Is it even possible to increase the font size in the Illustrator CC UI? Panels are unreadable!

[cc12565]

With the demise of my beloved Fireworks, I am giving Illustrator CC a try. Right off the bat it is unusable due to the microscopic font sizes in the UI, panels in particular. Is there any way to make the UI more readable?

[Thomas Dearie]

Hey Tom,

While it's good to post a bug/feature request form, it's also important to post here to sustain a public discussion and let other users know that they're not alone.

Cheers

Tom

[Paulette R.]

I am so frustrated with Adobe's complete disregard for designer accessibility in their CS and CC programs.   There is no good reason that the font size of the commands and labels can't be even modestly adjustable.  Even with maximizing the contrast by using the dark theme, working with an excellent monitor, and bringing the panels out of the corners and into the workspace, working with these products is unnecessaryily tiring as I have to sit unnaturally close to the screen just to see what is there (and that is with glasses).   I am just learning Illustrator, but the problem exists in Photoshop as well.  Disappointing.

Paulette

[chrisstraight]

In OSX search for the "FontTheme_Panel.xml" file within the "Adobe Illustrator CC.app" package. (right click + "show package contents"). In it you'll see the code below.... I didn't mess with the "!ENTITY" kText values, just the "FontSize name=" values. You'll probably want to bump the "Text_Main_Large" size up to 13. Past that it doesn't read well but then again I guess you could set custom row heights for panels like layers.

And as always, back up the original and back up your altered file.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>

<!DOCTYPE ThemeParameters [

  <!-- defines entities for the text ids -->

  <!ENTITY kText_Main_Large "0"> <!-- default text id -->

  <!ENTITY kText_Main_Small "1">

  <!ENTITY kText_Title "2">

  <!-- entity definitions for the font size schemes -->

  <!ENTITY kFontSizeSchemeSmall "0">

  <!ENTITY kFontSizeSchemeMedium "1">

  <!ENTITY kFontSizeSchemeLarge "2">

]>

<ThemeParameters>

  <ThemeFonts>

    <FontSize name="&kText_Main_Small;" size="8" scheme="&kFontSizeSchemeSmall;" />

    <FontSize name="&kText_Main_Small;" size="8" scheme="&kFontSizeSchemeMedium;" />

    <FontSize name="&kText_Main_Small;" size="8" scheme="&kFontSizeSchemeLarge;" />

    <FontSize name="&kText_Main_Large;" size="10" scheme="&kFontSizeSchemeSmall;" />

    <FontSize name="&kText_Main_Large;" size="10" scheme="&kFontSizeSchemeMedium;" />

    <FontSize name="&kText_Main_Large;" size="10" scheme="&kFontSizeSchemeLarge;" />

    <FontSize name="&kText_Title;" size="12" scheme="&kFontSizeSchemeSmall;" />

    <FontSize name="&kText_Title;" size="12" scheme="&kFontSizeSchemeMedium;" />

    <FontSize name="&kText_Title;" size="12" scheme="&kFontSizeSchemeLarge;" />

  </ThemeFonts>

</ThemeParameters>

Godspeed

[Tereyn]

To chrisstraight: I am unable to find either the "FontTheme_Panel.xml" file or the "Adobe Illustrator CC.app" package, so was unable to try this solution. What version of OS X are you working in?

[Thomas Dearie]

I'm using a 30" display at 2500 pixels in Mac at a pixel density of 101 ppi.

Even at that pixel density, the UI font size in the whole CC suite is a strain to work on all day.

It slows me down and makes my eyes tired.

I have the screen room, so I'd like to be able to enlarge my UI size.

This is a huge usability issue.

Even in Photoshop where one can supposedly increase the UI font size, it hardly makes a difference.

Please add the ability to enlarge the UI interface sizes. This is more important to me than more features within the app, as it directly affects every aspect of my work.

I should note that I have 20/20 vision.

[dm33089108]

I was using an iMac and got fed up with the lousy systems and software from Apple.  For the desktop Apple only goes as high as 16pt font.  I moved back to PC and got a 4K Benq monitor 3840 x2160.  What a shock going into Photoshop and needing a magnify glass to see layers, channels and tools.  Given this and Adobe's stupidity in removing Save For Web in 2015 CC I give Adobe a "F".  I do not want to hear that the legacy Save For Web is still there.  It isn't ! ! ! !  I went back to 2014 CC and there is a big difference in the quality and time it takes to save a file.  2014 CC still works the best.  My photos look better than the iMac.

I'm shopping around for another program to use such as On1's editing software.  Sorry Abobe but you've gotten too greedy and stupid in your software.  Monitors are only going to get better with resolution and displaying your work.  You need to adapt.  Get your act together Adobe.

[AliHarwood]

I'll chime in here too...

I have 20/20 vision, and am a designer who works with the Creative Suite all day long.

Adobe continues to infuriate with it's incredibly hard-on-the-eyes interface. In this day and age, there's no excuse for poor UI. Shame on Adobe.

By all the comments I am reading on here, we should repeat our complaints independently in the general forum instead of them being buried on one thread.

Here's a link... Adobe Creative Cloud

[quovadis123]

well... I just received a BenQ 32" 4k monitor, that is specifically made for graphic design and color proofing.

