{"id":3146,"date":"2023-05-09T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-09T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/?p=3146"},"modified":"2026-06-07T12:53:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T16:53:55","slug":"whats-that-font","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/whats-that-font\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s That Font?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I know I\u2019ve written several posts about Fonts<\/a><\/strong> & Journaling<\/a><\/strong> and you\u2019re probably wondering if I\u2019ll ever stop.  But I thought it was high time I made sure you knew how to identify a font in an image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever seen a font online that looked perfect for your next project, but couldn\u2019t figure out what it was?  It\u2019s happened to all of us, and there are few things as frustrating as needing to identify a font.  Maybe you\u2019re trying to match the font in an existing piece of word art, or you saw an amazing layout and fell in love with the font used for the title.  Or perhaps it\u2019s as simple as seeing a gorgeous G (so hard to find) on a wedding invitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, I\u2019m going to offer some tips that I hope will help you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note:<\/strong> The featured image is a piece of word art from my private stash\u2026creator unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Identifying Fonts<\/h3>\n\n\n
\n
\"What<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

First of all, you need to level your expectations.  While there are many tools out there for font identification, all of them have limitations.  This is where a bit of typography theory would come in handy.  But I\u2019m not about to get into explaining how details such as the terminals, bowls, counters, loops, etc., will affect your search.  If you want to learn about these typography details please search for some tutorials on the internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a multitude of free online tools that can help you identify a font.  But as I already mentioned they each have their limits.  Three of the most recommended tools are: What The Font<\/a><\/strong> (powered by My Fonts), What Font Is<\/a><\/strong>, & Font Squirrel<\/a><\/strong>.  Of these 3 I find Font Squirrel to be the least user friendly, but I have used it from time to time.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"What<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

“What The Font” is great but the list of fonts a search returns will include only fonts available for purchase (at least in my experience).  That said, it doesn\u2019t mean that you can\u2019t do an independent search for any of those fonts to see if there is a free version.  The upside is that you typically don\u2019t have to parse (separate) letters in a word that are joined together, as you\u2019d find in most script fonts.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"What<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

“What Font Is” gets my vote as the go-to font identifier.  You have the option to select that the search returns only free fonts.  So that\u2019s a huge plus in my book.  While you do have the option to draw lines between joined letters, it\u2019s not always fool proof which brings me to the downsides.  There are basically only two downsides: 1- there are some pesky ads but they aren\u2019t a deal breaker & 2 – you may have to manually parse any joined letters to get good search results.  More on that in a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

“Font Squirrel” just isn\u2019t as user friendly as the other two.  You will almost always have to parse any joined letters.  And I have found the results returned aren\u2019t anywhere near as close a match as what I see with the other two tools.  Needless to say, this is my \u201clast resort\u201d tool but it can work in some instances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now on to the \u201chard part\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parsing Words\/Letters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So, if you read my post about cutting elements into pieces<\/a><\/strong> this should be a breeze for you.  At least in most cases.  Regardless, today I\u2019m going to walk you through some basic steps to get you started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m going to work with the word art featured at the beginning of this post.  Everything that follows is done using Photoshop Elements (PSE).  If you don\u2019t use PSE, I\u2019m fairly certain you can accomplish the same in whatever graphics editor you are using.  Just search for tips\/tutorials for your specific package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the word art open in PSE, I selected the Rectangular Marquee tool in the Tool Options.  I made a selection around the word THROUGH.  Then I selected Edit> Copy which placed my selection into my clipboard.  I then selected File> New> Image from clipboard.  I saved that new file as a JPG under a new name.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

For optimum search results it is best to convert your new image to black & white with a high contrast:  If you\u2019re not sure how to do that please refer back to my post about incorporating handwriting<\/a><\/strong> into digital layouts.  For this particular word I didn\u2019t need to do that as it is already black & white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the word extracted from the main image I uploaded it to “What Font Is”.  Since none of the letters were touching, all I had to do was step through their process and execute a search.  I\u2019m not going to go into all the detail for the steps since it\u2019s really self-explanatory on their site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was thrilled when the very first font returned in the search list was an identical match \u2013 Cormorant Upright<\/a><\/strong>.  “What Font Is” provides a link to download the new font.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Easy peasy\u2026right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what if your letters are touching as they are in the word God?  Well, that depends.  In this particular case I didn\u2019t need to parse the letters because I knew I\u2019d be able to \u201cseparate\u201d them within my font search tool.  And here\u2019s what that looks like in “What Font Is”:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Parsing<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Unfortunately, neither “What The Font” or “What Font Is” returned an exact match for the font.  “Font Squirrel” didn\u2019t even come close!   “What Font Is” did identify what I deemed a suitable alternative font – Fontaine de Diamant.  Using “What The Font” a closer match was Desirable Calligraphy but I couldn\u2019t find a free version of that particular font.  I try not to make a habit of paying for fonts so I downloaded Fontaine de Diamant<\/a><\/strong> from Dafont.com\u2026it\u2019s close enough for my needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes you won\u2019t be able to \u201ccleanly\u201d separate the letters using the lines in “What Font Is” as depicted above.  Let\u2019s look at a different word art example:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Winter<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This is a piece of word art from \u201cWinter Beach\u201d by TraceyB Creations (no longer available).  You can see that there are multiple places where the \u201dcrossbar\u201d of the letter “t” spans across other letters.  It\u2019s going to be pretty tough in some of those cases to draw clean separation lines in “What Font Is”.  This is when you\u2019ll want to parse your letters manually.  I know there are words in that example that I could likely extract and still identify the font.  But I want to show you how to parse letters when you have things like those pesky “ts”.  So, I\u2019m going to use the word stirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All I have to do is extract just that word from the word art and create a new file.  If you\u2019re not sure how to do that refer back to my post about removing parts of an element<\/a><\/strong>.  Since the last “s” in stirs is so close to the “t” in the next word I\u2019ll likely need to erase part of that “t” in the new file.  This is what you want to see:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"stirs\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

