Midad

Type an Arabic word or phrase and Midad (مداد) sets it in a calligraphic font, then animates it being written by hand, right to left. Shaping runs on HarfBuzz, so ligatures and joined letters come out the way a calligrapher would write them. The result exports as SVG, PNG or video.

What it does

• Three ways to write. Sweep reveals each letter behind a soft edge, Trace draws the outline and then fills it, and Pen moves a round pen along each letter's skeleton, the way a scribe would.
• Dots when you'd expect them. Dots and harakat appear after each word, or with each letter as it's written.
• Three bundled fonts. Reem Kufi, Amiri and Aref Ruqaa, each with colour presets like gold on navy.
• Arabic first. The interface is right to left, with an English toggle and light and dark themes.
• A view of the inside. A debug page shows how each word is shaped, which pieces are dots, and the path the pen takes.