I'm using VMWare with Windows 10 and Storyline360. All other apps within VMWare and Windows10 are very crisp, but when I open storyline the text is very fuzzy to the point of giving me headaches to work with it.
Windows display settings are at 150% --- if I put them back to 100%, everything is ridiculously tiny --- too tiny to even work with. (it's a 4k display).
VMWare settings for displays also attached for reference.
I spent over an hour testing various combinations of windows display settings + VMWare settings and none of them produce crisp text in Storyline (without, as stated above, shrinking everything super tiny). Note that as I stated above, the other programs are super crisp on these settings --- it's JUST storyline that is blurry.
Any recommendations are really appreciated! Thanks for your help.
I use VMWare as well - and I've run through the steps here to disable the retina element of VMWare. I know it's a big bonus of a Mac (the retina display) but everything still ends up looking crisp and clear with that disabled and the DPI setting mentioned when I view on my Thunderbolt screen. Can you take a look at those settings too?
Sorry that's not working for your view - I haven't found any difficulty with the scaling and resolution, but I'd also tell you my vision isn't perfect. 😊
We did change how SL3 and SL360 behave on high resolution monitors based on display issues Storyline 2 had (things were clear but very small...tiny). If that view is fuzzy for you right now, it sounds like you'll want to go back to the other settings you were using.
Jen, I have the same problem, and as far as I can tell, Storyline 3/360 simply hasn't been developed for high-density displays (it doesn't include the high-DPI graphics assets, fonts, etc.). Storyline 3/360 did fix the tiny interface problem of version 2, but it did it by simply zooming in on everything, which makes makes the interface terrible in an entirely new way. Annoyingly, every time this issue is brought up in the forums, the support staff act as if it's the first time they've heard of this problem, that you are the only person affected by it, and that somehow changing a setting on your computer is going to fix it. The only thing that is going to fix this issue is a update by Articulate.
I'm sorry if you felt mislead by our answers - that is definitely not the intent!
The fix that we implemented in Storyline 3/360 will allow Storyline to scale if you're using a larger resolution or DPI setting - so as such it may make some things appear blurry. If you're using the DPI setting of 100%, that should allow things to be clear and not appear tiny as it was in Storyline 2.
I hope that helps clarify and please let me know if you need anything else.
Hello, has anyone found a resolution to this issue? I see it's been a couple months--is there a patch or a fix available?
I am having the exact same problem as Jen. I'm running Storyline 3 on a MacBook Pro through VMWare Fusion/Windows 10. I have tried adjusting the DPI, resolution, and turning off Retina in VMWare Fusion based on other posts in this forum. Nothing works. Photos, icons, and graphics look fine, but the SL3 Interface and any text I add to the file is extremely pixelated. If I turn off Retina in the VMWare settings, EVERYTHING on the Windows side is piexelated--it does not fix Storyline 3. If I leave it on, everything looks crisp and clean EXCEPT SL3. I think I could deal with the interface not being crisp or being small, but the pixelation is so bad, I can't design my courses.
With Storyline 3 and Storyline 360 we changed some elements of how we interface with high resolution monitors and I know some users have shared that items in the Storyline UI still look blurry - so we're continuing to make improvements in that area.
This shouldn't be impacted items on your slide though - so if you're seeing that, we'd want to know a bit more information.
I had already been through the steps in the link you recommended and was
continuing to experience issues with the slide AND the interface. (I wish I
would have taken a screenshot and noted the settings for you guys. I have
been tinkering with it all weekend and I finally got it working, so I am
now afraid to change it back. Ha!)
For future reference, I was able to resolve the issue by doing these things
things:
1) I followed all the steps in the your link (which I had already done)
2) I switched to a non-retina monitor. Once I switched, things stopped
pixelating as much, but the interface remained "tiny". And by tiny, I mean
that I couldn't tell if the mouse had changed from a hand to an arrow. :(
3) I followed Steve Flowers' advice from the following thread to adjust the
native resolution (this was the only thing that solved the "tiny interface"
issue)
*I use VMWare. The settings are a little different than Parallels as I
understand. On my retina screen I adjust the windows desktop resolution
depending on the display I'm using:27" Cinema: Native resolution @
2560x144015" Retina: 1440x900 (half of native resolution)It's not as crisp
on the retina as it is at native resolution but the scaling is bearable and
scales well to the screen real estate.*
I'm glad I was able to resolve this, but it means that I will have to use
the monitor to do most of my work, which is fine when I am at my desk, but
when traveling, it is going to become a problem since my laptop is a retina
screen. I really like the Storyline product, but many designers, even in
the corporate world, are using Macs and Articulate is really alienating
customers requiring so many workarounds to work on a Mac. If I wasn't
contracting for a company that is using Storyline, I would have gone with
Captivate.
