Image scaling issues between photoshop and web

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
February 18, 2022
1 reply
819 views

Just got a 4k monitor - now when I create an image it's a completely diferent scale in Photoshop compared to when I upload it to a website. Same issue when copying and pasting an image from the web into photoshop.

Is there any way to ensure some size consistency? Working on web images all day, it's helpful to know how they will appear for users.

Example attached.

Adjusting ppi doesn't seem to make any diference.

This topic has been closed for replies.

davescm

Community Expert

An image in Photoshop does not have a physical size - only pixels. PPI is not used on screen , it is just metadata used to calculate the print size. When viewed at 100% zoom, 1 image pixel will be mapped to 1 screen pixel. The more dense the pixels are packed on your screen, the smaller physical size it will display. That 1:1 mapping is essential to display the image without any scaling so that critical adjustments on sharpness can be assessed.

Many browsers recognise that a 4K screen is being used and scale the image. For example scaling to 200% uses 4 screen pixels to display 1 image pixel. To see that in Photoshop, use View - 200%

Dave

P

pinkypunk35Author

Known Participant

Thanks.

I should have pointed out that my screen, whilst 4k, is set to 50% scaled, which is effectivly a 2k screen (like I had before). That's why I can't get my head around why it's so diferent?

Even if I run at 4k, the web images are always 200% bigger.

davescm

Community Expert

I fully understand that - and also agree that's how it should work.

I guess what I don't understand is why it's always reduced to 50% regardless of screen scaling.

For example: without scaling, a 600x400px image in Photoshop would take up 600x400px of relative screen estate. It would be the same size accross web, preview and all applications.

If I scale my screen to 1920x1080x that's 50% scaling and the image in photoshop would be 300x200px relative to the screen size.

That I also understand

However what confuses me is that even if I scale to 75% or 25% Photoshop will always show a 600x400 image as 300x200 and that's what I do not understand? Why does Photoshop show it at half the size, regardless of scaling?

Photoshop always shows a 600 x 400 px image as 600 x 400 px when using 100% zoom. Some browsers and applications will recognise a high pixel density screen and scale the image to 1200 x 800. Hence the Photoshop version looks physically smaller as it is not being scaled. So it is not Photoshop displaying at 50% but the browser displaying at 200% (which you have the option to do in Photoshop using View -200%)

Dave

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