How to create font shaped background for words

[Algernon47]

Hi all,

I'm trying to figure out how I can get a white background for a font that has see through elements, I've searched and tried to figure it out but no joy.

I've posted a screenshot to make it easier to explain my question.

What I want is for the letters ABCDE to only show white background where the letters are and not in the area around the letters.

Maybe it's really easy and I'm just being an idiot (probably!) but can anyone give me some ideas please?

Thanks

Allan

[AnaDia]

Hi Allan,

 

Drag the text layer on the white rectangle layer, so that the vertical blue line appears. 

[Algernon47]

Hi Anadia,

Thank you very much!  It's not quite what I'm trying to achieve though.  Please see the next screenshot.
I figure one way of doing it with a raster background and the eraser tool, but am hoping for something quicker and more versatile!

Best wishes

Allan

[G13RL]

Hi @Algernon47,

You can duplicate the text on itself, hide the copy. Convert the original into curves and remove the outer contour (black parts). Turn the shape white and reveal the copy.

 

[Algernon47]

Hi  @G13RL ,

Thank you

I followed your method up to converting to curves but couldn't understand the next step.

I end up with one big vector for each letter, I guess this varies from font to font...

 

[Old Bruce]

45 minutes ago, Algernon47 said:

Hi Anadia,

Thank you very much!  It's not quite what I'm trying to achieve though.  Please see the next screenshot.

I think fonts like that usually come in pairs, solid and engraved. Solid gets white and is below, then the engraved is placed on top. The pair of text objects are grouped.

[Algernon47]

Ah ok I got it now, I just select the curve for each letter then go to Layers>Geometry>Seperate Curves and tada! 

Perfect thank you!

[Old Bruce]

12 minutes ago, Algernon47 said:

method up to converting to curves but couldn't understand the next step.

I end up with one big vector for each letter, I guess this varies from font to font...

You have to delete all the nodes except for the nodes I have circled in green. Note the negative space in the middle of the A.

[G13RL]

Continue selecting the outer nodes as you started at the top of the letter, then delete them. You can do this all at once or in stages.

Edit:

Glad to see you solved your problem.

[Old Bruce]

Not solved, missed the negative space.

[Algernon47]

Yes I see what you mean thanks Old Bruce et al!

 

[G13RL]

15 minutes ago, Old Bruce said:

I think fonts like that usually come in pairs, solid and engraved. Solid gets white and is below, then the engraved is placed on top. The pair of text objects are grouped.

I have several such fonts and none of them come in pairs.

[v_kyr]

That's basically tedious hard work to fill and delete appropriate gaps in such outline fonts. Here's a geometrical subtract approach, aka subtract a copy of the text from the white rect. Afterwards performing a divide on the result to get the white filled letters. Now removing negative space parts from the white letters (again a geom subtract), so the white letters fit under the initial outline text. - The whole is tedious too!

• Example outline-font.afdesign

[Algernon47]

Yes, well I've learnt some more stuff about affinity - thank you all...

In the end it seems to be more like using affinity as an impromptu font editor!  I was surprised there wasn't a more simple route,

but I can see that the negative space parts were always going to make it more complex than I had thought through.

I have used Glyphrstudio in the past to achieve something similar which makes it easier to pick and choose which bits of the font to keep and throw away then create a new separate font parts a bit like Old Bruce was talking about I think.

[Algernon47]

Yes! Excellent thanks for the heads up Anto.

So how I achieved it was reasonably easy in the end.

I created ABED as Artistic Text (image 1)

Made a copy of it and separated all the curves in one copy(layers>geometry>separate curves), then selected all the curves except the "negative spaces" (shown in green)

and change the fill colour to black. (image 2)

I then had to combine each letter using the "add" operation button for each individual letter (trying to do all the letters in one go didn't work)

Then I merged the curves of all four letters including the "negative spaces" (layers>geometry>merge curves) (image 3)

then finally place the original copy of ABED (image 1) on top of Image 3.

Voila!

This was by far the easiest solution I have found.

Thanks everyone.
 

 

[JimmyJack]

No matter how you slice it (pun intended) this is a PITA.

At the very least though, I don’t think it’s necessary to blow apart the text only to then have to reconstruct the letters.

That being said…

Here’s another way to go (this might be a variation of what @G13RL/@Old Bruce are saying. not sure):
1) copy text and hit Add (converts to curves BUT keeps everything together as one object… i.e. not as many separate shapes or as separate letter curves within a group). Hide original.
2) Node tool: Box select the top or bottom outer edge, making sure to get at least one node of each letter. Shift select at least one node of all the interior loops.
3) CMD A (select all) and delete.
4) fill with white (or whatever)

 

[Old Bruce]

Easiest way is to get the two fonts, "regular" and "fill". This is Rosewood Std, the fill and the regular.

[Algernon47]

Thanks Jimmy Jack, that didn't work for me with this font.

When I hit Add it screws up the letter B on this font, also don't fancy trying to navigate all those nodes...

 

 

[Algernon47]

Old Bruce, I am using a font called Romantiques I've not seen fill version anywhere, probably because it's a free font.

 

[Old Bruce]

13 minutes ago, Algernon47 said:

I've not seen fill version anywhere, probably because it's a free font.

If you are going to be using this sort of thing it really is worth spending some time researching fonts and finding ones that have pairs (some have multiples, different engravings plus the solid/fill) and pay for them.

[Algernon47]

Yea, saw that coming a mile off

Thanks for your help.

 

[lacerto]

J

54 minutes ago, Algernon47 said:

Thanks Jimmy Jack, that didn't work for me with this font.

For me JimmyJack's tip seems to work well, also with this same font (I used OTF version of it; that might have something to do it).

 

 

The important part of the instruction is using Ctrl/Cmd+A to easily select all nodes of a sub curve. That makes it easy to remove both the outmost outline and the inner parts to create "holes".

[Algernon47]

You're right Lacerto worked perfectly with OTF version of the font - thanks.

Jimmy Jacks method worked perfectly for me too, thanks again.

[Algernon47]

Actually when I went to use this method "live" it through up further problems, I suspect it might be a bug in Affinity Designer.

Take a look at the corresponding area (circled in green) on each of the letter T's that have been converted using Add sometimes it messes it up, which makes this method not work out of the box.  The only fix I could find was to convert to curves each individual letter first.

Should I report this as a bug?

[JimmyJack]

Hi @Algernon47,

Yeah, even the ttf has some issues when using Add with this font (although, fwiw, the letter T is fine for me).

Fortunately, Add is not the most crucial step. You can use Layer > Convert to curves instead, which will put each letter is on it's own layer in one click.
I've had zero problems with this font doing it this way.
It's not ideal but it's also not a big deal, you just need to make sure you've selected them all for the node selection step (or, you combine them in an extra step: Layer > Geometry > Merge curves.
The one operation to avoid is the Layer > Geometry > Separate Curves (also Boolean Divide). That will blow every single little piece of every letter onto it's own layer and all interior voids will need to be recreated. 

Ultimately, the most "important" step is the node selection/select all/delete.

As far as reporting it.... feel free, but I can guarantee you, Affinity is welllllllll aware of the massive problems with many of the Boolean operations. 
Go ahead tho. Every data point is important.