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2 Free Tools To Make Your Own Text Font

Kabir Chauhan — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 23:01:17 +0000

I’m a typography fanatic so naturally, I’m deeply invested in searching and experimenting with all kinds of different type styles and fonts.

To this extent, I’ve also tried my hand at creating my own fonts and I have to say that anyone with a little know-how can do it. So how to make a text font?

Here is a highlight of some of the more prominent (and free) tools you can use how to make a custom text font.

Fontstruct

Fonstruct is a web-based application that is an excellent place to create fonts, especially if you’re just starting out. Users have to register to create fonts, but the GUI is oh so user-friendly and you can get started in no time.

Fontstruct starts users off in an MS Paint-like environment where they can utilize “bricks” which are essentially stencils that help to create designs of your choosing. There are dozens of bricks to choose from and each can provide creators with a unique flair to add to your typeface.

Some additional basic tools include an eraser, line/rectangle creator and a panning utility to let you make your font accurately and professionally.

Each letter/symbol in whatever language you choose to make your font in, has a designated “slot” to help you keep track of what letters you’ve made and those that you may have forgotten.

One of the cooler features of Fontstruct is that the site contains character models for over 20 different languages, letting users create fonts for letters in a ton of different languages.

While you’re creating your masterpiece, Fontstruct also lets you type and test what you’ve made in a real-time environment, which is certainly a handy feature for newbie designers and pros alike.

Once you’ve completed your font, you have the option of downloading it (in TrueType format) and/or opening your font up to the public via the gallery. Here users can share, vote on and download each others’ fonts to create a hustling and bustling community of typography-lovers everywhere.

FontForge

If you prefer a software-based approach to creating your next font, then consider FontForge: an excellent freeware program that lets you produce custom fonts. The program is slightly more sophisticated when compared with Fontstruct, and it is also teeming with options and tools.

Users start off with bitmap “glyphs” of characters and symbols which can be molded and reworked in accordance to your desired design. FontForge is compatible with multiple font formats, including TrueType and Opentype.

I would also recommend reading this excellent tutorial provided by the creators of FontForge, which can guide you in starting your font creations. The program is available for Windows®, Mac and Linux, however Windows® users will have to also install Cygwin, which is a free Linux environment for Windows®, which FontForge needs to run.

Aside from this FontForge is certainly worth checking out, but you may want to consider trying out Fontstruct beforehand, to get used to the typography environment and flesh out some of your initial ideas.

Well there you go readers, two cool methods to creating your very own fonts, so go ahead and try ‘em out. You might also want to take a look at another font creation program for Windows called the “Private Character Editor” which Saikat recently wrote about. Or if you’re looking for some design inspiration, check out best source to download free text fonts which Mark wrote about back in November. Finally, you can also use sites like YourFonts to create fonts from your own handwriting.

YourFonts: Creating Fonts Online From You Own Handwriting

Got a comment, question or perhaps a suggestion for another free font creation site? Then why not submit it to the comments section and share your thoughts with fellow MUO readers.

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How To Create Custom Themes For Firefox With Personas

Kabir Chauhan — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:01:11 +0000

There’s no doubt that Firefox is the rising star of web browsers and one of the main reasons for its success is the sheer level of customization possible by way of add-ons and extensions.

Given this, it’s no surprise that Mozilla Labs has released Personas; a creative and fun extension that aims to customize the look of Firefox’s interface by letting you create custom Firefox themes.

Why Personas?

What separates Personas from the usual add-on themes available is that it eliminates the need to incessantly download new themes just to make simple changes to the look of Firefox every now and again. It allows for seamless transformations to the browser without constantly installing new themes and having to restart the browser over and over again.

How Does It Work?

Personas let users change the top and bottom grey backgrounds of the browser window in favor of colorful designs or images. Getting Personas up and running is also easy; simply download the add-on (compatible with Firefox 2.0 and above) and you’ll be presented with a small icon in the bottom-left of the browser on start-up. From here you can select your desired design from dozens of preset themes or you can opt to use the newest or most popular user-submitted Personas as well.

