Adding text (not subtitles) with dropshadow question

[spiritgumm]

Trying to add a title to a show. I've tried subtitle and subtitleex with avisynth but I cant get the font to be really bold or have a dropshadow (it provides a complete outline instead). Tried Overlay with two images - text on black background and mask, but it loses the dropshadow. Is there a way to use a text image with a transparent background, and no mask which might cancel out the dropshadow?

[raffriff42]

* To get a bolder font, try font="Arial Black" or some other heavy font you may have on your system.

* To get a dropshadow, call Subtitle twice:

Colorbars(width=320, height=200)
Subtitle("Subtitle", x=54+4, y=54+4, size=56, font="Arial Black", text_color=$0, halo_color=$0) ## note offset x & y
Subtitle("Subtitle", x=54, y=54, size=56, font="Arial Black", text_color=color_wheat, halo_color=$0)

[Attachment 43571 - Click to enlarge]

* to get a wider halo, create a white-on-black mask and use MaskTools' mt_expand:

BlankClip(Last, pixel_type="YV24", color=color_black)
Subtitle("Subtitle", x=54, y=54, size=56, font="Arial Black", text_color=color_white)
ColorYUV(levels="TV->PC") ## for Overlay: want full-range masks
mt_expand(chroma="-128").Blur(0.2)
mt_expand(chroma="-128").Blur(0.2)
mt_expand(chroma="-128").Blur(0.2)
mt_expand(chroma="-128").Blur(0.2)
mt_expand(chroma="-128").Blur(0.2)
mt_expand(chroma="-128").Blur(0.2)
mt_expand(chroma="-128").Blur(0.2)
mt_expand(chroma="-128")

[Attachment 43572 - Click to enlarge]

[Attachment 43573 - Click to enlarge]

Putting it all together,

Colorbars(width=320, height=200)
O=Last
BlankClip(Last, pixel_type="YV24", color=color_black)
Subtitle("Subtitle", x=54, y=54, size=56, font="Arial Black", text_color=color_white)
ColorYUV(levels="TV->PC")
Text=Last
mt_expand(chroma="-128").Blur(0.2)
mt_expand(chroma="-128").Blur(0.2)
mt_expand(chroma="-128").Blur(0.2)
mt_expand(chroma="-128").Blur(0.2)
mt_expand(chroma="-128").Blur(0.2)
mt_expand(chroma="-128").Blur(0.2)
mt_expand(chroma="-128").Blur(0.2)
mt_expand(chroma="-128")
Halo=Last

O
Overlay(BlankClip(O, color=color_black), mask=Halo.mt_expand(chroma="-128")) #, x=2, y=2)
Overlay(BlankClip(O, color=color_wheat), mask=Text)

[Attachment 43574 - Click to enlarge]

[spiritgumm]

The dropshadow trick using two subtitles is a good idea. However, I cant find a bolder font version anywhere online, so it has to be manipulated with photoshop and added as an overlay...
I can adopt your suggestion by creating two overlays - the dropshadow, and the text over it. Just abit annoying to have to create 4 images, etc, etc.