Find a font from an image or an URL

Also available in: Français

“This font is just awesome! I want the same for my new project!”. Yep, it’s happening to me too, sometimes. But I’m not a typographer. When I need to find the name of a typeface I saw, I have two solutions: asking Twitter (so, what?!) or using a tool to help me. And you know what? I found one to help me in that task.

The magic tool is What Font is.

Basics…

This website is actually easy to use, if you have the URL of an image, or a real image in your computer that contains the font you are looking for. Just fills one of the field available and click to Continue. Be careful of image contrasts, they have to be strong. You can optionaly use the option “The background color is dark, please invert colors” if your image background is dark.

A list of detected letters is showing up to you. If some fields are not filled, fills the blank one with the corresponding letter. If a letter is broken (half part of one letter, or two letters in one detection), just let the corresponding field blank.

Validate that step. A list of typefaces will be proposed to you at the next step.

Some advices

I tested this tool with some pictures, and sometimes it didn’t work for logical reasons. You have to respect:

• a good contrast between background and text,
• a big space between font caracters
• a big image if it’s possible
• a light background with a dark font color

Those are the basics to begin a research.

This tool is an excellent way to find some clues if you’re not a typographer.
The good point is you can also use it to find a free font with the same specifications that a paid version.

Good luck 🙂