Create Your Own Persona

If you want to take Firefox customization to the next level, you could consider making your very own Persona. Header images should be 3000 pixels wide and 200 pixels long, while footer images should be 3000 x 100 pixels in dimension. Next, upload the images, apply your Persona and you’re good to go.

Keep in mind that .png images work best and that you should try and position the objects in your Persona so that they don’t distract from important areas in the browser, like the Home or Refresh buttons.

The folks at Mozilla Labs also promise that Personas will soon allow for wider content support, including HTML and Javascript, which should make the extension all the more fun.

Personas is currently available for Windows®, Mac and Linux, so go ahead and spice up that boring browser.

Have a question or suggestions? Drop a line in the comments section and share your thoughts with fellow MUO readers. Any other alternative ways to create custom Firefox theme?

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13 Alternative Search Engines That Find What Google Can’t

Kabir Chauhan — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 21:01:19 +0000

Google has become the standard search engine of virtually every web-goer on the internet today. In fact “to Google” is pretty much synonymous with “to search”.

But that certainly doesn’t mean that other search engines can’t do a decent, if not better, job and this list has been compiled for just this reason.

So check out this catalog of awesome alternative search engines that are certain to help you search faster and more efficiently on that World Wide Web.

Music & Video

MP3Realm

If you’re one of the countless people today who gets their music digitally, then MP3Realm is for you. The site features a basic search for MP3’s as well as song lyrics.

MP3s can be streamed, added to playlists and of course downloaded. The advanced search option also lets users browse MP3’s by genre (a ton to choose from) or by artist.

TuneFind

I’m sure that some part of all of our lives has been spent in front of the television and I always manage to find a song that catches my fancy no matter what I’m watching. That’s where TuneFind comes in; the site is dedicated to providing users with the names of artists/song titles that have appeared on their favorite television shows, and even movies.

You can even reverse look up artists, to see which films and shows their music has been featured on.

MuviBee

A site dedicated to the best of both worlds, MuviBee lets users search for music and music videos (via YouTube) that might be associated with the song. The site proves to be versatile and certainly unique, providing users with Top 10 Charts from iTunes, the US, UK and Germany as well as direct links to Amazon and iTunes if you should decide to purchase music you like.

ClipBlast

ClipBlast features short videos from a variety of mainstream sources, including Hulu, TBS, BBC etc. The site is easy to use and loaded with enough content to keep you busy for hours.

Blinkx

Blinkx is another quality video search engine that collects results from hundreds of video/television providers and incorporates them into your search. The site also lets you browse videos from a myriad of topics.

If, by the way, you’re having trouble with videos that are limited to region, like Hulu, then try out some of the neat solutions we’ve covered here at MUO.

Files & Others

Rapidshare1

Rapidshare has become a premium site for uploading and serving content for hungry web users. It’s natural then to expect a site devoted to searching for files on Rapidshare, and Rapidshare1 is it. The site is dead simple and all you need to get going is something to look for.

Filestube

Filestube takes Rapidshare1 to another level by aggregating its searches to include several other networks including MegaUpload, YouSendIt, Filefront etc. Searches can also be filtered by file type which adds more convenience to the engine.

FileSnatcher

Another good site, FileSnatcher lets you look for files on a few different file sharing networks, including Badongo, Mediafire and 4shared.

Recipes & Cooking

Cookstr

As the name implies, Cookstr is for the wannabe-chef in all of us. The site is clean and intuitive and searching is simple. What I like best about Cookstr is the wide range of search filters that they offer, some of which include searching for recipes based on chef, author, skill level, holiday, course, cost and much more.

Keep in mind that the site is still in beta and Cookstr will be adding a “menu-search” feature as well as helpful tips/techniques as the site develops.

RecipeZaar

RecipeZaar is another excellent website for searching up quality recipes for your next meal. Users can also search for ‘cookbooks’ which are a collection of another user’s recipes. Also, recipe results feature ratings and nutritional information.

