Last updated: June 13, 2014
1. Introduction: Bold and Italic are the most widely-used typefaces for sure. There are several more of them like Condensed, Light, Medium, Oblique and Slated. FonVee is a desktop application that lets you use typefaces effectively in creating images out of styled text.
Using FonVee, there are many ways by which you can change the looks of text. You can underline text with one or two lines. Or strike-through text with one or two lines. You can actually select colors (one for underlines and one for strikethrough) for these lines. Also, apply shadow to text and change space between letters and lines. FonVee uses a security-scoped bookmark to share an export folder. Once you set up a shared folder, you can send all text images to it without letting the application prompt you to name a file. So it'll only take a click on a toolbar button to make a text image.
2. Quick workflow: FonVee's workflow goes as follows.
3. Selecting a shared folder: When you launch FonVee for the first time, an introduction window will appear, asking you to setup an export folder. (See Screenshot 1-01.) If necessary, close the window after turning on checkbox that is labeled the Don't show this window.
FonVee uses a security-scoped bookmark to remember user-defined folder path. A security-scoped bookmark is a sandbox feature that gives an application persistent access to a folder or a file even after it's once closed. Once you set up a shared folder, you can send all text images to it without letting the application prompt you to name a file. In order to set up a shared folder, simply click on the Select button. And you will be prompted to select a folder. (See Screenshot 1-02.) You can also choose Select Export Folder under File for the same purpose. Once you set up an export folder, an invalid indicator next to the Select button will disappear.
4. Changing text looks: In order to make styled text, you need the font panel. If it's closed, click on the Open font panel toolbar button with capital A or choose Show Fonts under Font. By default, Helvetica is the default font that the application selects every time you launch FonVee. (See Screenshot 1-03.) And Regular is the default typeface. Also, it will automatically select 72 points as the default text size.
In order to make an image with styled text, FonVee requires an input string. So enter a letter or more in the top input field. If necessary, hold down the Control key and press RETURN to enter a new line. As you type, styled text will appear over the display window. (See Screenshot 1-04.) What you see here is what you get when you create an image out of it. The fun part starts when you change text colors, applying underlines, strikethough lines, applying shadow to text. There are a dozen controls over a horizontally-stretched window, which we call topbar window. Let's first click on the color button at the left end. (See Screenshot 1-05.) As you select a color over the color panel, the text color will change. Use the tab control next to the text color button to set text alignment.
The text shadow comes with four settings. There's a color button that lets you select a shadow color. If you click on a disclosure button next to that color button, you will have three sliders. (See Screenshot 1-06.) The slider to the left determines the amount of blur. The other two sliders determine a shadow size relative to the original text string. 'Underline' and 'strikethrough' are similar. They both come with a color button and a tab control with three options. So you have an option of having one line, two lines or no line. (See Screenshot 1-07.)
If you explore a disclosure button next to capital K as in kerning, you will find a horizontal slider. (See Screenshot 1-08.) This slider determines space between letters. The higher the value is, the wider space betwen letters will become. Letter P stands for paragraph. Similarly to kerning, you can control space between text lines. Explore a disclosure button next to capital P. (See Screenshot 1-09.) As you increase the value, space between lines will become wider.
Capital S with a green stroke stands for stroke. There are two controls that comes with it. Using a color button, you can select a stroke color. Exploring a disclosure button next to that color button, you will see a vertical slider. Since the default stroke color is transparency, when the slider value first applies, the display window would look as if text has disappeared. So make sure you select a visible color and then apply a relatively large stroke value, and text will reappear with colored borders. (See Screenshot 1-10.)
5. Using Favorite typeface list: You must have a long list of fonts, each of which comes with one or more typefaces. It will be very difficult to keep track of desirable looks once you close the application. What you can do is add a typeface to a favorite list. By adding a typeface to this list, you can quickly select a particular font and its typeface from a drop-down menu. Every time you select a font and its associating typeface, its name will appear in the typeface field. In order to add the current typeface to a favorite list, simply click on the Add (+) button. Then explore the only drop-down menu over the topbar window. And you should find the current typeface (See Screenshot 1-11.) You should find the same name under this drop-down menu even after you restart the application. By choosing a favorite typeface, FonVee will quickly locate the selected one over the font panel.
6. Background: It's possible that you cannot tell styled text from the display background. What you can do is change the background color. There is a tab control at the right end of the topbar window. BLK, WHT, DGY, LGY, CKB stand for black, white, dark gray, light gray and checkerboard. Choose any of them to make styled text visible.
7. Making images out of style text: Once you get styled text over the display window, it'll only take you a click on a toolbar button to make an image out of it. If a toolbar button with a green arrow is disabled, that's probably because you haven't named a file. If you turn on the Use typeface name checkbox, FonVee will automatically insert the current typeface name to the file name field. (See Screenshot 1-13.) Also, PNG is FonVee's default graphic format. So if nothing is selected on the Export format drop-down menu, FonVee will automatically make text images with the PNG format. Now, if you are ready, just click on the Export button. A modal window will briefly appear. (Screenshot 1-14.) An export propress itself should be brief. So it will quickly close itself. You should then find your text image in your export folder. Screenshot 1-15 shows a result of making an image out of styled text. Note that the background color you select over the topbar window has nothing to do with the background color of the image you make. If you select GIF, PNG or TIFF as an export format, you should have transparent background.
There is another toolbar button (one with a brush) that resembles the one you clicked on a minute earlier. Clicking on this toolbar button, you can paint the back of a text image. Clicking on it, you will be first prompted to select an export format with a drop-down menu. Then find a color button under it. (See Screenshot 1-16.) By default, it's complete transparency. So click on this color button to select a color if you want to paint the back of a text image. Next, you will be prompted to name a file. (See Screenshot 1-17.) Screenshot 1-18 shows an example result.
8. Saving progress: FonVee lets you save progress. So you can reproduce your work by just double-clicking on a file. In order to save progress, click on a toolbar button with a floppy disk. Then you will be prompted to name a file. (See Screeshot 1-19.) The file extension is fnv. So name a file, and click on Save. As a result, you will have an application package file. Double-clicking on it, you can reproduce progress. Or choose Open Project under File to select a project file to open. (See Screenshot 1-20.)
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