Works on iPhone too (barely). #PencilKit #LetterSet
Oh you thought I was done pushing this into the realm of absurdity? Nope! How about repurposing a page curl metal shader to emulate translucent vellum?
As an aside: can I just say how annoying it is to have a single surface that needs to move, rotate, curl and accept pencil input?
#PencilKit #LetterSet
Almost all of the pieces are together for the MVP. Letter color is now selectable and ignores dark mode, pen size has two options, the gesture system has been completely redone (as a single UIRepresentable that handles both rotate and move). Major next step is a moveable canvas, and an eraser.
The eraser is the challenging one, as I’m rendering pixel data from a PKDrawing, and so the eraser has to manipulate pixels (luckily already separate from the background).
Edited 36d ago
The iPhone version is still not something I’ve looked at in the least, but the app itself is starting to look SO GOOD.
@stroughtonsmith I’m not ready to use the showcase 25 hashtag yet, but I’m very close.
Ok I got it working on the iPhone too! It’s … hilarious. #LetterSet #PencilKit
I tried to explain to my kids yesterday how the my new app works and … what’s it called when you use one outdated metaphor to explain another?
Maybe this needs a new term?
- Deuterskeuomorphism: using an outdated object or interface to explain another outdated object or interface.
Test views are the best views. #LetterSet #PencilKit
Okay #typography fans, I've created a TestFlight sign-up form. If you want to play around with the existing version, please sign-up here: https://letterSet.app.
New day new feature. Today we have sheet selection, for adjustable weights and sizes! #typography #pencilkit #LetterSet
Sometimes you have to rip everything out to make new functionality. Enough people in the beta said “but in this one circumstance, letters don’t align” (e.g. of you rotate your device, or start in landscape mode, or are using a smaller screen, or …) so I’m ripping out the entire canvas mechanism.
Good news though: the next version will support an infinite canvas, and arbitrary device size and rotation! So glad I already redid the sheet mechanism.
New ebay purchase: an ad pamphlet on Letraset lettering. I primarily purchased it to get high res of these “how to” illustrations. #Letraset #LetterSet
New day new feature: “Infinite canvas” & “hard mode.”
This video shows disabling reusable letters, and accommodate all screen sizes.
- “Infinite canvas” now acts like a design app should: you can pan around & use flexible canvas sizes. As a bonus, you can now more easily use larger letter sheets, even if you’re on a small screen.
- “Hard mode” makes it so letters cannot be re-used. It is still possible if you switch font sheets, but is less obvious.
Edited 27d ago
Sheet selection has been an afterthought in terms of the UX in #LetterSet but lately I’ve been working to change that. This is a demo of my current thoughts, but it could be better. I like the #SwiftUI matchedGeometryEffect here, but at the same time the final sheet size needs to be different. We’ll see where this goes.
Edited 23d ago
The transitioning in of the “real sheet” will take a lot more work than what I had time to do before my day job this morning, but I at least got the switcher in to replace the existing one.
The app is now totally usable from the desktop (as of build 212), with key commands and manual controls for multi-finger gestures! #LetterSet #BuildInPublic #swiftui
Edited 21d ago
How it started vs how it’s going. Apple’s #iconcomposer is pretty interesting.
Edited 21d ago
And a few more tweaks, now that I'm a bit more comfortable with #iconcomposer.
I lied: this was the original sketch that I filed the bug with. You get the idea. This is an actual "how it started" vs "how it's going" now. #LetterSet #iconcomposer
Ok huge release today:
- Files, and a new .letterset document format!
- Tap to place (as an option)
- Sharper document output
This is now a real app that manages documents, can edit files and ipad that were made on an iPhone, and generally behaves as one would expect an app to do. Only downside of this release is that I’ve purposefully broken macOS support while I refactor the launch experience just for desktops.
I can’t wait to see your new art with this!
#LetterSet #typography #swiftui
I think my favorite feature is the “custom image as sheet” experience. Any image, as in this screenshot with Chromium via Letraslut, immediately becomes a new usable tool. https://letraslut.com/wiki/index.php?title=File:Chromium_One_72.jpg
Thumbnail support on iOS was very straightforward to add, but now #XcodeCloud dies every time I’ve attempted to distribute this version. I’ve verified that it is exclusively an Xcode Cloud env problem too, as I was able to archive and upload for distribution manually. I bet this is one of those annoying things like how to get package support working therein.
The top feature request at this point is more flexibility around available font sheets. I loved the “real” sheet selection UI but it isn’t scalable to the number of sheets people want. I can’t just have sliders as each size should allow for a distinct configuration, but this is directionally consistent with where I’m going.
New font selection UI is now live in the latest TestFlight release!
The first release candidate is going out to testers right now! There is so much more I’d like to do, but everything “works” right now so… what better way to get more feedback than to make it real?
v1.0.0-rc3 submitted for review, just under two years from the day I started it. #LetterSet #BuildInPublic
Edited 8d ago
My sophomore effort, LetterSet - A Typography Tool, is live! Neither a text editor, nor a drawing tool, but a secret third thing.
In this unusual experience, you can relive what it meant to design in the era of pre-Desktop Publishing. Revel in the joy of:
-Rudimentary font selection
-Mistakes that are hard to undo
-Creative expression through limitations
-An unusual photo collage experience
I can’t wait to see what you do with it.
https://letterset.app
Edited 6d ago