Fun

Tickex

Trying to buy tickets online? Well then check out Tickex, the site that collects search results from multiple ticket providers for concerts, sporting events and theatre. Searches can be made by venue, country, event, city etc. The site also provides direct links to retailers to simplify your experience even further.

Quotiki

Looking for something clever to say in your next argument? Try out Quotiki, a quotation search engine that has collected some of the wisest and shrewd idioms the world over.

WhatsOpen

WhatsOpen is a young site, but its concept is awesome. They let users see what stores, malls and shops are currently open in their neighborhood and how long they’ll be open. As I’ve mentioned, the site is rather new and the working locations are still limited to a few key cities in the US of A, but rest assured new locations are being added as the site grows.

So there you have it readers, 13 awesome search engines for you to play with. Questions, comments, suggestions? Then drop us a line in the comments and share your thoughts with fellow MUO followers.

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5 Sites That Will Change The Way You Work With Digital Photos

Kabir Chauhan — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:01:37 +0000

With the Christmas season and New Year behind us you’ve no doubt collected a bevy of photographs and like most people you’ve either crammed them into a folder on your computer or done the generic Flickr upload.

But if you’re like me, you’ll be looking for something different to do with the megapixels of memories that you’ve collected over the past few weeks, as well as of years past.

Here is a collection of a few websites that should give you a little more freedom with your images and are sure to change the way you work with digital photographs.

Collagr

If by any chance you’ve already done that Flickr upload, then Collagr is just for you. This easy-to-use site lets you quickly spice up a collection of photos that you may have either on Flickr or Photobucket by simply providing a URL.

Thus far, collages can be customized by way of background colors, layouts, resolutions and overall size. However, the site is still in open beta and more features (including a sleeker UI) are currently in the works.

Big Huge Labs

Big Huge Labs is hands down one of the best sites for playing with your digital photos. The site has a ton of things to do and uploading images is effortless. Photographs can be transformed into movie posters, calendars, trading cards, badges and the even motivational posters.

BHL also offers a bunch of cool effects as well, including a caption-maker, billboard-creator fake magazine cover generator and my personal favorite, the ‘Warholizer’.

Imageloop

Imageloop is a website that offers to create customized slideshows of your photos and images. Registered users (it’s free) can upload photos from their computers, social networks (such as Facebook, Flickr or MySpace), or even from a URL of their choosing.

From their customization of your slideshow is simple: everything from image animations and effects, background music, captions and size can be specifically tailored. The site also allows you to set privacy restrictions to your slide shows; such as allowing or disallowing viewers to add their own images to your collection, for example.

Finished slideshows can be uploaded to preset sites like Facebook and Blogger or to personal websites. Imageloop can also create loop galleries, which feature a sleeker interface, as well as play/pause and speed controls.

Blipfoto

Another cool site, Blipfoto has a unique premise: upload one photo per day to create a daily journal to share with family and friends. The site will probably appeal to more photo-savvy users but the idea is certainly out of the ordinary and can give you a chance to showcase your photos, whether professional or just for fun.

Journal entries can also contain a written commentary about your digital photographs, giving the site a certain blog-like feel and keep in mind that only JPEG format images are permitted for upload.

MyFamily

MyFamily is a site dedicated to personalizing photos and sharing them with…you guessed it: your family. The site lets family members connect with each other by creating a private web locale for you and the people you want to let in.

MyFamily offers unlimited storage of photos, videos and even files, however a free account does have a monthly upload limit of 100 MB (forking over the cash gives you 1 GB). But 100 MB should be more than enough for most people per month.

One of the more prolific features of MyFamily, in my opinion, is the photo story option, which lets users create a 4-picture slideshow, coupled with your own audio commentary that adds a storybook feel to your photos and emphasizes the family-orientated feel of the site.

BONUS:

Loonapix

If Big Huge Labs wasn’t to your heart’s content try Loonapix. The site has almost 40 effects to choose from, including making your pictures look like wanted posters, YouTube videos and newspaper clippings. Most images have to be cropped to get the right effect however, so try sticking to portraits, or small group photos.

Know of any sites that are photo-friendly? Then comment below and share your thoughts with fellow MUO readers.

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