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I'm really new to graphic design, and I need some help with this font.

I dont want the "noise" outside the letters

I like the way it behaves with my logo, and I want to use it. But there is a problem, I didn't like the way around the letters, it's all wrinkled, the outside of it (as you can see the example).

I want to remove them (smoothen the edges out)

The font is "Bradley Hand ITC" I'm using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. I'm really new to font-editing and typography. I started like 2 weeks ago with some videos.

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  • 2
    What program are you using? – WELZ May 29 '18 at 2:40
  • I am afraid that there is no good general solution for your problem. Just special cases which may or may not be appropriate. These methods may produce acceptable results only, find another font. – joojaa May 29 '18 at 5:12
  • Could you please add info on the software, your font and method you tried? It seems however that you're using a font that is specifically made to have these edges, so you might be better off just picking a font that is cleaner. – Summer May 29 '18 at 12:20
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Finding a new font (there are hundreds of free script font) is already suggested. I would check it, too. See for ex. https://www.dafont.com

Beware: The creators can want money if you create a business logo. Read licenses before use. That exercice will pay itself back with 1000% interest.

How to make your current selection smooth: You can

  1. outline the text and use path simplifying, automatic or manually remove exessive nodes

  2. draw something resembling

enter image description here

The black version is automatically simplified. You may not like it because automatic simplifying removes nodes with no deeper idea. Manual simplifying is a tedious job, as well you can draw it.

Red is a fast draw (half minute or less /letter) with the pen tool, all letters are single curves

Blue is a little more complex. Actually the red stoke was outlined and a few nodes were removed.

The following is a try with the freehand pencil tool with heavy smoothing ON. That tool is very fast, but the result is less accurate than with the pen. It can still be usable and finally the result is an editable curve like the others.

enter image description here

NOTE:

If you are a beginner, you probably struggle a while before you learn how to keep the control with drawing and node editing tools. With the pen it's far too easy to insert too much nodes - especially, when you trace an existing shape. The less nodes, the easier it is to stay in control and keep exessive twists out.

Add due the comments:

Illustrator offers both easy and hard ways to edit your text smoother.

A hard way:

  • outline you text (Type > Create outlines, Object > Ungroup)
  • use the direct selection tool to adjust Bezier curve nodes and handles, remove the exessive nodes with the anchor point removal tool; its under the pen

An easier way:

Goto Object > Path > Simplify, set Preview on and try different slider combinations. If you are lucky, there exists a good combination which needs only minimal manual node tweaks.

An easy way:

Rasterize your image and use Live Trace to make a simplified version, Expand, Ungroup and tweak with Direct selection tool and Anchor point removal tool.

See an example of tracing settings. Every setting is essential. Select the image and goto Object > Live Trace > Tracing options:

enter image description here

Especially parameters Path Fitting and Minimum corner angle need work because they interact, the result depends heavily on the used combination.

When a good combination is found, click Trace. Then select the result and goto Object > LiveTrace > Expand to fix the tracing. Then ungroup the result.

There maybe are a few unwanted holes and twists. You must fix them manually with the direct selection tool and probably by deleting some exessive anchor points (=nodes).

Maybe not useful, but the next image shows the result after some node edits:

enter image description here

Illustrator allows tracing strokes. A competent Pen tool user probably makes better tracing decisions, but the result in your case is easily edited at least to as good shape as a manual tracing with the freehand pencil tool(+smoothing).

Here's an an example of the dialog and preview

enter image description here

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  • I am using Adobe Illustrator, I am very new to this software and I am only learning through youtube videos. The font is "Bradley Hand ITC". I tried to edit the font letter by letter with the pen tool but the outcome wasnt good, and the work to be done was a lot, so I gave up on this idea. I will try to find another font. – Lucas Guibes Jun 1 '18 at 20:30
  • I liked the way you did in black, and green, but I don't have too much experience to try something like this. – Lucas Guibes Jun 1 '18 at 20:34
  • @LucasGuibes Note: I haven't Bradley Hand ITC font, my only reference was your image. I worked with Inkscape. I made a bitmap trace and simplified it for the black version. Illustrator has more flexible tools, you will get better black and green versions and they will come out more easily. Learn Live trace and apply it to a high resolution raster image. Illustrator will find even the single stroke green version because it can trace strokes, only do some final edits with the direct selection tool. I will add something about it to my answer later. It takes a day because I'm busy now. – user287001 Jun 1 '18 at 21:59
  • @LucasGuibes You have got something for Illustrator, too. NOTE: Bezier curves, how to draw them and how to edit them are the core of Illustrator's abilities. Develop some skills with them to get something which balances the premium price you pay for having Illustrator. – user287001 Jun 2 '18 at 12:45

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