Variable Font Support

[Hangman]

51 minutes ago, MikeTO said:

With the other guys, I had to drag a slider, let go and see the change, drag it some more, let go, etc.

The beauty of the Affinity apps perhaps...  

[walt.farrell]

37 minutes ago, R C-R said:

Anyway, after installing the Shantell Sans-Variable Font to test it with the beta, I was curious to see how the retail apps handled it. I was surprised that unlike the typical multiple instances of "Regular" or whatever that users have been reporting when they have installed variable fonts, I got a list of its (preset?) styles & each of them works as expected:

It's a Windows vs Mac difference. Mac users get to see all the correct names, but the fonts won't work properly.

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, walt.farrell said:

It's a Windows vs Mac difference. Mac users get to see all the correct names, but the fonts won't work properly.

I'm not sure what you mean by properly, but I can use any of the named variable font styles in 2.4.2, either from the Font Family or Font Style dropdown on the Context toolbar  & get those named styles to set the style of the selected text to the named one.

Of course, there are no variable options if that is what you mean.

On Windows does selecting one of the misnamed styles work to set or change the style blindly or not work at all?

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, MikeTO said:

Just create a blank document, create a frame, choose a font such as Roboto Flex - Font Manager will say OK. Drag any slider - Font Manager will say it's missing. EDIT: but Preflight won't report it as missing.

May be Mac-only, Mike. I don't see that on Windows.

I'm trying to test it on my Mac, but I can't get Roboto Flex installed for some reason. (It's the first time I've tried installing a font. I've Validated the file, but it won't Install from the Validation dialog. It seems to install if I double-click on it, but it doesn't show up in Font Book. Yet if I try to add it to my user, it says it's already installed.

[walt.farrell]

2 minutes ago, R C-R said:

I'm not sure what you mean by properly, but I can use any of the named variable font styles in 2.4.2, either from the Font Family or Font Style dropdown on the Context toolbar  & get those named styles to set the style of the selected text to the named one.

Try exporting a PDF.

[R C-R]

3 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Try exporting a PDF.

Thanks, but my only concern was using the style in the Affinity apps, as I have no reason to export it to PDF.

[MikeTO]

Just now, walt.farrell said:

I'm trying to test it on my Mac, but I can't get Roboto Flex installed for some reason. (It's the first time I've tried installing a font. I've Validated the file, but it won't Install from the Validation dialog. It seems to install if I double-click on it, but it doesn't show up in Font Book. Yet if I try to add it to my user, it says it's already installed.

It should just work. If you already have it installed it should ask if you want to replace it. If you have the static version installed, it should be smart enough to ask if you want to replace it which is nice.

If you open FontBook and choose Settings, is the default installation location set to Current User? Is the font you tried to install in Users/accountname/Library/Fonts?

[walt.farrell]

5 minutes ago, R C-R said:

Thanks, but my only concern was using the style in the Affinity apps, as I have no reason to export it to PDF.

Then maybe it will work OK for you. All you can do is try.

(But yes, this conversation is off-topic here )

[R C-R]

20 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

I'm trying to test it on my Mac, but I can't get Roboto Flex installed for some reason. (It's the first time I've tried installing a font. I've Validated the file, but it won't Install from the Validation dialog. It seems to install if I double-click on it, but it doesn't show up in Font Book. Yet if I try to add it to my user, it says it's already installed.

Hmmm. I downloaded the Roboto Flex file from Google Fonts & double-clicked on it. That opened a small Font Book window with an "Install Font" button. I clicked that & the font was installed without complaint & immediately showed up in Font Book. I selected it & used File > Validate Font & it reported no errors. I just checked in the AD 2.5 beta & it is available & works as expected.

EDIT: I doubt it makes any difference but like @MikeTO mentioned, my default installation location in Font Book is set to "User," not "Computer."

[R C-R]

8 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Then maybe it will work OK for you. All you can do is try.

