Photoshop CC scaling broken on high DPI windows laptop

[jd_jdd]

Hello,

I've found plenty of posts on several forums of people complaining about issues with photoshop UI on their high DPI devices, but none of them seem the be experiencing the same issue as myself.

Photoshop works perfectly fine on an external monitor that is not high DPI. But when I'm not connceted to an external monitor, Photoshop is completely unusable. It appears as though the scaling is being applied to some of the UI, but not all of it.

Info: My Surface Pro has a resolution of 2736 x 1824 and the display scaling is set to 200%. I am on the latest version of Adobe Photoshop CC (2017.1.1 20170425.r.252 2017/04/25:23:00:00 CL 1113967  x64)

This is how the start screen looks on each monitor with Photoshop's UI Scaling setting set at each different setting:

1. UI Scaling auto (default). On my Surface Pro (high DPI)
   
2. UI Scaling auto (default). On the external monitor (not high DPI)
   
3. UI Scaling 100. On my Surface Pro (high DPI)
   
4. UI Scaling 100. On the external monitor (not high DPI)
   
5. UI Scaling 200. On my Surface Pro (high DPI)
   
6. UI Scaling 200. On the external monitor (not high DPI)
   

[Test Screen Name]

This sounds like a program in which your feedback and experience will be valuable, and may benefit you sooner if the beta works ok otherwise: Photoshop Continuously Scalable User Interface: Windows Beta Testers Needed

[jd_jdd]

Thank you for the link - that is very interesting. Sadly, I highly doubt our IT team will allow me to do this.

[jd_jdd · Accepted solution]

After searching more generically about scaling problems on windows 10 (not specifically for Adobe products). I discovered the compatibility properties, under which I have a setting called 'Override high DPI scaling behaviour.' For some reason, this was enabled. Having disabled it, Photoshop works perfectly on my Surface Pro, but is massively oversized on my external display. But this is great news, because it is easy enough to change that setting depending on what display I'm using - sadly it does require restarting Photoshop though.

Sincerely look forward to when this a smoother experience, but for the time being I'm just glad to have a usable product!

To find this setting:

1. Right click on your Photoshop shortcut
2. Select 'properties'
3. Select the 'compatibility' tab in the properties window that appears
   

[JJMack]

You need to realize Adobe is still working on UI scaling their current implementation has many problems one of which is scaling to 2x is a global setting all display will be scaled 2x.

Adobe UI scaling is different than Windows scaling. Windows scaling is per display and scaling on displays is global UI and image are scaled to the same resolution.   Adobe wants to be able to use you high resolution displays high resolution when scaling you images displays.  If you override Photoshop high dpi scaling behavior Photoshop can not use your displays high resolution for anything Photoshop displays will be scaled to a lower resolution.  Additionally, if you set Photoshop scaling  2x Photoshop UI will be scaled to an even lower than half resolution.

What you are seeing is what everyone else sees and why there are so many complaints about Adobe's Photoshop 2x UI scaling Adobe is working on this it not an easy thing to pull off.    It is not like you OS scaling a display to a lower resolution.  Even that is not easy and there that is why there are more than one Windows scaling option.  Windows scaling is not perfect either.

[jd_jdd]

Hi JJMack,

You're clearly well informed about the situation, but I would say that your comment comes across to me as unnecessarily defensive. I do not feel I have acted unreasonably or attacked Adobe for not doing better.

My original post was completely valid - in the state it was in I could not use Photoshop at all unless connected to an external display - which is obviously not acceptable. Fortunately, we discovered what was causing that and my reply (which I have now marked as the 'correct answer'), was also reasonable (in my opinion) - I stated the cause, explained the solution and expressed my satisfaction with the current state whilst sharing my desire for a better solution in the future.

I understand that it's a complicated problem to tackle and it's still early days - I look forward to when the solution is smooth and seamless, but I understand this is going to take some time and effort.

