
Erwin Denissen
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 11107
Joined: Fri Oct 04, 2002 12:41 am
Location: Bilthoven, The Netherlands
Contact:

Re: Which file types?

Post by Erwin Denissen »

Bhikkhu Pesala wrote:If one sees the "Retrieving Contours" dialog then FontCreator is tracing the bitmap on the clipboard and converting it to vectors before retrieving the contours to display in FontCreator.

If imported from a PDF, no matter how complex the drawing is, the "Retrieving Contours" dialog does not appear even for a millisecond. The result that I get when importing a PDF generated from PagePlus, as opposed to the same shape copied/pasted via the clipboard is much more faithful to the original.
This is indeed correct.

In general you'll get best results if you import (or copy/paste) vector based images, so maybe we'll have to improve the paste from clipboard functionality some more.
Erwin Denissen
High-Logic
Proven Font Technology
Erwin Denissen
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 11107
Joined: Fri Oct 04, 2002 12:41 am
Location: Bilthoven, The Netherlands
Contact:

Re: Which file types?

Post by Erwin Denissen »

MikeW wrote:It would be nice if Erwin would pop in.

When I am pasting a known bitmap, I get a title in the dialog Creating Contours, not Retrieving Contours.
I think you both refer to the same dialog. If you see it, a raster to vector conversion is busy.
importrasterimage.png
importrasterimage.png (30 KiB) Viewed 10231 times
Erwin Denissen
High-Logic
Proven Font Technology
Post Reply