Which fonts show up best on TV?

Question

Level 1

4 points

Which fonts show up best on TV?

I'm wondering what fonts the group here prefers for use in iMovie projects. Are there ones that you avoid because past experiences have show they don't appear well on TV? Which ones are your favorites because they do work well?

Thanks,
Gary

macbook, Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Posted on Apr 16, 2008 6:03 AM

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Answer 1

PT

Level 7

20,894 points

Apr 16, 2008 6:13 AM in response to coachgrd

This is actually a big topic and it is not only fonts that matter but the colors your choose (pure colors like pure white, red, etc. often do not work well) and other things like scrolling vs. non-scrolling text.
So I might suggest you first do an Internet search for "ntsc safe colors fonts" and you will find a LOT of good tutorials and information.
Next, you might also try making a test movie with a bunch of title screens using different fonts and color combinations you might be interested in. Then burn this to a DVD and play it on your TV and see how they look.
Cheers,
Patrick

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Answer 2

J Keller

Level 4

2,750 points

Apr 19, 2008 10:56 AM in response to PT

Good ideas from Patrick. I tend to use fonts without serifs (ie, san serif) like Arial, Helvetica, Copperplate Bold, etc. I use large sizes and colors that aren't pure -- a bit off-white, off-black, off-red, but these aren't so much trouble for me if there aren't any small font elements that might "bleed" into the surrounding area.
John

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