[JJMack]

Your statement was "but none of them seem the be experiencing the same issue as myself."  All with two displays one with high-resolution and one low-resolution display experienced what you experienced. Adobe is working on this problem. I do work for Adobe and am not defending anyone or anything.  I did not attack you or state you attacked  Adobe Your experience was not different than others.  What you marked as the correct answer has been posted before and was only available in Windows 10 Preview.  Other window  users had to updated windows registry to allow the use of external manifest file and add an external photoshop manifest in Photoshop folder

[jd_jdd]

All of the articles/posts that I found (perhaps I was searching the wrong thing) were not experiencing the same issue as myself - it might be the same problem at it's root, but the symptoms were different - most of them described a really small UI whereas mine appeared to be actually broken where some parts of the UI were being displayed in the wrong position and the buttons weren't working). If other people were experiencing the same symptoms as myself, I was unable to find those articles/posts.

I found a LOT of posts where the answer was to update the registry to favour an external manifest file as you described, but the symptoms described in those posts were not the same as my own.

JJMack  wrote

I did not attack you or state you attacked  Adobe Your experience was not different than others.

Fair enough, I guess it felt that way because you started the reply with the phrase "You need to realize", but I'm glad it was not your intention to attack.

Anyway, the problem is resolved, and that's the important thing here.

[Stratio_EU]

Adobe just released a new updated version of Photoshop CC (end of January 2018) - and the app's  UI scaling  just DOES NOT WORK. Period.

The steps you mention above in this thread do not apply here - it is apparently A BUG within the software...

I use PS CC on Windows 10 with custom screen resolution. The app simply renders HUGE UI tabs and menu characters - and REFUSES to switch to the smaller-UI-element layout that was there before, just minutes ago (before I updated Photoshop CC) running without a slightest problem...

This is the case EVEN DESPITE I CHANGED UI SCALING SEVERAL TIMES - TO 100% WHERE IT SHOULD BE !!

UI scaling feature in the Interface Menu simply has NO EFFECT, whatever value you set it on....\

Adobe, this truly is NON-PROFESSIONAL.

I depend on this software, I teach graphic design - and I am in the middle of creating a new course on GD with the 100% scaled layout in all of my videos. I cannot work with this UI scaling, it is not possible to explain things that I already started explaining using the smaller 100% scaled UI interface!

Now, you LITERALLY MADE ME STOP my daily work (halt what I do for a living) FOR A NON-SPECIFIED TIME PERIOD - just because you most likely forgot to test and adjust the UI scaling feature in your newest update - which contains other new functions, btw., that I DO NOT NEED AT ALL - while simply killing the one core feature I REALLY NEED FOR MY WORK !!!!!!!!

Please issue a new update with the UI scaling functionality working ASAP ...

N.B. Can't believe I am paying for a program that has such lousy programmed UI scaling error (bug). Photoshop used to be so much better and more reliable when it was sold as a stand alone, non subscription-based, software.

Really, really disappointed. So many people depend on this app to work flawlessly, and UI scaling is one of its core features 😞

[JJMack]

With the new update to CC 2018.1  Adobe Photoshop ui scaling works well.  The above steps should not be used.  The Photoshop Preferences UI scaling  IMO should have been removed from Photoshop Preferences.  That setting does not do anything.  UI scaling is automatic and done according to your Windows 10 Display scaling setting display by display settings.  You should not override Application handling High Dpi scaling and use System enhance.   You should let the  Photoshop Application handle UI scaling. Adobe work with Microsoft to develop the solution.  If you have tried to use old work around's.  You need to undo these.  Photoshop UI scaling now works well In CC 2018 on the latest Windows 10 OS.  Not Windows XP Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 with those Windows versions you would need to use the old work arounds to use Windows scaling

[Test Screen Name]

What is stopping you from completing your work with Photoshop CC 2017? Why did you even uninstall it?

[hemmanis]

Hello

I have been using the Photoshop cc 2018 for a while and after the last update, Everything seems broken about the UI. Using external Manifests or UI Scale Factors and even reducing the UI inside the photoshop interface does not work.

I have tried many options but changing the scale to 100% doesn't scale the photoshop down, it just remains the same as the Auto mode.

I have been searching for a way to scale down the interface in my 1080p Laptop screen but nothing seems to work. Same is the case with Adobe Illustrator latest 2018 update. The UI seems broken-black sometimes or goes huge.

