Web Design Forums

mathias · 18-10-2006, 13:24

Confused, which isn't rare, about anti-aliasing HTML text. Some text is, some text isn't. Obviously, smaller text is better off not smoothed, but larger text looks so much better.

-How do you control what text is smoothed and what isn't?

freelancr · 18-10-2006, 14:33

I don't think you can, unless you use an image replacement technique or sIFR.

Cooper · 19-10-2006, 15:38

Some operating systems let the user specify what size on-screen fonts should be before being anti-aliased. Not sure if it's down to that or a comand in HTML/CSS.

To me, it looks as if our usernames are anti-aliased while other text, such as post content and headers is not.

mathias · 19-10-2006, 17:22

It is indeed anti-aliased. I need to know what controls this.

freelancr · 19-10-2006, 17:47

there isnt anything you can do it change it, its a user setting. In windows you can have Standard or Cleartype (cleartype is smoother, but is fucking annoying once you are used to standard)

version · 19-10-2006, 19:09

i have to say this is one thing i truly love about the mac. all text is antialiased & it makes it feel like you're looking at print or something. but then jobs has always been obsessed with type so i guess he was keen to get that in as early as possible.

freelancr · 20-10-2006, 08:58

if you have a pc, use cleartype on windows to get a simular effect?

Cooper · 20-10-2006, 09:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by version

i have to say this is one thing i truly love about the mac. all text is antialiased & it makes it feel like you're looking at print or something. but then jobs has always been obsessed with type so i guess he was keen to get that in as early as possible.

Yeah, on the mac you can tell it when to stop anti-aliaising fonts - you just set a point size and anything below that it won't smooth. You shouldn't have it smoothing all size font's though, small point sizes are more difficult to read when they are smoothed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by freelancr

if you have a pc, use cleartype on windows to get a simular effect?

That's neat. Looks a bit blurry though, which is why being able to apply it selectively is better. But then Standard does that anyway, you just don't have the same control as you do on the Mac, but it switches it off round about the point size that I would disable it anyway.

mathias · 20-10-2006, 13:10

Screw it, I just won't worry about it. Vista will probably change everything, anyway. Yup, I'm a PC user.

dorian · 20-10-2006, 13:20

Quote:

Vista will probably change everything

dream on...

cleartype is shit.

dorian · 20-10-2006, 13:29

ie: why is grey text antialiased with colour??

pedge · 20-10-2006, 14:03

Have to admit, I've always been a mac user and only when I got the Mac Pro and put Windows XP on it was I amazed by the crude rendering of the text of websites when compared with the mac.

I'm not starting a Mac versus PC thing, but I'm surprised the type handling in Windows is so naff...

freelancr · 20-10-2006, 16:04

cleartype pisses me off, small fonts look shite

pgo · 20-10-2006, 18:03

I don't mind ClearType so long as you're using an LCD. Looks terrible on CRT.

Not as nice as a Mac though.

freelancr · 20-10-2006, 18:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by pgo

I don't mind ClearType so long as you're using an LCD. Looks terrible on CRT.

Not as nice as a Mac though.

looks rank on my tft

pgo · 20-10-2006, 20:16

I'm using it right now and loving every minute!

hawken · 21-10-2006, 06:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by dorian

ie: why is grey text antialiased with colour??

don't be a nutcase, cleartype for windows is designed to work on an LCD using DVI only. Colour has levels, just like grey, so it makes no difference. The use of colour is probably some boffins way of making it look better. Red on the left, Blue on the right. Some kind of 3D thing I guess!!

Mac does this cleartype nonsense automatically. Which makes all our sites look shite on a pc.

bah.

18-10-2006, 13:24	#1 (permalink)
mathias Refrigerated User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Central US Posts: 163	Anti-aliased (smoothed) text in your browser? Confused, which isn't rare, about anti-aliasing HTML text. Some text is, some text isn't. Obviously, smaller text is better off not smoothed, but larger text looks so much better. -How do you control what text is smoothed and what isn't?

20-10-2006, 13:29	#11 (permalink)
dorian i do lines Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Poland/Denmark Posts: 3,233	ie: why is grey text antialiased with colour?? __________________ ...

20-10-2006, 14:03	#12 (permalink)
pedge Crazy diamond... Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Liverpool (UK) Posts: 746	Have to admit, I've always been a mac user and only when I got the Mac Pro and put Windows XP on it was I amazed by the crude rendering of the text of websites when compared with the mac. I'm not starting a Mac versus PC thing, but I'm surprised the type handling in Windows is so naff... __________________ Effervescing Elephant

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18-10-2006, 14:33	#2 (permalink)
freelancr Web Developer Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 2,007	I don't think you can, unless you use an image replacement technique or sIFR.

19-10-2006, 15:38	#3 (permalink)
Cooper Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 42	Some operating systems let the user specify what size on-screen fonts should be before being anti-aliased. Not sure if it's down to that or a comand in HTML/CSS. To me, it looks as if our usernames are anti-aliased while other text, such as post content and headers is not.

19-10-2006, 17:22	#4 (permalink)
mathias Refrigerated User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Central US Posts: 163	It is indeed anti-aliased. I need to know what controls this.

19-10-2006, 17:47	#5 (permalink)
freelancr Web Developer Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 2,007	there isnt anything you can do it change it, its a user setting. In windows you can have Standard or Cleartype (cleartype is smoother, but is fucking annoying once you are used to standard)

19-10-2006, 19:09	#6 (permalink)
version caspar (v) Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: new york Posts: 52	i have to say this is one thing i truly love about the mac. all text is antialiased & it makes it feel like you're looking at print or something. but then jobs has always been obsessed with type so i guess he was keen to get that in as early as possible.

20-10-2006, 08:58	#7 (permalink)
freelancr Web Developer Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 2,007	if you have a pc, use cleartype on windows to get a simular effect?

20-10-2006, 13:10	#9 (permalink)
mathias Refrigerated User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Central US Posts: 163	Screw it, I just won't worry about it. Vista will probably change everything, anyway. Yup, I'm a PC user.

20-10-2006, 16:04	#13 (permalink)
freelancr Web Developer Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 2,007	cleartype pisses me off, small fonts look shite

20-10-2006, 18:03	#14 (permalink)
pgo i'm done, son Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 12,262	I don't mind ClearType so long as you're using an LCD. Looks terrible on CRT. Not as nice as a Mac though.

20-10-2006, 20:16	#16 (permalink)
pgo i'm done, son Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 12,262	I'm using it right now and loving every minute!

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