Anyway, thank you for your help. If I end up replicating my original issue,
I will take screenshots and note all the settings and forward them to you.
Thanks for that breakdown of steps. I mostly keep Storyline on my laptop screen (MacBook Pro with retina) and haven't run into it myself.
When I have moved to my Thunderbolt - it's kept the same settings so I haven't noticed the blurry/tinyness - but I know it's something our Product team is aware of and continually looking at improvements.
I'd love to get them a copy of your settings as more information - it's always helpful to share real world examples of what our customers are seeing and using!
This isn't the ideal solution (which would be for Articulate to release a version that was ready for high-dpi displays), but I just upgraded to Parallels 13 on the slim chance that their claim of "enhanced retina support" for scaled applications would make Articulate look better. And what do you know? It does! It's still not as good as true retina/high-dpi support in Articulate, but it's much better than it looked before. Not sure if you can switch from VMware to Parallels, or if it would be worth waiting for VMware Fusion 10, but I thought I'd let you know my current solution. Cheers!
I've recently switched to the Mac platform at work (though I've been operating on that platform for years) and am using VMWare to run SL2 on my MacBook Pro and yes... I stumbled across this article because I am experiencing the same issue.
I've read a lot of back and forth and some potential remedies but I just wanted to get a confirmation on one question. Will upgrading to SL3 remedy the issue of the tiny tiny SL2 interface on my retina display...?
Our team implemented a fix in Storyline 3 and Storyline 360 for the issues folks were running into with the high-resolution monitors, so it should be a much better experience for you! I'd suggest starting a trial of Storyline 3 to really see for yourself if it meets your needs and expectations.
16 Replies
SL 360 and 3 both support high density pixel screens
Am I supposed to adjust settings somewhere?
I'm using VMWare with Windows 10 and Storyline360. All other apps within VMWare and Windows10 are very crisp, but when I open storyline the text is very fuzzy to the point of giving me headaches to work with it.
Thanks!
Hi Jennafer,
What's the overall screen resolution you're using in VMWare? Can you look to see if it's set to 100%? Here's how:
You may be prompted to restart your computer for the change to take effect. Let me know if that makes a difference!
Hi Alyssa -
Windows display settings are at 150% --- if I put them back to 100%, everything is ridiculously tiny --- too tiny to even work with. (it's a 4k display).
VMWare settings for displays also attached for reference.
I spent over an hour testing various combinations of windows display settings + VMWare settings and none of them produce crisp text in Storyline (without, as stated above, shrinking everything super tiny). Note that as I stated above, the other programs are super crisp on these settings --- it's JUST storyline that is blurry.
Any recommendations are really appreciated! Thanks for your help.
Hi Jennifer,
I use VMWare as well - and I've run through the steps here to disable the retina element of VMWare. I know it's a big bonus of a Mac (the retina display) but everything still ends up looking crisp and clear with that disabled and the DPI setting mentioned when I view on my Thunderbolt screen. Can you take a look at those settings too?
Ashley
When I turn off retina in VMware and crank down to 100% as mentioned, fuzziness gets worse. See attached.
I am using a 4k monitor --- is this why?
Hi Jen,
Sorry that's not working for your view - I haven't found any difficulty with the scaling and resolution, but I'd also tell you my vision isn't perfect. 😊
We did change how SL3 and SL360 behave on high resolution monitors based on display issues Storyline 2 had (things were clear but very small...tiny). If that view is fuzzy for you right now, it sounds like you'll want to go back to the other settings you were using.
Jen, I have the same problem, and as far as I can tell, Storyline 3/360 simply hasn't been developed for high-density displays (it doesn't include the high-DPI graphics assets, fonts, etc.). Storyline 3/360 did fix the tiny interface problem of version 2, but it did it by simply zooming in on everything, which makes makes the interface terrible in an entirely new way. Annoyingly, every time this issue is brought up in the forums, the support staff act as if it's the first time they've heard of this problem, that you are the only person affected by it, and that somehow changing a setting on your computer is going to fix it. The only thing that is going to fix this issue is a update by Articulate.
Hi Douglas,
I'm sorry if you felt mislead by our answers - that is definitely not the intent!
