why doesnt FCP see my new fonts?

For a project, I needed a bunch of fonts, which the client sent me. I installed the new fonts in my system font folder, but when I open my text tool in FCP, it doesn't know they are there. (Curiously, in Motion I am able to access them.)

How can I fix this - I do want to use the FCP text tool, because it would be so much faster. I noticed that the fonts that originally were inside my system font folder all had some sort of extension, while the new ones don't. Could that be the problem? Iconwise, they all look the same.

In the FAQ, someone once mentioned imported fonts need to be inside a family group - if that is the problem, how do I do that?

Please help!

Welcome to the "WWOTTLFCPTT" (Wonderful World Of The Totally Lame FCP Text Tool). This ridiculous "tool" doesn't see full font families.

I would try Title 3D instead (Viewer dropdown / Boris).

I personally use an outside program for text (After Effects / Photoshop / Illustrator) & import it into FCP. Much more design control

Joey

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

What Joey said, plus check out your FontBook to see that the imported fonts actually show up in the OS. They might be greyed out or indicated as "OFF". There's a button at the base of the list window to toggle them on or off.

Then do a Validate Font check from the Fontbook Edit menu, and while you're at it, Resolve Duplicates, in case you have any.

- Loren
Today's FCP keytip:
Apply a default AUDIO transition with Command-Option-T !

Final Cut Studio 2 KeyGuide? Power Pack.
Now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com

If FCP was running you when you added the fonts you may need to restart it before you see them show up.

Incidentally, I use a font manager tool called FontExplorer X. It's from Linotype and it beats the pants off of Suitcase and Fontbook. Makes it much easier to manage your fonts and organize them, allowing you to store them in their own directory (I never copy anything into my System font folder anymore). It's like iTunes for fonts; best of all it's FREE.

FontExplorer X

JK

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SCQT! Self-contained QuickTime ? pass it on!

I recently had a huge issue with FCP text tool. It would not read any fonts except 1.
Then I changed the font family in font book. They all magically appeared.
Under the collection menu in font book there is 3 or 4 options like, computer, user, all fonts.
Try changing that from whatever its on now to just computer fonts or try a couple of different ones.
It worked for me.
Good luck.

How do I get to the FontBook?

I your application folder. Also don't install fonts into your system folder install them in your ~user /library/fonts folder loading all those font in the system can slow it down as it has to load them all. I even like creating a new user for just editing with only the fonts I use in that users fonts folder.

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Dean

"When I see you floating down the gutter I'll give you a bottle of wine."
Captain Beefheart, Trout Mask Replica.

The fontts all show up in FontBook, and they are valid and enabled. Nothing I do in there as far as changing collections makes any difference. FCP refuses to see them.

I thought I'd create a user collection, with just that one font in there, but I can't seem to enable the user option. I click on "enable user", but it remains "off". Hm. Very frustrating.

What kind of fonts are they -- Truetype, Postscript, Opentype? What's the extension on the font file? Any chance they're PC fonts?

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SCQT! Self-contained QuickTime ? pass it on!

FCP won't recognize PostScript fonts - only TrueType.

Scott

Quote

FCP won't recognize PostScript fonts - only TrueType.

Not true. All of my activated Postscript fonts show up in FCP. The problem is though that the text tool only sees one font out of an entire family; if you have the full Helvetica Neue package (for example) with 20 variations it will only allow you to use one, which is usually some italic-condensed weight I have no use for.

The Boris plugins can see all the weights, and obviously LT and Motion as well. It just puts an extra step in the process of getting the right text on screen.

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SCQT! Self-contained QuickTime ? pass it on!