Please, is there any other way to scale down the UI to the previous settings before the latest update.

[JJMack]

If you are using Widows 10 remove the Photoshop Manifest file you added.  If you are using some other version of Windows and the manifest file is not working correctly use and older version of Photoshop. Adobe CC 2018.1 updated stated with Windows 10 latest  ui scaling  works.

[hemmanis]

I am using windows 10 and yes I deleted the manifest file from photoshop directory and also deleted the registry content related to it. If I use the override Win 10 high dpi settings in the properties of Photoshop, it does not do anything. So setting the scale to auto and 100% in the interface option inside of PS give the same result. Since my Scaling option in display is set to 125%, PS does not scale to that level. Everything appears zoomed in. About the update, the option does not show in creative cloud.

[JJMack]

Here is what works for me with Windows 10  Creator’s Edition with CC 2018.1.   In the windows Photoshop CC 2018 properties compatibility tab do not override Application handles High DPI scaling leave the default setting Application.

In CC 2018 Preferences the UI Scale setting IMO should have been removed it serves no function it not used by Photoshop CC 2018.1 run on Windows 10  Creator’s Edition.

Set your windows Display scaling setting for each Display.  I have three displays two are 20" 4:3 1600x1200 100DPI displays I leave these set to 100%.   My third display is a 24" 4K 16:9 3840x2160 185dpi Display Windows recommends scaling it 200% ie 92.5DPI instead I set 175%  105.7 dpi which is closer to my two 100DPI displays the 92.5.

On my surface Pro 3 12" 2160x1440 216Dpi I set 150% windows scaling which makes it  a 1440x960px 144DPI display for CC 2018.1 UI.....

[hemmanis]

The only thing as a proper fix before the latest update was Dan Antonielli's fix i.e. Using the external manifest in registry. For some people, creating environment variables (UI_SCALE_FACTOR) inside the Advanced  settings option inside System(This Pc properties) worked. It seems the only hope is if Dan makes another similar fix for the problem.

[JerzyZaręba]

I got exactly the same problem and it's frustrating, especially since Illustrator is working fine with 125% Win10 scalling. This is ridiculous, my work area in Photoshop is now much smaller because of this and it's bloody annoying.

[braedonl77303253]

I can confirm that the latest update broke photoshop UI scaling on 4k displays. It's  i n c r e d i b l y  frustrating that this was not tested. All of my settings match what @jjmack said and I haven't messed with anything, didn't add a manifest file, etc. It just went from working one day to not working.

[JJMack]

Can you explain why Adobe CC 2018.1 UI scaling now works correctly on other users Windows 10 Creator’s Edition systems and not your's. Works  on my three Display Dell workstation where I scale only the 4K 185DPI scale175% to 105DPI and on my surface Pro 3  I scale its 216DPI display 150% to 144dpi

[hemmanis]

Mine is also creator's update and I have a 1080p screen but the previous update worked fine but after the update, the problem started to arise. Every scripts and hack are now unresponsive to the latest update. Also, Illustrator works just fine if we apply scale to lower dpi in the preferences window. The problem is not the creator's update or the resolution, Photoshop cc has the problem. The software is very well coded so it should make sense that it orients or scales correctly to the system specs. The software needs to work on its display scaling itself or provide with more scaling options like windows does.

[JJMack]

Here use my Surface pro 3 display 12" 216dpi 2160x1440 with windows scaling set to 150% so Phtoshop will be scaling its UI to 144DPI a 1440px by 960 display area.

[Test Screen Name]

Before the update did you apply one or more of the hacks to change how the app appeared? If so it’s probably messed up the update.

[hemmanis]

Actually, the previous update was also having the screen bug so I applied the manifest file and it scaled totally correct that time. During the recent update, the manifest file was automatically deleted before updating it to the new version and even from the registry, the Dword 32-bit value got deleted. That means photoshop cleaned its directory before the update for any troubling files. Then after the update when I got the problem, I again applied the hack but this time it didn't work.

[Test Screen Name]

I think it's worth checking whether anyone who finds this new version doesn't work DID NOT previously have one or more workarounds active. Anyone seeing it on a new clean system?