With the new file containing only the word \u201cstirs\u201d open in PSE I can begin parsing the letters so there is sufficient space between each letter allowing “What Font Is” to easily see the individual letters without the need to draw the separation lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, I need to increase the canvas size of the new image giving enough room to spread the letters apart.  I usually just double the width of the canvas.  Typically that gives more than enough room.  To do this just select Image> Resize> Canvas Size.  Increase the width of the canvas and select OK.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

With the canvas resized I draw a selection box around the letter \u201cs\u201d and create a new layer via cut (not via copy) being careful not to cut into the letter \u201ct\u201d.  It doesn\u2019t have to be perfect as I can clean up each letter with the eraser tool if necessary.  Then I just move the letter “s” over near the left edge of the canvas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, the letter \u201ct\u201d is going to be a bit trickier.  It\u2019s not going to be possible to cut just that letter out.  So, this time I\u2019ll create a new layer via copy (not cut) being sure I have the entire letter.  I\u2019ll definitely need to use the eraser tool to remove the letter \u201ci\u201d from that new layer.  Then I move the \u201ct\u201d to the left close (but not too) to the letter \u201cs\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the letter \u201ct\u201d was copied to a new layer, I also need to it erase from the original layer and finish \u201ccutting\u201d the remaining letters onto their own separate layers.  This is what you want to end up with:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"stirs<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Crop the file to size and save it as a JPG file.  It\u2019s now ready to use in “What Font Is”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the hard work pays off when “What Font Is” shows a free font identical to what was used in the piece of word art \u2013 Anjellic Dafont<\/a><\/strong>.  I definitely downloaded this one\u2026it\u2019s a very pretty script font!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes you\u2019ll run into trouble finding an identical font due to the glyphs (fancy curls\/extensions) the designer may have used when creating the word art.  But you should be able to find a font that closely resembles your sample in all other ways.  Often times when this is the case you may also find that once you pick & download a font, there may be glyphs associated that will work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Replacing Words In Word Strips<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now that you know how to extract words to identify fonts you should be able to more easily modify existing word strips\/bits to fit your needs.  For example, let\u2019s say you\u2019re working on a layout about a vacation to Lake Michigan.  You have the perfect kit complete with word art\/strips.  Unfortunately, they tend to be more seaside than lakeside oriented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No problem.  Just identify the font(s) and make the adjustments.  However, there can be one little wrinkle when it comes to word strips.  Unless your word strip is a solid color or made using a paper from the kit, you will need to get creative.  But it\u2019s not too difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Nantucket<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This word strip is from \u201cNantucket Feeling<\/a><\/strong>\u201d by The Curio Pantry.\u00a0 I was able to identify the font as Trailmade<\/a><\/strong> and it was available free.\u00a0 So, that\u2019s half the battle.\u00a0 Now what to do about the background?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are several options.  Since I know the font I could always create my own word strip using whatever background I want.  But I do like this background so I\u2019m going to do something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since there\u2019s no paper in the kit that matches I\u2019m going to use the Clone Stamp tool to \u201cbrush away\u201d the word ocean.  With the word strip open in PSE I select the Clone Stamp tool and a nice, soft-edge round brush.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Clone<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Then I just \u201cclone\u201d portions of the background over the word ocean until I\u2019m happy with the background.  This can be a tricky process if you\u2019re a beginner.  But just play around with it until you\u2019re happy with the results.  This is what I came up with:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"ocean<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Then, using my new font I just added the word lake to replace ocean:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Nantucket<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I know I ran through all of this in an abbreviated fashion.  If you get lost, confused or just need some help\u2026please don\u2019t hesitate to message me<\/a><\/strong> & I\u2019ll try to be of assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Single Most Important Tip About Identifying Fonts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lower your expectations and be patient, even though there are hundreds of thousands of fonts out there\u2026you still might not easily find the perfect match.  Especially if you don\u2019t want to purchase fonts.  Sometimes you just need to learn how to settle for \u201cclose enough\u201d.  Believe me, I know how hard it is to do that \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope my pointers above encourage you to think outside the box and not feel like you\u2019re stuck using only the supplies you have in a kit.  Be creative, stretch not only your supplies but also your imagination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for reading this week\u2019s edition of the Tuesday Tip series.  <\/em>If you don\u2019t want to miss what comes next just click \u201cFollow Me<\/a><\/strong>\u201d to stay in touch.  And as always\u2026\u201cHappy Scrapping!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Stay<\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I know I\u2019ve written several posts about Fonts & Journaling and you\u2019re probably wondering if I\u2019ll ever stop.  But I thought it was high time I made sure you knew how to identify a font in an image. Have you ever seen a font online that looked perfect for your next project, but couldn\u2019t figure out what it was?  It\u2019s happened to all of us, and there are few things as frustrating as needing to identify a font.  Maybe you\u2019re…<\/p>\n

Read More Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3145,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"0","landing_page":"","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tuesday-tip-day"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t