Graphics rendering question

[Andy]

Hi,

I am using the following code to render a text string in a new bitmap
file. The code works, but the text looks, well, crappy, even though I
told it to use ClearType hints. Any idea how to make the text look
nicer?

Thanks
Andy

internal static string RenderDate( DateTime date ) {
Bitmap bitmap;
string result, formattedDate;
Font font;
Graphics canvas;
SizeF textSize;
SolidBrush brush;

result = Path.Combine(
Path.GetTempPat h(),
date.ToString( "ddMMyyyy" )
);
result = Path.ChangeExte nsion( result, ".bmp" );
formattedDate = date.ToString( "d" );

using ( font =
new Font( FontFamily.Gene ricSansSerif, 12,
FontStyle.Regul ar )
) {
using ( bitmap = new Bitmap( 1, 1 ) ) {
using ( canvas = Graphics.FromIm age( bitmap ) ) {
canvas.TextRend eringHint =
TextRenderingHi nt.ClearTypeGri dFit;
textSize =
canvas.MeasureS tring( formattedDate, font );
}
}

using ( brush = new SolidBrush( Color.Black ) ) {
using ( bitmap = new Bitmap(

Convert.ToInt32 ( System.Math.Cei ling( textSize.Width ) ),

Convert.ToInt32 ( System.Math.Cei ling( textSize.Height ) )
) ) {

using ( canvas =
Graphics.FromIm age( bitmap ) ) {
canvas.TextRend eringHint =
TextRenderingHi nt.ClearTypeGri dFit;
canvas.DrawStri ng(
formattedDate,
font,
brush,
new PointF( 0, 0 )
);
}

//
bitmap.RotateFl ip( RotateFlipType. Rotate270FlipNo ne );

if ( File.Exists( result ) ) {
File.Delete( result );
}
bitmap.Save( result );
}
}
}

return result;
}

[Nicholas Paldino [.NET/C# MVP]]

Andy,

Well, the standard sans serif font, as far as I know, is not a ClearType
font. Have you tried looking at any of the other TextRenderingHi nt values?
like AntiAlias or AntiAliasGridFi t?
--
- Nicholas Paldino [.NET/C# MVP]
- mv*@spam.guard. caspershouse.co m

"Andy" <an***@med-associates.comw rote in message
news:11******** **************@ i13g2000prf.goo glegroups.com.. .

Hi,

I am using the following code to render a text string in a new bitmap
file. The code works, but the text looks, well, crappy, even though I
told it to use ClearType hints. Any idea how to make the text look
nicer?

Thanks
Andy

internal static string RenderDate( DateTime date ) {
Bitmap bitmap;
string result, formattedDate;
Font font;
Graphics canvas;
SizeF textSize;
SolidBrush brush;

result = Path.Combine(
Path.GetTempPat h(),
date.ToString( "ddMMyyyy" )
);
result = Path.ChangeExte nsion( result, ".bmp" );
formattedDate = date.ToString( "d" );

using ( font =
new Font( FontFamily.Gene ricSansSerif, 12,
FontStyle.Regul ar )
) {
using ( bitmap = new Bitmap( 1, 1 ) ) {
using ( canvas = Graphics.FromIm age( bitmap ) ) {
canvas.TextRend eringHint =
TextRenderingHi nt.ClearTypeGri dFit;
textSize =
canvas.MeasureS tring( formattedDate, font );
}
}

using ( brush = new SolidBrush( Color.Black ) ) {
using ( bitmap = new Bitmap(

Convert.ToInt32 ( System.Math.Cei ling( textSize.Width ) ),

Convert.ToInt32 ( System.Math.Cei ling( textSize.Height ) )
) ) {

using ( canvas =
Graphics.FromIm age( bitmap ) ) {
canvas.TextRend eringHint =
TextRenderingHi nt.ClearTypeGri dFit;
canvas.DrawStri ng(
formattedDate,
font,
brush,
new PointF( 0, 0 )
);
}

//
bitmap.RotateFl ip( RotateFlipType. Rotate270FlipNo ne );

if ( File.Exists( result ) ) {
File.Delete( result );
}
bitmap.Save( result );
}
}
}

return result;
}

[Nicholas Paldino [.NET/C# MVP]]

Andy,

Well, the standard sans serif font, as far as I know, is not a ClearType
font. Have you tried looking at any of the other TextRenderingHi nt values
like AntiAlias or AntiAliasGridFi t?

