How to Use Match Fonts in Photoshop

Matching an unfamiliar font from a client’s image or a design pulled off the internet used to mean guessing at typefaces one at a time, but Match Font analyzes an existing piece of type and suggests close matches from both an installed font library and Adobe Typekit. This tutorial adds new type to a sign image, aligns and colors it to match existing text, then uses Match Font twice to find a close approximation for two different existing fonts already on the sign.

Updating Photoshop and Signing Into Typekit

Match Font was added in Photoshop CC 2015.5, and it depends on being signed into both the Creative Cloud desktop app and Typekit under the same account to pull in additional fonts. The video shows this sign-in partway through, after the first match.

1. Confirm the Photoshop Version

   Check that Photoshop is on version CC 2015.5 or newer, since Match Font isn’t available on older versions.

2. Sign Into the Creative Cloud App

   Open the Creative Cloud desktop app and confirm it’s signed in under the correct account.

3. Add Fonts From Typekit

   In the Creative Cloud app, go to Assets > Add Fonts From Typekit, and confirm the same account is signed in there as well.

Why Both Accounts Need to Match

Typekit fonts only sync into Photoshop when the Creative Cloud desktop app and the Typekit website are signed in under the exact same Adobe account. Being logged into two different accounts, or logged into only one of the two, prevents newly chosen Typekit fonts from actually becoming available inside Photoshop.

Adding and Aligning New Type on the Image

Typing new text directly onto the image, then centering it against a specific area using a selection and the alignment tools, positions it exactly where it needs to sit before any font matching begins.

4. Add a New Type Layer

   Press T for the Type tool, click on the image, and type the new text that needs to be added. Any font will do for now: Aaron starts with Papyrus.

5. Center-Align the Paragraph

   Open the Paragraph panel and click Center Align so the text is centered within its own text box. If the words change later, such as Light Roast instead of Dark Roast, the line stays centered.

6. Select the Target Area With the Marquee Tool

   Use the Marquee tool to select the width of the area the text should be centered within, such as an icon or graphic above it.

7. Align the Type to the Selection

   With the selection active, select the Move tool and click the middle one of the left, middle and right alignment buttons to center the type layer in that selection.

Matching Text Color With the Eyedropper Tool

Sampling an existing piece of text’s color directly with the eyedropper in the Character panel keeps new type consistent with the rest of the design before its font is even matched.

8. Open the Character Panel

   Go to Window > Character to access font color and formatting options.

9. Sample the Existing Text Color

   Click the color swatch, then use the eyedropper to sample the color from an existing piece of text on the image.

Matching an Existing Font With Match Font

Dragging the Match Font selection box over an existing piece of type analyzes its shapes and suggests both installed fonts and Typekit fonts that closely resemble it, previewed live on the new type layer.

10. Select the New Type Layer

    Make sure the new type layer that needs a matching font is selected.

11. Open Match Font

    Go to Type > Match Font to open the matching dialog.

12. Position the Selection Box Over the Reference Text

    Drag the dialog’s selection handles over the existing text whose font needs to be matched.

13. Review the Suggested Matches

    Look through the list of suggested fonts, which updates live on the selected type layer as each one is clicked.

Why Typing the Text First Gives a Better Preview

Running Match Font before actually typing out the intended words would leave no way to judge how a suggested font really looks in context, since a font can read very differently across different letters and word lengths. Typing the actual text first and matching against it afterward means every suggested font previews live using the real words that will end up in the final design.

Choosing Between Installed Fonts and Typekit Fonts

Suggested fonts already installed apply instantly with a single click, while Typekit fonts need to sync to the computer first before they can be applied and previewed.

14. Click an Installed Font to Preview It

    Click any font already available in the installed library to apply and preview it immediately on the type layer.

15. Sync a Typekit Font

    Click the cloud icon next to a Typekit font suggestion to sync it to the computer, making it available to apply.

16. Compare Several Suggestions

    Click through multiple suggested fonts, both installed and synced, to compare which one looks closest to the original.

17. Confirm the Best Match

    Select the closest-looking match and click OK to apply it to the type layer.

Why a Close Match Is Often Good Enough

Match Font is comparing letterforms algorithmically, so it won’t always locate the exact original typeface, especially for a custom or heavily stylized font. Choosing the closest available option, rather than holding out for a perfect match that may not exist in any accessible library, still produces a result that reads as consistent once it’s placed next to the original text.

Matching a Second Font Elsewhere on the Same Image

Duplicating the first type layer and repeating Match Font on a different piece of existing text finds an appropriate font for a second element on the same design.

18. Duplicate the Existing Type Layer

    Press Cmd/Ctrl+J to duplicate the already-matched type layer as a starting point.

19. Edit the Text for the New Element

    Change the text if the second area needs different words. In the video the copy still reads Dark Roast: it is moved down beside the 100% Premium line, matched to that line’s font and then used to replace it.

20. Run Match Font on the New Reference Text

    Go to Type > Match Font again and drag the selection handles over the second piece of existing text, leaving the numbers out so only the letters are matched.

21. Choose the Closest Available Match

    Compare installed and synced Typekit fonts again, choosing the closest match even if it isn’t a perfect one (Georgia in the video). Click OK, then set the text color to white in the Character panel and move the line straight up over the text it is replacing.

Covering the Original Text With a Sampled Color Fill

Sampling the background color behind the original text and filling a new selection with it hides the original type before the newly matched replacement is placed on top.

22. Select the Area Behind the Original Text

    Create a new layer and use the Marquee tool to select the area covering the original text.

23. Sample the Surrounding Color

    Press B for the Brush tool, hold Alt/Option, and sample the background color surrounding the original text.

24. Fill the Selection With the Sampled Color

    Go to Edit > Fill, choose Foreground Color, and apply it to cover the original text.

25. Put the Fill Below the Type

    Deselect, then drag the fill layer below the Dark Roast type layer so the new words show on top.

Why This Approach Works

Match Font is what removes the guesswork from finding an unfamiliar typeface, analyzing the actual shapes of existing letters instead of relying on someone recognizing the font by sight. Drawing from both an installed font library and Typekit, rather than one or the other, dramatically increases the odds of finding a genuinely close match instead of settling for whatever happens to already be installed. Live-previewing each suggestion directly on the type layer is what makes comparing several close options fast, rather than applying and undoing fonts one at a time to see how each one looks.

Final Thoughts

An exact font match won’t always be available, but Match Font consistently gets close enough that the difference becomes hard to notice once it’s applied and sitting alongside the original text. The same process works for matching any unfamiliar font on any image, whether it’s a single font or several different ones that all need to be identified on the same design.

Quick Reference: Keys, Menus and Settings

• New typeT, type the words, then Center Align in the Paragraph panel
• Center under a graphicMarquee across the graphic, Move tool, middle alignment option; Cmd/Ctrl + D
• Match the colorWindow > Character, Color swatch, eyedropper on the existing text
• Match the fontType > Match Font, drag the corners around the text to match
• Typekit fontsCloud icon to sync; same Adobe account in the Creative Cloud app (Assets > Add Fonts From Typekit) and Typekit
• Second lineCmd/Ctrl + J to duplicate the type, then Type > Match Font again
• Cover the old textNew layer, Marquee, B and Alt/Option-click to sample, Edit > Fill: Foreground Color