HTML5 in (desktop) Chrome 46 - pixelated text

Dec 01, 2015

I've only started noticing this recently, so it may be an issue with the latest version of desktop Chrome. When I view HTML5 Storyline output, set to scale to browser window, text box fonts are (as expected) scaled up and smoothed a bit, so it's a bit blurry but otherwise fine. However, sometimes when I enter a slide, the font ends up looking like this:

Note that the title is smoothed like normal, but the sentence is very pixelated. Sometimes after a few seconds on the slide, the output corrects itself and the font becomes smooth. Other times the slide remains this way and the font remains pixelated until I branch to another slide (and if I branch back, it's random whether its pixelated again or not).

I've noticed it with multiple projects now so it's definitely not an issue with a specific .story file, but something to do with the HTML5 output itself. Any ideas?

Thanks.

5 Replies
Ashley Terwilliger-Pollard

Hi Keith,

I'm not sure I've seen that before - are you publishing with the latest update of Storyline 2 Update 7? You mentioned it sometimes "smooths out" after a bit - could it be a loading/buffering issue? If you'd like to share a link to the course I'm happy to also take a look and test it on my instances of Chrome. 

Keith K.

I am indeed publishing with the latest update of SL2. I don't think it's a loading issue - it's happening randomly locally testing too, as well as when the release is on a server or LMS. The frame always loads at a reasonable speed whether the text is pixelated or not.

It's not happening just on a specific course, but randomly on a variety of courses that are set to Scale player to fill browser window. My max monitor resolution is 1600 pixels and our Storyline output is 1000 pixels wide, so our courses scale about 1.5 times as large. I can't send you a specific link to the course as it's not public facing, but this issue should be reproducible on any course that is scaled up in HTML5 eventually. I've noticed it several times just today.

Ashley Terwilliger-Pollard

Hi Keith,

I tried to set up the same as you - with my width at 1000 and then the same text as shown and the settings you mentioned and I'm not seeing the same changes in the text pixellation. I wasn't sure which font you were using or other elements - but you can take a look at my image below. If you're unable to share one of your course links, even a sample .story file would help so that I could ensure we're using all the same settings.   You can attach it here using the "add attachment" button. If you'd prefer to share with me privately you can also send it directly here. 

Keith K.

Thanks for your replies so far Ashley.

I've created a Story file with almost completely default settings (the one exception being Scale player to fill browser window). I then ran the HTML5 release in maximized Chrome and did a ton of branching back and forth using the Prev/Next buttons and the menu. Eventually I was able to get to a slide where the text stayed pixelated. I just had to keep at it for a while. It does seem to happen more frequently with slides with more content in them, but it's definitely reproducible from my end in this file.

Ashley Terwilliger-Pollard

Thanks Keith. How long is a while? :) 

I uploaded that file to Tempshare and am viewing it in the latest update of Chrome clicking back and forth slow and then doing some fast and then slow again, menu and the next/prev buttons. And same across the board. I stayed at it for about 5 minutes straight.  Could you record a video of this happening? 

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