I have windows 7 scaled to 150%.

Photoshop and Illustrator palettes are unusable they are so small. I have to hold my face 10" from the monitor to see anything.

There must be away to increase palette and text size?

The work around I found was to set my monitor at a lower resolution 2560x1600, but that defeats the purpose of having a 4k monitor at 3840x2160 native.

I must be missing something?

Instead of adding silly, undemanding,  juvenile, little features and filters to the next edition of photoshop, it may be a good idea to make it usable first at higher resolution.

[quovadis123]

Basically, I have to return my 4k graphics monitor because it is natively unusable with Adobe graphics software!!

How stupid is that!?

[chrisstraight]

Have you tried the solution I proposed?

Chris StraightManaging Partner

Chris Straight Design, LLC

972-855-8764

skype: straightcw

On Sat, Jan 3, 2015 at 2:03 PM, quovadis123 <forums_noreply@adobe.com>

[quovadis123]

I will try

although hacking into these graphic programs to make them work should not have to be a viable solution to inefficiency.

[chrisstraight]

I agree. I'd much rather have better UI controls than touchscreen type

editing.

Chris StraightManaging Partner

Chris Straight Design, LLC

972-855-8764

skype: straightcw

On Sat, Jan 3, 2015 at 2:08 PM, quovadis123 <forums_noreply@adobe.com>

[quovadis123]

The truth is... we are not ready for 4k.

I made the mistake of buying a 4k tv, and because i got frustrated with that, I now have made the same mistake with a 4k monitor.

Back to 2560x1600 at 60hz, or even 1920x1080 at 144hz is still the best there is!!

[Design21]

Is it possible to scale the UI on a Mac?

I just installed CS6 on a brand new 27-inch iMac with a "native" resolution of 2560 x 1440. I do very detailed work, and hoped that the new screen would improve my productivity.

But now I can no longer use Photoshop and Illustrator. I literally cannot SEE the tool icons. I can barely read the menu text in spite of setting it to the "largest" size. I don't know what to do. High-resolution is lovely, but unusable. I have to go back to the iMac from 2010. Any suggestions?

I am a digital illustrator and graphic designer. I have been using Illustrator and Photoshop since Illustrator 88 and Photoshop 1, and I use CS5.5 about 12 hours a day. I am on deadline on 30 projects, and just spent 2 hours trolling through forums for the answer to this problem because I can't see what I'm doing. Has anybody found one?

[robert_f81096057]

I am using a 17" MacBook Pro (2007) and Adobe Illustrator CC, Photoshop CC and InDesign CC.  The reason I am here is because I am having trouble seeing the font listing in Illustrator… and my eyes aren't improving. Like one of the other designers, I started out using the original Adobe Illustrator (before the 88 version was released). It is pretty dang important to be able to see the style you want to use in a piece.  Thank you!! 

[Larry G. Schneider]

Using CS5 or 5.5? Try going to System Preferences>Accessibility>Display and click the box (or unclick) that says Reduce Transparency.

‌

[schwabby2]

I gave up trying to see the font list, instead I go to a website called wordmark.it

I can type in my words and it loads all of my system fonts and displays my text in the font I choose.

I then go back to Illustrator or Photoshop and start to type the name of the font I chose.

I shouldn't have to do this, I agree but it is a VERY useful website.

[sanjaykr]

Hi quovadis123,

Which version of Ai, you are not able to scale properly at 150%? We had added support for 150% and 200% since AI CC 17.1.

Sanjay.

[quovadis123]

Photoshop cs 2, and CS6

Illustrator cs6. Basically any Adobe application.

How do you change tool bar and font size of the Adobe GUI?

Especially with a 3840x2160 resolution, these tool bars become very small.

[sanjaykr]

Hi quovadis,

We have added the scaling support with Ai 17.1 onwards.

Sanjay.

[quovadis123]

Where is this scale option in Illustrator and Photoshop?

In preferences, there is no option to change resolution or size.

Please advise

Thanks

[Monika Gause]

See post #18 in this thread. Read later posts as well for some details.

[quovadis123]

Post 18 speaks of how to change windows resolution. Not how to change resolution within illustrator or Photoshop GUI's.

Any 4k monitor scaled to 150% in windows will result in minuscule illustrator or photo shop tool bars, fonts and palettes etc. (GUI)

If you down scale 3840x2160 native 4k resolution to 2560 x 1440 then the gui's will be larger, but the down scaling makes everything blurred.

For example Google Chrome, has an in-built scaler, so it can be scaled/zoomed to user preference regardless of windows scaling.

I see no option in preference to change the size (zoom and unzoom) the GUI.

[sanjaykr]

Hi quovadis123,

With Ai 17.1 onwards, Ai automatically scales itself based on the OS scaling. So if you set OS scale to 150%, AI will automatically scale its UI to 150% and will look better. We also added a preference in 18.1 to turn off scaling completely or snap to higher or lower supported scale of Ai incase OS Scale is not exactly same as AI's supported scale. e.g. AI only supports 100%, 150% and 200% scaling and if in OS, you set scale to 125%, you will have option to either snap to 100% or 150% of UI scale of AI.

Sanjay.

[JoySorrow]

Hi Sanjay, where the this option to do this? Can you talk me through it please. Thanks, Jim