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Another Way To Organize Fonts


ChristyVW

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I just learned another trick that may be useful for organizing fonts in Photoshop.

 

In photoshop, you can create sets (presets) of fonts, similar to a creating brush set.

 

With your text tool selected, choose a font (you can also choose the style, size, and orientation that you want saved). From the T in the far left corner select the drop down arrow and then the smaller arrow to access the menu. Choose New Tool Preset - Photoshop gives it a lengthy name based on font, size, etc, but you can choose a different name than what PS assigns, you can even use the original font name.

 

If you wanted to create a preset of script fonts, for example, you would repeat the above step for each script type font you want in the set. Then select the drop down arrow again, then the smaller arrow, then 'Save Tool Presets'. Choose a name for your group and save it!

 

When you want to work from one of your saved presets, you select the drop down arrow again, then the smaller arrow, then 'Replace Tool Presets'. You can then select your font from your preset list instead of the master list of fonts!!

 

It works very much the same way as loading/replacing brushes.

 

This does not move or change the fonts on your computer, just organizes them into categories in Photoshop.

 

Thought this might be a helpful alternative to using font thing or another program!!

 

HTH!!

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  • 4 weeks later...

As a font-aholic, I probably have at least 12,000 fonts. I do have duplicates, and I do get rid of them when I find them. I just don't tend to want to play housekeeper in my fonts! I keep my fonts organized in two ways. First, by the foundry they came from, like P22, Linotype, ROB, 2Peas, Bitstream, etc. which helps enormously... and the rest, if I don't know the foundry, I have organized alphabetically. But it's great to find what I need.... and I have special categories of fonts for things like "Christmas" "Dingbats", etc., so I can grab what I need. You DO know that you don't need to load them all? You can keep them in a folder on your hard drive, and just open the folder, find the font you want, and click to open it... it will then be available to use immediately, without being installed. The "down side" of this is that when you close the folder, the font is no longer available until you open it again, but it sure keeps you from having so many fonts installed in your OS that it slows down your system.

 

This works equally well for Windows and Macs... but especially for Windows. I used to really love using Font Reserve in Windows, as I could create all sorts of sets, and enable/disable with a click of a button. Extensis bought Font Reserve, and so you now can use Suitcase, which is a great font management tool. For a free one for Windows, I'm trying to remember the name of the one I finally settled on... Font Xplorer, I think? I use Font Book on the Mac. I don't play much in Windows anymore, but I am still dual platform capable... I won't be going Vista anytime soon though... even the majority of the staff at PC Magazine prefer the Mac Leopard OS to Vista... now THAT is saying something!

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  • 1 year later...
I just learned another trick that may be useful for organizing fonts in Photoshop.

 

In photoshop, you can create sets (presets) of fonts, similar to a creating brush set.

 

With your text tool selected, choose a font (you can also choose the style, size, and orientation that you want saved). From the T in the far left corner select the drop down arrow and then the smaller arrow to access the menu. Choose New Tool Preset - Photoshop gives it a lengthy name based on font, size, etc, but you can choose a different name than what PS assigns, you can even use the original font name.

 

If you wanted to create a preset of script fonts, for example, you would repeat the above step for each script type font you want in the set. Then select the drop down arrow again, then the smaller arrow, then 'Save Tool Presets'. Choose a name for your group and save it!

 

When you want to work from one of your saved presets, you select the drop down arrow again, then the smaller arrow, then 'Replace Tool Presets'. You can then select your font from your preset list instead of the master list of fonts!!

 

It works very much the same way as loading/replacing brushes.

 

This does not move or change the fonts on your computer, just organizes them into categories in Photoshop.

 

Thought this might be a helpful alternative to using font thing or another program!!

 

HTH!!

 

 

I love this idea Christy, especially for script/typewriter/grunge/doodle fonts.

 

But, I think I am doing something wrong. For instance, if I want to select and put my typewriter fonts in a grouping...do I first click on the T and the arrow and click "new tool preset" each time, for each font?

 

What do I do first to get the typewriter fonts selected. I feel like maybe I am missing step.

 

Some others out there may know the answer too!

 

TIA!

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Oh wow ChristyVW, that is a GREAT idea! I'm going to use that method for my installed fonts. I also use AMP Font Viewer (it's free) to temporarily install fonts that I don't use often. Maybe I'll stop using that thanks to Luthien's tip!

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But, I think I am doing something wrong. For instance, if I want to select and put my typewriter fonts in a grouping...do I first click on the T and the arrow and click "new tool preset" each time, for each font?

 

What do I do first to get the typewriter fonts selected. I feel like maybe I am missing step.

 

TIA!

 

You select each of your typewriter fonts, one by one, and do the new tool preset. (I would also make sure your size is what you want the default too, as it saves that too). Once you have all the typewriter fonts in the presets, click the little right pointing arrow in the preset window, upper left, and select the preset manager. Ctrl-click all of your typewriter fonts, so they are selected/highlighted, and Select 'Save Set'. This set can now be loaded any time you like.

 

I also recommend that you reset the presets when you are done playing with this, so that Photoshop doesn't load all the new text presets everytime you open it.

 

I totally forgot that I posted this thread!! I have never actually gone to this system. I have just been trying to keep my font list to a minimum instead :)

 

HTH!!

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this is a great idea...thanks so much.... i use amp viewer and then i have an extra step to go to it to find all the scripts for example...i heard that all the fonts really make photoshop slow to load...do you notice that the presets add to this???

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this is a great idea...thanks so much.... i use amp viewer and then i have an extra step to go to it to find all the scripts for example...i heard that all the fonts really make photoshop slow to load...do you notice that the presets add to this???

 

Yes, they would slow photoshop down.

 

What I do is keep everything on a separate drive. Photoshop runs from C (main drive) and all of the presets, fonts etc are loaded from F: when i need them. I use AMP viewer now for my fonts that are also stored on the F drive in categorized folders.

Sometimes it is a pain but, I would rather have to hunt for the F folder when i want to load something and keep photoshop running as quick as possible :)

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