--
- Nicholas Paldino [.NET/C# MVP]
- mv*@spam.guard. caspershouse.co m

"Andy" <an***@med-associates.comw rote in message
news:11******** **************@ i13g2000prf.goo glegroups.com.. .

Hi,

I am using the following code to render a text string in a new bitmap
file. The code works, but the text looks, well, crappy, even though I
told it to use ClearType hints. Any idea how to make the text look
nicer?

Thanks
Andy

internal static string RenderDate( DateTime date ) {
Bitmap bitmap;
string result, formattedDate;
Font font;
Graphics canvas;
SizeF textSize;
SolidBrush brush;

result = Path.Combine(
Path.GetTempPat h(),
date.ToString( "ddMMyyyy" )
);
result = Path.ChangeExte nsion( result, ".bmp" );
formattedDate = date.ToString( "d" );

using ( font =
new Font( FontFamily.Gene ricSansSerif, 12,
FontStyle.Regul ar )
) {
using ( bitmap = new Bitmap( 1, 1 ) ) {
using ( canvas = Graphics.FromIm age( bitmap ) ) {
canvas.TextRend eringHint =
TextRenderingHi nt.ClearTypeGri dFit;
textSize =
canvas.MeasureS tring( formattedDate, font );
}
}

using ( brush = new SolidBrush( Color.Black ) ) {
using ( bitmap = new Bitmap(

Convert.ToInt32 ( System.Math.Cei ling( textSize.Width ) ),

Convert.ToInt32 ( System.Math.Cei ling( textSize.Height ) )
) ) {

using ( canvas =
Graphics.FromIm age( bitmap ) ) {
canvas.TextRend eringHint =
TextRenderingHi nt.ClearTypeGri dFit;
canvas.DrawStri ng(
formattedDate,
font,
brush,
new PointF( 0, 0 )
);
}

//
bitmap.RotateFl ip( RotateFlipType. Rotate270FlipNo ne );

if ( File.Exists( result ) ) {
File.Delete( result );
}
bitmap.Save( result );
}
}
}

return result;
}

[not_a_commie]

The good Cleartype font is Segoe UI. Also, It's not clear from the
code there what color depth of graphics object you have. You will need
32 bit coloring (aka, something with an alpha channel) for the
Cleartype to work.

[Andy]

On Oct 18, 11:16 am, not_a_commie <notacom...@gma il.comwrote:

The good Cleartype font is Segoe UI. Also, It's not clear from the
code there what color depth of graphics object you have. You will need
32 bit coloring (aka, something with an alpha channel) for the
Cleartype to work.

Hi, I actually got this to work, sorry for not following up sooner.
Instead of saving a bitmap, I saved as a jpg at 99% quality and that
cleared the problem right up. Which is weird, because I thought a
bitmap would be better quality (I was using 32bit with Alpha
bitmaps... the code was creating a new Bitmap instance from scratch).

Andy

[Peter Duniho]

Andy wrote:

Hi, I actually got this to work, sorry for not following up sooner.
Instead of saving a bitmap, I saved as a jpg at 99% quality and that
cleared the problem right up. Which is weird, because I thought a
bitmap would be better quality (I was using 32bit with Alpha
bitmaps... the code was creating a new Bitmap instance from scratch).

Assuming the same bitmap dimensions, an image saved as .bmp (or other
lossless format, such as .png or .tiff) _will_ be better quality than a
..jpeg file.

So, it's practically certain that there's more to the difference in your
code than simply changing the file format.

Pete