<p>This looks like you have the <em>Faux Italic</em> option activated. You can turn that option on and off using the switch at the bottom of the <em>Character</em> panel. Here's a screenshot of that panel with <em>Faux Italic</em> turned on. </p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/5ObXn.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/5ObXn.png" alt="AE character panel with Faux Italic option turned on"></a></p>

<p>You can use that option to simulate an italic (slanted) version of a font that doesn't come in that style. It's generally a bad idea to use this option, as it is subpar to an actual italic font style. The difference is that the italic style variant of a font-family is specifically designed for that purpose and differs from the regular style in more ways than just being slanted. The Faux Italics option merely distorts the individual characters, which can lead to unwanted artifacts such as illegible characters, altered grey values and aliasing. </p>

<p>Another possible cause of your distortion problem is any sort of distortion effect that is applied to the text layer or a superordinate adjustment layer, but I find that unlikely. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-05T13:21:37.363Z
Thanks, it was quite a while since I used AE and I forgot that possibility. I just had to enlarge the "character" window to find that.
Magnaos
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-05T13:38:42.087Z
@Magnaos Glad I could help! Oh yeah I forgot to mention that .. in Premiere Pro the relevant options are often hidden behind the *Show Options* checkbox, in After Effects there's oftentimes just not enough space for all the panels ...
MoritzLost
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-05T11:51:44.083Z
2017-05-05T11:51:44.083Z
MoritzLost
<p>I'm new to this website so I'll try to be as clear as possible.</p>

<p>I downloaded a font online and I want to use it in my AE CS6 composition. When I wrote something using this font, I noticed that it appeared differently from what was shown in the preview from the website.</p>

<p>I tried opening a Word document and write something using the same font, and I confirmed my doubts: the font is right, but AE shows it in a simil-italic style for un unknown reason. The images below show the difference between Word and AE.</p>

<p>The font is not equipped with an Italic version, and (as you can see from the screenshots) I wrote using the only option available: "Regular".</p>

<p>Do you know what may cause this issue? Thanks in advance.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/HpryJ.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/HpryJ.png" alt="AE CS6 Screenshot"></a>
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/55SAz.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/55SAz.png" alt="Microsoft Word Screenshot"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-05T02:14:56.550Z
What font are you trying to use?
Michael Liebman
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-05T04:54:23.997Z
Check if the Faux Italic option is on. It's at the bottom of the Character panel (below the font name/size).
Gyan
<video><after-effects><preview>
Why this font layouts differently between AE and Microsoft Word?
Magnaos
# Why this font layouts differently between AE and Microsoft Word?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-05-05)

I'm new to this website so I'll try to be as clear as possible.

I downloaded a font online and I want to use it in my AE CS6 composition. When I wrote something using this font, I noticed that it appeared differently from what was shown in the preview from the website.

I tried opening a Word document and write something using the same font, and I confirmed my doubts: the font is right, but AE shows it in a simil-italic style for un unknown reason. The images below show the difference between Word and AE.

The font is not equipped with an Italic version, and (as you can see from the screenshots) I wrote using the only option available: "Regular".

Do you know what may cause this issue? Thanks in advance.

[![AE CS6 Screenshot](https://i.sstatic.net/HpryJ.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/HpryJ.png)
[![Microsoft Word Screenshot](https://i.sstatic.net/55SAz.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/55SAz.png)

**Tags:** video, after-effects, preview

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: What font are you trying to use?  
> **username_2**: Check if the Faux Italic option is on. It's at the bottom of the Character panel (below the font name/size).  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-05-05. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

This looks like you have the *Faux Italic* option activated. You can turn that option on and off using the switch at the bottom of the *Character* panel. Here's a screenshot of that panel with *Faux Italic* turned on.

[![AE character panel with Faux Italic option turned on](https://i.sstatic.net/5ObXn.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/5ObXn.png)

You can use that option to simulate an italic (slanted) version of a font that doesn't come in that style. It's generally a bad idea to use this option, as it is subpar to an actual italic font style. The difference is that the italic style variant of a font-family is specifically designed for that purpose and differs from the regular style in more ways than just being slanted. The Faux Italics option merely distorts the individual characters, which can lead to unwanted artifacts such as illegible characters, altered grey values and aliasing.

Another possible cause of your distortion problem is any sort of distortion effect that is applied to the text layer or a superordinate adjustment layer, but I find that unlikely.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks, it was quite a while since I used AE and I forgot that possibility. I just had to enlarge the "character" window to find that.  
> **username_3**: @username_0 Glad I could help! Oh yeah I forgot to mention that .. in Premiere Pro the relevant options are often hidden behind the *Show Options* checkbox, in After Effects there's oftentimes just not enough space for all the panels ...  

---

