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FeedbackCommunityMember
Inspiring
May 2, 2014

P: Introducing scale the UI 200% for high-density displays for Windows

  • May 2, 2014
  • 339 replies
  • 4326 views

The Photoshop team welcomes your feedback on this experimental feature. Let us know what you think!
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Photoshop user interface controls may appear small and hard-to-read on high-density displays. Also, on touch-enabled screens, you may have trouble clicking the smaller controls. 200% scaling solves this issue by doubling the size of the user interface.

Since the user interface elements increase in size by 200%, depending on the size and resolution of your display, you may need to adjust the layout of existing workspaces. For example, on a 1080 px screen at 200%, the Tools panel extends off the bottom of the screen. You can change to double-column orientation in order to fit the panel on the screen.

Note: This feature is only for Windows users. HiDPI on Mac has been available for high-density Retina displays since Photoshop CS6.

Caveats

You may encounter some cosmetic issues while using this feature. While many Photoshop dialogs have been reworked so that they fit on the screen at 1080 px, viewing some dialogs (such as Smart Sharpen) completely may require you to collapse sections.

Disable 200% UI scaling

If you need to return to the default 100% scaling, do the following:

1. Select Preferences > Experimental Features.
2. Deselect Scale UI 200% For High-Density Displays (Windows Only).
3. Restart Photoshop.

    339 replies

    Show previous replies
    F
    FeedbackCommunityMemberAuthor
    Inspiring
    September 6, 2014
    like it but would like a shortcut to go back instead of re starting
    J
    j_bacigalupi
    Participant
    August 18, 2014


    photoshop (among other adobe apps) are looking tiny- font and tools. apparently this is expected for HIDPI monitors? AI and Acrobat are fine. any thoughts? thanks!
    F
    FeedbackCommunityMemberAuthor
    Inspiring
    August 16, 2014
    I ran across this option by accident. I am using a Dell Precision M6400 laptop with 17-in. screen and a 1920 x 1200 recommended (highest) resolution. I can work with the smallish icons but when I saw the UI 200% option I thought I might like that. But no: too large, with the icons and tool bars taking up too much of the screen. Maybe 150% or several options, e.g., 125%, 150%, 175% and 200%. Also, when I went to Preferences to change back to 100%, the window went way beyond the screen and I could see no way to scroll. See attached screen cap. That said, the view was not so enlarged that I could not change back to 100% (which I did). There are four more screen-resolution options for my computer, each lower selection making the icons usefully larger. However, I lose my sharp images, so this approach does to appeal to me.
    F
    FeedbackCommunityMemberAuthor
    Inspiring
    August 15, 2014
    Again, this is a feature in Photoshop CC 2014. You enable it in preferences, under "experimental features".
    F
    FeedbackCommunityMemberAuthor
    Inspiring
    August 15, 2014
    I don't understand how to get UI scaling on my photoshop? I have photoshop CC
    F
    FeedbackCommunityMemberAuthor
    Inspiring
    August 15, 2014


    Hi, I have a physical disability and I've been using Photoshop for about 4 years now. I just got a Windows Surface Pro last year, I use Photoshop on it with the touch pen. It's really frustrating when I try to click something in the menu bar up the top (file, edit, image, layer eg) and the tool bar, I always click the wrong tool I wanted because the icons are too small. It would really helpful if there was a option where you could make the menu and tool bar larger.
    F
    FeedbackCommunityMemberAuthor
    Inspiring
    August 14, 2014
    200%UI would work fine - but since i need the whole adobe workflow from bridge over camera raw to PS - as a photographer and digital artist it is only a piece of the whole cake and if the whole thing is not working together on 200% UI - it doesn't work at all for me.

    Looking forward for the UI-scaling at least in bridge and camera raw!

    Thank u for your work and porgress anyway.

    regards, Mario
    F
    FeedbackCommunityMemberAuthor
    Inspiring
    August 11, 2014
    200% scaling was the most commonly needed scaling factor for high resolution displays on Windows.

    Again, we are continuing to work with Microsoft to resolve the remaining OS API issues around UI scaling on Windows.
    F
    FeedbackCommunityMemberAuthor
    Inspiring
    August 11, 2014
    200% is too large on a 1920x1050 display, there is simply too little workspace left with single column. Switching to double column in order to see all the options means no workspace available. 150% would be better but I also noticed that when I hover over collapsed items like "history" the text did not appear to have scaled or if it did the text was still way too small even with Edit > Preferences > Interface being set to large. When not docked I'm using a Sony Vaio Duo 11 with a 1920x1050 11" screen or Surface 2 Pro with the same screen resolution.

    This has been an issue with Adobe Photoshop for over 10 years back when I had a Toshiba M200 12" with 1440x1050 resolution and others had Apple Cinema monitors who were also complaining of text size. When will Adobe have UI scaling independent of OS resolution?
    F
    FeedbackCommunityMemberAuthor
    Inspiring
    August 8, 2014
    Elements 12 won't be getting new features, and there is already a feature request for Elements to support UI scaling.
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