When hinting, you’re usually working on small point sizes. So you can see the detail you need, the glyph may appear larger than its actual size on your screen. The exact “fit in window” size depends on the size of your screen.
Some fonts have many closely spaced control points that may be difficult to differentiate at “fit in window” size. To see and work with those points more easily, you can enlarge the view, then reduce it again when you want to see the whole glyph.
Visual TrueType has two tools for changing views: the Zoom-in tool and the Zoom-out tool, differentiated by the + (zoom in) and - (zoom out) signs in a magnifying glass:
The pointer matches the selected tool:
Because you may want to switch views as you’re hinting with other tools, both tools have keyboard shortcuts—Ctrl to zoom in and Alt to zoom out—that override the selected tool. To use these keyboard shortcuts, press either Ctrl or Alt and hold the left mouse button down. The display will zoom progressively in steps. When you release the shortcut key, the window will stop zooming, and the selected tool will still be active.
Tip To zoom in or out quickly, hold down the left mouse button until the glyph reaches the size you want.
Another shortcut, Ctrl + Alt + click, zooms in wherever you click on the glyph so you can focus and enlarge the view at the same time. At the enlarged view, every pixel on the screen corresponds to one F-unit, which may be useful for fine-tuning glyph outlines. To return to “fit in window” size, just repeat the shortcut.
You may also use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom in and out at any time.
If Zoom Main Window Automatically is checked in the Preferences dialog box, Visual TrueType will return to the “fit in window” view every time you resize the main window or go to another glyph. For details, see “Setting Preferences” in Chapter 3, “Using Visual TrueType: The Basics.”
Changing views does not change the point size of the glyph you’re hinting; it only changes its on-screen image. For details about changing the actual point size, see “Changing the Point Size of the Glyph” in this chapter.
To enlarge the view of the glyph
1. In the toolbar, click the Zoom-in tool.
2. Click anywhere in the window.
OR
1. Holding down the Alt key, click anywhere in the window.
OR
1. Roll the mouse wheel up.
To reduce the view of the glyph
1. In the toolbar, click the Zoom-out tool.
2. Click anywhere in the window.
OR
1. Holding down the Ctrl key, click anywhere in the window.
OR
1. Roll the mouse wheel down.
To zoom in on a particular part of the glyph
1. Point where you want to focus the enlarged view.
2. Press Ctrl + Alt + click or roll the mouse wheel up.