Making Transparent Fonts
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 7:06 pm
Hello,
I'm new to making fonts, although I do have experience with other vector software such as Illustrator, so I'm familiar with the general concepts. I'm trying to determine the most effective method of making a font appear partially-transparent. Specifically, I need my font to appear grey with a black outline (at least on a white background).
I've seen this sort of thing done in various fonts I've downloaded in the past, and I'd assumed that the technique must be relatively straightforward - some fonts even seem to have a gradient, rather than just a simple transparency. I've opened these fonts and examined them in FontCreator, and it seems that the 'transparency' is actually achieved with vast numbers of microscopic vector shapes, creating the illusion of transparency at low point sizes.
For me, this raises 3 questions:
1) Is this actually how the original authors achieved the transparency, or is it a result of FontCreator's import process?
2) Is there a quick way of generating this effect, without spending the next 10 years of my life drawing microscopic vector shapes?
3) Is there a more efficient method of achieving transparency (or at least the illusion of transparency) that I haven't considered, either in FontCreator or elsewhere?
Thanks very much for your time and consideration,
Jamie.
I'm new to making fonts, although I do have experience with other vector software such as Illustrator, so I'm familiar with the general concepts. I'm trying to determine the most effective method of making a font appear partially-transparent. Specifically, I need my font to appear grey with a black outline (at least on a white background).
I've seen this sort of thing done in various fonts I've downloaded in the past, and I'd assumed that the technique must be relatively straightforward - some fonts even seem to have a gradient, rather than just a simple transparency. I've opened these fonts and examined them in FontCreator, and it seems that the 'transparency' is actually achieved with vast numbers of microscopic vector shapes, creating the illusion of transparency at low point sizes.
For me, this raises 3 questions:
1) Is this actually how the original authors achieved the transparency, or is it a result of FontCreator's import process?
2) Is there a quick way of generating this effect, without spending the next 10 years of my life drawing microscopic vector shapes?
3) Is there a more efficient method of achieving transparency (or at least the illusion of transparency) that I haven't considered, either in FontCreator or elsewhere?
Thanks very much for your time and consideration,
Jamie.