Participating Frequently

Question

Actual size update in Photoshop for high resolution screens

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
September 17, 2021
5 replies
3615 views

Hello everyone,

First time posting here!
I am a senior graphic designer working on a Creative Studio. We recently purchased new screens to update our working experience. Dell 27’ Ultrasharp (3840x2160 resolution). To my surprise I noticed that images in Photoshop started to appear smaller than usual when I used “View > 100%” . I contacted an Adobe agent through chat and I was informed that my screen resolution is way too big for the program therefore I won’t be able to see the real size of my artworks. This is essential for me in order to work fast and be accurate. When will that update can be expected? I feel that it is one of the basic needs for the majority of graphic designers working on digital material for online commerce.

Thank you in advance!

Mari

Windows

7

7billionbuddhas

Participant

I'm having this exact issue. When I view at 200% the dimensions are correct, however, my image is pixelated. It's making me crazy. I want to see the image clearly at it's correct dimensions. How is this done? Is this a MacOS setting or a PS setting? I'm trying both angles. My clearest and most legible size I can get my new 4K monitor to display is at 1920x1080 HiDPI.

FWIW, I'm ancient, I started my career with Photoshop 5.0. I understand pixels and screen resolutions etc.

D Fosse

Community Expert

When I view at 200% the dimensions are correct

By @7billionbuddhas

The dimensions aren't actually "correct" - they just agree with the automatic scaling to 200% that all web browsers and consumer-grade photo viewers do when they detect a high density display. This uses four screen pixels to display one image pixel.

This automatic scaling is the industry standard workaround to ensure that the same material can be used regardless of what screen technology the user happens to have. Without this scaling, we'd need two separate internets.

Photoshop can't do any automatic scaling - it's used for a whole lot of other purposes than web. But you can call that scaling if you want to see it the same way as web browsers/photo viewers display it.

As I'm sure you know, a digital image doesn't have a "size". It only has pixels. The correct way to display an image is one image pixel represented by exactly one physical screen pixel.

I'm reposting the screenshot I posted earlier in this thread:

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

The "Print Size" view can be used to set a custom scale:

https://www.photoshopessentials.com/essentials/print-size/

https://www.bumblejax.com/content/how-to-view-your-photo-at-actual-print-size-in-photoshop/

One can also use a script to zoom to preset a 175% or another value, here it is for 25%:

/* https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/image-view/m-p/10650951 */

setZoom(25); // as percent

function setZoom(zoom) { 
   cTID = function (s) {
      return app.charIDToTypeID(s);
   }; // from xbytor
   var docRes = activeDocument.resolution;
   activeDocument.resizeImage(undefined, undefined, 72 / (zoom / 100), ResampleMethod.NONE);
   var desc = new ActionDescriptor();
   var ref = new ActionReference();
   ref.putEnumerated(cTID("Mn  "), cTID("MnIt"), cTID('PrnS'));
   desc.putReference(cTID("null"), ref);
   executeAction(cTID("slct"), desc, DialogModes.NO);
   activeDocument.resizeImage(undefined, undefined, docRes, ResampleMethod.NONE);
}

https://prepression.blogspot.com/2017/11/downloading-and-installing-adobe-scripts.html

L

lamortclothing

Participant

Thanks so much for this. The first link you posted sorted it.

L

Lumigraphics

Legend

Retina/Hidpi displays use multiple hardware pixels to show on screen pixel. You need to scale your Photoshop windows up to 200% (or whatever scale percentage your display is using.) Other software such as web browsers automatically scale images based on screen resolution.

T

Test Screen Name

Legend

It seems you were badly informed by the support staff. It is the job of Photoshop to show pixels at screen resolution with 100%. This is not a fault, in anything except your expectation. If you can't see what you need, you know how to zoom in. If you didn't want to see more detail, it was a mistake to buy more detailed monitors.

M

Mari_onBoardAuthor

Participating Frequently

Hey, thanks for your reply

I just thought there was some sort of command in Preferences that would automaticly adjust to my new screen resolution and keep the actual size "actual", but nope. (tried everything: UI Scaling etc) I still believe this is Photoshop's issue to resolve.. somehow. I ll stick to 175% magnification till further notice 😕😕

davescm

Community Expert

As explained above - this is not an issue to resolve. Photoshop does, should, and must, display 100% zoom without scaling. If it did not, then it would be useless for critical image adjustment.

Dave

davescm

Community Expert

That behaviour is correct and expected.

In Photoshop, 100% view is not a physical size. It simply means 1 image pixel mapped onto 1 screen pixel. So if you now have a screen with a higher density of pixels then the image will look physically smaller.

You talk about the "real size" of your artwork. A pixel image does not have a "real size" until it is printed. Until then it is just x pixels wide by y pixels high and will show a different physical size on every screen with a different density of pixels. You can preview the printed size by entering a ppi value for your document and ensuring the screen pixel density is set in Preferences. Then use View > Print size.

Note : If you are comparing your preview screen view in Photoshop to that in a web browser, be aware that most web browsers scale images up when using high pixel density screens. Photoshop must not do that as it would make critical adjustment impossible (all scaling introduces artifacts). You can though do similar scaling in Photoshop by using View - 200%

Dave

M

Mari_onBoardAuthor

Participating Frequently

Hello Dave,

Thank you so much for your reply.
I understand the pixel density issue but how come it worked properly in my previous monitor (23')? The size in Photoshop>Actual Size(in 72dpi) was the same with the one showing in browsers after uploading. I am talking about digital banners not prints. I figured out that in my new 27' screen the actual size can be acomplished when i use 175% magnification. Still feels like going backwards instead of updating my user experience..

davescm

Community Expert

Hi,

For on screen use the ppi value is irrelevant. It is just a value held alongside the image as metadata and ready to be used by the print driver (and also by the ruler). It will not make the slightest difference to the 100% view whether you set it to 1ppi or 1000ppi.

The image has a number of pixels (x pixels wide by y pixels high) and for screen use that is all that matters..

On a low pixel density screen, which it sounds like your old screen was, both Photoshop and a web browser will use 1 screen pixel for 1 image pixel so the image will take up the same area on screen.

On a high pixel density screen, i.e. your new screen, Photoshop still uses 1 screen pixel for 1 image pixel. so the area of screen taken up by the image is smaller. Your browser however will scale up the image i.e. use more than one screen pixel per image pixel so that it uses a larger area of screen space.

You might ask why Photoshop does not scale in the same way as the browser. The answer is that it must not scale. Photoshop is a professional pixel editor so must display the image without any upward or downward scaling at 100% zoom. Without that we could not judge critical sharpening, noise or image artifacts as all scaling introduces its own scaling artifacts. In Photoshop, we need to see the image as it is.

As mentioned earlier you can zoom in further in order to replicate what the browser is doing, but in doing so you are introducing scaling and therefore artifacts, just as the browser is.

Dave

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