Have you always dreamed of creating your own fonts but don't know where to start? Maybe you've already tried Calligrapher that allows you to transform your handwriting into a font for your computer but you are looking for something else? Don't worry, we have the perfect tool for you: it's called BitFontMaker2, it's free, works directly on your browser, and requires no prior training. And that's not all, since this tool allows you to load TTF (True Type Font) files, and create fonts derived from your favorite fonts by adding a pixelated style.
The web is full of fonts that can be downloaded for free or not, and it is pretty sure that when you are looking for a particular font, you will find what you are looking for. But if you want to have a little fun expressing your creativity or if you want to transform any font into pixel art mode, there are tools like BitFontMaker2!
Create your own pixel art fonts with BitFontMaker2
BitFontMaker2 is a tool that has been around for a few years now, but I had never taken the time to talk about it.
This tool is presented as a 16 by 16 pixel grid in which you can draw or adjust all the letters of a font. To draw, simply click on each box to blacken or whiten it. To the right of the pixel grid, a list of all the letters you can create. In this list, which has a preview for each letter, you will find all the letters of the alphabet in uppercase and lowercase as well as numbers, special characters and accented letters.
Below the list of characters, the traditional Lorem Ipsum (which you can replace with your own text) allows you to directly visualize the rendering of your font in different size configurations.
To start working on your font, you have several options. If you are brave, you can start from scratch and draw each letter one by one of your font. This is the most creative option but it's a lot of work.
If you want to test and get a result quickly, you can click on "Sample" to load a test font and start editing it. This font is very basic but is a good starting point for your artwork.
Finally, you can also from an existing font provided you retrieve its TTF (True Type Font) file. You will easily find many free fonts with their TTF file online. Once you have it, you can load it into BitFontMaker2 using the "Import TTF" option. The tool will then offer you an adaptation of the font in question in Pixel Art mode because it is made using a 16×16 px grid. You can then modify this font as you wish and adapt it to your taste!
Once you are done creating your font, click Build Font, choose a name for the font, put your author name, set the character spacing and click Build. BitFontMaker2 will create the TTF file of your font and start downloading it to your computer. All you have to do is install it!
Finally, BitFontMaker2 even offers a gallery with the best achievements of the community. These fonts are also downloadable and could serve as a source of inspiration for you. Some of them are very interesting and ideal for all types of projects, especially those designed with a retro aesthetic.
Awesome !
Yes, it's quite a funny thing 🙂