View at original size differs between Pixelmator Pro and Preview

Is something not working like it should? Let us know.
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2021-12-03 05:09:45

When viewing the same image (800x600, 72dpi, MacBook Air M1, Standard resolution, 1440x900) at 100% in Pixelmator Pro, it is displayed much smaller than in the Preview app and Safari. If you create an image with 144dpi it will be displayed in Pixelmator Pro and Preview app the same size. Safari, on the other hand, displays images the same size regardless of resolution.This is how it should be in all programs, as I understand it the resolution has nothing to do with the digital display. This is kind of confusing and I can't explain it. Is there a problem within Pixelmator, or do I get things wrong? Image Image Image
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2021-12-03 12:43:30

Heya Chriz, this has been previously discussed in this thread here. Essentially, it's a peculiarity you'll notice in apps optimized for Retina displays and those that aren't. One question, though. In your second screenshot, have you made sure both images were displayed using their Actual Size? In my testing, the 800 x 600 px image was always displayed larger in Preview regardless of its resolution.
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2021-12-03 16:08:27

Hi Aurelija, thanks for your quick reply. So, Preview App and Safari in their latest versions are not optimized for Retina displays, while Pixelmator is. That makes not really sense for me. I would think, that an image should be displayed in the same size regardless the app, as long as you are on the same computer and you display in actual size.

And yes, I tested it again, the 144 dpi image, created in Pixelmator is displayed this way in Preview app (both images are set to actual size via command 0). And this is even more strange, as normal the resolution should have no effect, because 800 x 600 px is the size. And funny enough an image with 288dpi is displayed the same size as the 72dpi image. No I'm confused :-)

Image
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2021-12-07 14:17:02

It's a bit strange, indeed, but when you think about it, Safari and Preview apps are supported on more different Retina and non-Retina devices than Pixelmator Pro is, so I guess choosing a more universal approach for displaying images is simply a safer choice to make. :woman_shrugging: Regarding the image display sizes, I believe you may have "Size on screen equals size on printout" set as default 100% scaling in your Preview preferences. Just found the feature myself when troubleshooting this. That would explain why the sizes are resolution-dependent on your end.