5 Free Ways to Identify a Font in an Image
Sometimes you need to recreate an image from a bitmap or raster design but don't know which font was used for the original. Maybe you're trying to recreate your logo as a vector, or maybe you've fallen in love with a font and want to use it in your own design work. This page introduces some free tools online to help you identify a font from an image.
WhatTheFont
WhatTheFont is a tool that allows you to upload a bitmap or raster image, and will identify the font for you.
What Font Is?
What Font Is is another font finder that allows you to upload a JPEG image to identify a font. In addition, once revealed, it shows you a list of similar font choices. What Font Is also has a browser extension you can use to identify the fonts on websites with a right click.
Let the Experts Help You
Forums are a great place to ask real people and experts to identify your mystery font. Typophile is an enormous online community of font experts and enthusiasts. Simply post a raster image of the font you're looking for as a new thread. Most other font-identification sites also have forums where you can do this, but the communities won't be as big or as useful as Typophile.
Font Finder
Find My Font searches your hard-drive for fonts you have installed and matches them to fonts in a flattened image or graphic. This is helpful if you know what computer the image was created on. It comes as either a free trial or a pro version.
Identifont Font Tree
Identifont is a question-and-answer program that will help you identify a font by asking questions about what your font looks like. For example, it will ask: does the uppercase J extend below the baseline? Does the dollar sign have two lines going down or one? It's a good program but does have its limits. If you only have a few words or characters to work from it may not be able to help you. It's certainly worth a try though, especially since it's free!
How did you detect your font from a gif or jpg image? - Did you use one of these options or something different?
VioletteRose LM on June 16, 2014:
This is really useful, thanks so much!
Doc_Holliday on August 25, 2013:
Useful information. I am going to give it a try. Thanks for sharing.
othellos on August 14, 2013:
Really beautiful lens with lots of interesting content. I'll be back to study more.
BlowDryBar on August 05, 2013:
I had no idea this could even be done!
ConvenientCalendar on May 12, 2013:
Great lens!
Cynthia Haltom from Diamondhead on April 19, 2013:
Thanks for sharing this info.
hmommers on March 25, 2013:
Oh oh, sorry I put my response in the wrong box. :-D
pantjing on February 20, 2013:
thanks... i need this information, cos i work in graphic design, and sumtimes my customer don't understand about what font they used.
dream1983 on December 01, 2012:
Great lens, nicely done!
Gayle Dowell from Kansas on November 22, 2012:
What a great tool. I could have used this when I did graphic design work.
Darcie French from Abbotsford, BC on November 16, 2012:
Thanks so much for the intro to Font Identifier
zentao on November 14, 2012:
Great idea and a very useful tool! thanks for sharing this
Monette from Dubai on November 14, 2012:
it seem a helpful lens
TipsForMoms on November 05, 2012:
This is wonderful, useful information. Thank you for all the research and putting this lens together!
anonymous on November 05, 2012:
Wow, this is really useful, thank you for sharing.
Margaret Schindel from Massachusetts on November 01, 2012:
I tried several of these tools just now. Incredibly useful to know about - thanks! Blessed by a Squid Angel. :)
C A Chancellor from US/TN on October 25, 2012:
Wow -- I had no idea these tools existed! I'll keep them in mind if I have a mystery font to identify.
aussiejon on October 24, 2012:
Awesome, Ill be sure to try both What the font and What Font Is?, there is nothing more frustrating than trying to "guess" your way to matching a font
anonymous on September 27, 2012:
Was looking for the font of some deformed text (on a circle). Find my Font saved my day! It searched online and suggested fonts I don't have (even free ones).
SquidooPower on September 25, 2012:
This is such a smart idea. I'm going to pass it along to my graphic design friends.
MatijaB LM on September 16, 2012:
I have done good research.
anonymous on September 15, 2012:
Very nice fonts resource. :)
Expat Mamasita from Thailand on September 14, 2012:
Wow! So many fonts :-)
anonymous on April 24, 2012:
good
anonymous on November 29, 2011:
Find my Font rocks!!! It does an amazing job identifying fonts you have on your computer. Every graphics designer should try it.
Lee Hansen from Vermont on September 10, 2011:
I like WDF but I may try the other free resources you've compiled. Love fonts ...