(But yes, this conversation is off-topic here )

FWIW, I just tried it with AD 2.4.2 & the Roboto Flex font & the PDF exported without any apparent issues.

[walt.farrell]

On 4/12/2024 at 8:53 AM, Ash said:

Variable fonts

Apps: Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, Affinity Publisher
Platforms: All

To try out variable fonts in Affinity, apply one to some text and then:
- On iPad, tap the arrow to the right of Bold/Italic/Underline/Strikethrough on the Text Panel and then tap Variations.

I thought I'd play around with the new Variable Font support using Publisher 2.5.0.2415 on my iPad.

I downloaded Roboto Flex from Google Fonts, asked iFont to install it, and got this:

Are there any hints for how to install Variable fonts some other way that is supported?

[R C-R]

31 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Are there any hints for how to install Variable fonts some other way that is supported?

Did you try Settings > Fonts in one of the iPad Affinity apps?

EDIT: Annoyingly, I cannot figure out how to install any of the iPad 2.5 betas on my iPad. It keeps asking for a Redeem code which I do not have & have forgotten where to request one. 

[Alfred]

24 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Are there any hints for how to install Variable fonts some other way that is supported?

I don’t think there is another way at the moment. I got the same message from iFont when I tried to install Inter earlier this evening.

[Alfred]

4 minutes ago, Alfred said:

I don’t think there is another way at the moment. I got the same message from iFont when I tried to install Inter earlier this evening.

I’ve just tried again with AnyFont. It responded with the following message:

Quote

Profile Installation Failed
The font payload must contain exactly
one font in TrueType or OpenType
format. Collection formats are not
supported.

 

[walt.farrell]

9 minutes ago, R C-R said:

Did you try Settings > Fonts in one of the iPad Affinity apps?

Thanks. That does work.

[Alfred]

10 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Thanks. That does work.

It works to get the typeface installed, but all I see here is a choice of individual weights/styles. There’s no UI for the VF axes.

[Frozen Death Knight]

This feature is pretty cool! Will there be any new fonts packaged in that utilizes it? Only a couple of fonts actually use it after I I was trying it out.

[Alfred]

4 minutes ago, Frozen Death Knight said:

This feature is pretty cool! Will there be any new fonts packaged in that utilizes it? Only a couple of fonts actually use it after I I was trying it out.

Try here: https://fonts.google.com/variablefonts

[Frozen Death Knight]

1 minute ago, Alfred said:

Try here: https://fonts.google.com/variablefonts

Thanks! Are they all free to use for anything? 

[Alfred]

6 minutes ago, Frozen Death Knight said:

Thanks! Are they all free to use for anything? 

You’re welcome! And yes, they’re all free.

https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq

Quote

Is there a cost for any of these fonts?

No, all Google Fonts are open source and are without cost.

 

[4dimage]

see license:

https://fonts.google.com/noto/specimen/Noto+Sans/about

https://openfontlicense.org/how-to-use-ofl-fonts/

[Alfred]

25 minutes ago, Alfred said:

There’s no UI for the VF axes.

I wasn’t looking in the right place! You need to go to ‘Text Studio > Character > Variations’.

[MikeTO]

I'm no expert on iPad font installers but I installed Roboto Flex with Fontster. I tested it with Photoshop to confirm it was installed properly.

But I couldn't get it to work with the Publisher 2.5 beta on iPad, selecting Roboto Flex showed a ? before the family name, there was nothing in the font style menu, and there was no Variations button. Maybe I'm missing something.

[R C-R]

5 minutes ago, Alfred said:

I wasn’t looking in the right place! You need to go to ‘Text Studio > Character > Variations’.

FWIW, this is where it is shown in the first post by @Ash  after the "Variation settings on iPad." text.

[fde101]

8 hours ago, Hangman said:

To be honest I think Font Variations would be more useful as a studio panel in the same vein as the Typography panel...

I think they should be *in* the Typography panel (in a new section that can optionally collapse just like the existing ones).