Use Photoshop to draw and convert in to glyphs using autotrace in Fontlab

[NAILS]

I am working on a font where I have drawn the characters in Photoshop 200 x 200 pixels at 72dpi. What I wanted to do was to use the Photoshop files generate my glyphs in fontlab using the autotrace feature, but when I do this it does not trace accurately. The autotrace seems to snap to the fontlab grid that is not accurate to the image that I have imported from Photoshop.

 

Does anyone know what image size works well in Photoshop for exporting into fontlab then using the autotrace?

 

Thanks

[Alex Petrov (FontLab)]

300 dpi should produce better results but this depends on the image shapes. And anyway further manual editing will be required.

[NAILS]

Thanks for your response Alex,

I have tried drawing and exporting the glyph at 300dpi but I am having the same trouble getting a accurate trace in Fontlab. I don't really understand why this doesn't work, I have attached a screen grab of the result I am getting in fontlab. I have tried adjusting the "Glyph window dimensions" in Fontlab but I keep getting the same results.

What is happening is that in photoshop a shape is 1x1 pixel, when i use the autotrace in Fontlab that pixel become 4 x 5 points in fontlab and it distorts the shape.

The trouble i have is that want to make a font that is like a dirty pixel (a bit like Trixie), with opentype alternatives. I would be ideal if i could the most of it in photoshop and then export that into fontlab just adjusting the odd bit.

I guessing it is my settings in fontlab, but I just cant work out what it would need to be. Any other ideas about how i can get this to work?

Thanks

[Elanor99]

Would you not be better trying to do this from a vector image as opposed to a bitmap one?

[NAILS]

Yes I have done them as Vector images, but it's just frustrating that I can not understand why the Fontlab Autotrace was doing what it was.

Thanks

[Baron Von Cruzer]

Personally, I've completely given up on auto-tracing. I almost absolutely never use it at all. Theoretically, it saves time vs. completely manual tracing. But when the auto-tracing is so inaccurate it feels like you've wasted more time.

By the way, the resolution (dpi) is completely irrelevant. It's the total pixel count that's the issue. 200 x 200 is way too rough!

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