Adobe Photoshop is one of the best programs in the world for image manipulation and, for this reason, it is used by both amateur and professional users. Among the most used features, there is the addition of text to images and photographs, choosing from a wide variety of fonts, including those already present on your computer. Adding a new font to Photoshop is a very simple process, in fact it is sufficient to copy it to your computer hard drive, then the program itself will take care of detecting it automatically.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Add a Font on Windows Systems (all versions)
Step 1. Download the new font installation file from the web
To find the desired font, you can search the web using the keywords "free font", then simply select the link or the "Download" button for the font you want to download. There are hundreds of sites on the web offering new fonts, and normally, the first page of your search results will already offer a large number of reliable options.
- If you wish, you can also purchase CDs or DVDs containing installation files for different fonts, which are available at any computer store.
- For simplicity and organization, it is usually a good idea to save all new fonts in a single folder on your computer desktop. However, if you know exactly where you downloaded the installation files for the new fonts, this step is not mandatory.
Step 2. Prepare the installation files
The version of the operating system being used is not a relevant aspect. Even in Windows XP, which is no longer supported by Microsoft and no longer receives updates via the Windows Update service, new fonts can be installed. If you have downloaded a compressed archive in ZIP format, select it with the right mouse button and choose the option to extract the data contained in it. At this point, locate the font installation file by looking at its extension (the part of the file name after the dot). Photoshop supported fonts have the following extensions:
- .otf
- .ttf
- .pbf
- .pfm
Step 3. Select a font file with the right mouse button, then choose "Install" from the context menu that appeared
If this option is available, selecting it will automatically install the font on your system. To install multiple fonts at the same time, select their installation files by holding down the "Ctrl" or "Shift" key.
Step 4. If the "Install" option is not present, you must use the Windows "Control Panel" to add new fonts
Some computers do not allow quick installation of fonts, but even then, adding new fonts remains very simple. Access the "Start" menu and select the "Control Panel" item. From the appeared window proceed as follows:
- Select the "Appearance and Personalization" category (note: if you are using a Windows XP system you can skip this step).
- Choose the "Fonts" icon.
- With the right mouse button select an empty point in the font list, then choose "Install new font" from the context menu that appeared (note: in Windows XP this option is found in the " File ").
- Choose the font you want to install, then press the "OK" button.
Method 2 of 2: Add a Font on Mac OS X
Step 1. Locate and download the new font you wish to install
To do this, search online using the keywords "Free Photoshop Font Mac". As a result you will get hundreds of available fonts, all of which can be downloaded and installed very easily. Save the installation file to a new folder on your desktop. For convenience, call it "Characters_Temp".
Step 2. Close all active applications
Most programs support fonts installed on your system, which means that at startup they check your computer which fonts are available for use. In order for the programs to detect new fonts, you will need to close all running ones before proceeding with the installation.
Step 3. Select the font you wish to install with a double click of the mouse to open the "Font Book" application
The files may be in ZIP format, so to access the contained items you will need to select the compressed archive with a double click of the mouse. At this point, you will be able to select the actual installation file to be displayed within the "Font Book" application. Font installation files have the following extensions:
- .ttf
- .otf
Step 4. After the "Font Book" application window appears, press the "Install Font" button
The ".ttf" or ".otf" file, relating to the new font to be installed, should open within the "Font Book" application. From this window it will be sufficient to simply press the "Install Font" button, located in the lower left corner, to proceed with the installation of the new font. Photoshop will automatically identify the new font and take care of all the necessary operations to use it.
Step 5. Alternatively, to manually install the new font, you need to access the system font libraries via the "Finder" application
There are two folders where you can copy a font installation file, and both are extremely easy to reach. To do this, you can use the following strings, typing them into the search bar. In the second case you will have to replace the parameter with the name of your account. If your user profile has system administration permissions, you can use the first search string, but either way, both are suitable for our purpose:
- / Library / Fonts /
- / Users // Library / Fonts /
Step 6. Select and drag the new font installation file into the folder you chose in the previous step
When the transfer is complete you will be ready to use the new font. Restart or re-open Photoshop to use the newly installed font.
Advice
- Not all fonts can be used in Photoshop. Look for "True Type" or "OpenType" fonts to make sure they are compatible with the program. In the case of other font formats, you will need to try installing them to verify that they are suitable for your version of Photoshop.
- While installing new fonts, Photoshop should not be running. If not, you will need to restart the program for the new fonts to be detected correctly.
- At the moment, oriental language fonts, both Japanese and Chinese, are also available for Photoshop. These characters can also be used as graphics.
