For the OpenType tables which Photoshop can use directly (see the Character Palette flyout menu when using an OpenType font – we support quite a few of them), that’s the fastest way. If it’s a glyph which isn’t accessible through those tables, you’ve already found the workaround.
-Scott
Scott,
Simple question then… why no glyphs palette in this version of PS??? It would have been SUCH an important update!!
Any chance this can get implemented into an addon patch? Having to go back and forth between apps just to get the right glyph is no fun!
What was the reasoning behind not including the glyphs palette?
Photoshop isn’t a page layout app. It’s a lot of work for a smaller percentage of our users than the other features which did get included. A glyph palette isn’t trivial – it’s quite a large and complex feature.
And rather than copying a glyph at a time from Illustrator, compose a larger block of text in Illustrator and copy the larger block all at once.
-Scott
Why is this always the answer: "It isn’t a page layout app…" This is the same answer we get for why Illustrator STILL doesn’t support multiple pages. Sigh….
But the lack of a Glyphs palette in Photoshop is a VERY different issue. Let me try to illustrate the severity of this issue:
I created a design in Photoshop last year that included the use of Bickham Script in the image for the word "Fragile". At the time, the only available Bickham Script font was the old Multiple Master from Font Folio 8 or 9. So I used the standard Bickham Script MM and then for the first letter of the text (F), I changed it to Bickham Alternates I MM and for the letter g in the text, I wanted the version that swoops down to the left so I selected the g and chose to use Bickham Alternates II MM.
Jump ahead to OpenType fonts. If I move ahead to Bickham Script Std, which is the new, OpenType version of Bickham Script MM, it presents BIG problems in Photoshop because there is no glyphs palette. I can write out the same text (Fragile) in Photoshop CS using Bickham Script Std but when I want 1)the more decorative F and 2) the more decorative lowercase g , there is not an easy way to get this anymore!!
I tried to recreate the word Fragile in InDesign CS with the OpenType version of Bickham Script Std (which worked fine because of the glyphs palette), copy the entire text and then PASTE it into a text box in Photoshop CS that was using Bickham Script Std, but this DIDN’T WORK! I tried the same thing from Illustrator and had the same problem. When I paste it, it defaults to the standard glyphs for the F and the g. And if I go back to Ill or Indesign and selectively copy the F or g to paste into the Photoshop text frame, it still doesn’t work.
So now I am faced with the huge problem of how I can get this text as I want it to appear into Photoshop CS so it is still editable. Before, using the old Multiple Master version of Bickham, it was easy since each alternate version of a glyph was inside a different font (Alternates I & Alternates II). But now, using the new OpenType version, there is NO WAY to access these alternates.
I realize for this particular issue I could simply use the old Multiple Master version of Bickham to solve this problem but if I want to begin to move towards the new technology of OpenType fonts for all my fonts, this is a MAJOR SETBACK!
How I am supposed to do deal with this?
Can you see (and this is only ONE example) why it is so important to have a glyphs palette in Photoshop?? We’re essentially talking about losing functionality when using OpenType fonts. I feel as though this should be on the top of the list for Photoshop updates not down at the bottom!
Please let me know your thoughts on this…
I think what you may need to do if you want alternate glyphs is to convert to curves in Illustrator and paste that.
Bob
Biz – Scott answered your question with "It’s a lot of work for a smaller percentage of our users than the other features which did get included."
How does Adobe measure this kind of thing anyway? OpenType is fairly new, as is the glyphs palette. How would they even know whether people wanted this or not?
Furthermore, I think this becomes even more of an issue when it’s about loss of functionality… and that’s what’s happening. Without the glyphs palette, you simply cannot access these characters in an OpenType font. To me, that’s a serious issue.
You guys don’t think so?
I think it would be nice to have but I don’t rely on Photoshop for a lot of text work. So for me, if I really need a glyph or two that were "hidden" in an OT font, I simply do what I advised earlier…convert it to outlines in Illustrator and bring it in that way.
Bob