The fix that we implemented in Storyline 3/360 will allow Storyline to scale if you're using a larger resolution or DPI setting - so as such it may make some things appear blurry. If you're using the DPI setting of 100%, that should allow things to be clear and not appear tiny as it was in Storyline 2.
I hope that helps clarify and please let me know if you need anything else.
Hello, has anyone found a resolution to this issue? I see it's been a couple months--is there a patch or a fix available?
I am having the exact same problem as Jen. I'm running Storyline 3 on a MacBook Pro through VMWare Fusion/Windows 10. I have tried adjusting the DPI, resolution, and turning off Retina in VMWare Fusion based on other posts in this forum. Nothing works. Photos, icons, and graphics look fine, but the SL3 Interface and any text I add to the file is extremely pixelated. If I turn off Retina in the VMWare settings, EVERYTHING on the Windows side is piexelated--it does not fix Storyline 3. If I leave it on, everything looks crisp and clean EXCEPT SL3. I think I could deal with the interface not being crisp or being small, but the pixelation is so bad, I can't design my courses.
Any advice you have would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Gina,
With Storyline 3 and Storyline 360 we changed some elements of how we interface with high resolution monitors and I know some users have shared that items in the Storyline UI still look blurry - so we're continuing to make improvements in that area.
This shouldn't be impacted items on your slide though - so if you're seeing that, we'd want to know a bit more information.
I use VMWare as well and follow the directions here to ensure that Storyline looks good on my screen.
Hello Ashley,
Thanks for your reply.
I had already been through the steps in the link you recommended and was
continuing to experience issues with the slide AND the interface. (I wish I
would have taken a screenshot and noted the settings for you guys. I have
been tinkering with it all weekend and I finally got it working, so I am
now afraid to change it back. Ha!)
For future reference, I was able to resolve the issue by doing these things
things:
1) I followed all the steps in the your link (which I had already done)
2) I switched to a non-retina monitor. Once I switched, things stopped
pixelating as much, but the interface remained "tiny". And by tiny, I mean
that I couldn't tell if the mouse had changed from a hand to an arrow. :(
3) I followed Steve Flowers' advice from the following thread to adjust the
native resolution (this was the only thing that solved the "tiny interface"
issue)
*I use VMWare. The settings are a little different than Parallels as I
understand. On my retina screen I adjust the windows desktop resolution
depending on the display I'm using:27" Cinema: Native resolution @
2560x144015" Retina: 1440x900 (half of native resolution)It's not as crisp
on the retina as it is at native resolution but the scaling is bearable and
scales well to the screen real estate.*
I'm glad I was able to resolve this, but it means that I will have to use
the monitor to do most of my work, which is fine when I am at my desk, but
when traveling, it is going to become a problem since my laptop is a retina
screen. I really like the Storyline product, but many designers, even in
the corporate world, are using Macs and Articulate is really alienating
customers requiring so many workarounds to work on a Mac. If I wasn't
contracting for a company that is using Storyline, I would have gone with
Captivate.
Anyway, thank you for your help. If I end up replicating my original issue,
I will take screenshots and note all the settings and forward them to you.
Thanks!
Gina
Hi Gina,
Thanks for that breakdown of steps. I mostly keep Storyline on my laptop screen (MacBook Pro with retina) and haven't run into it myself.
When I have moved to my Thunderbolt - it's kept the same settings so I haven't noticed the blurry/tinyness - but I know it's something our Product team is aware of and continually looking at improvements.
I'd love to get them a copy of your settings as more information - it's always helpful to share real world examples of what our customers are seeing and using!
Gina,
This isn't the ideal solution (which would be for Articulate to release a version that was ready for high-dpi displays), but I just upgraded to Parallels 13 on the slim chance that their claim of "enhanced retina support" for scaled applications would make Articulate look better. And what do you know? It does! It's still not as good as true retina/high-dpi support in Articulate, but it's much better than it looked before. Not sure if you can switch from VMware to Parallels, or if it would be worth waiting for VMware Fusion 10, but I thought I'd let you know my current solution. Cheers!
I've recently switched to the Mac platform at work (though I've been operating on that platform for years) and am using VMWare to run SL2 on my MacBook Pro and yes... I stumbled across this article because I am experiencing the same issue.
I've read a lot of back and forth and some potential remedies but I just wanted to get a confirmation on one question. Will upgrading to SL3 remedy the issue of the tiny tiny SL2 interface on my retina display...?
Thanks.
Pete
Hi Pete,
Our team implemented a fix in Storyline 3 and Storyline 360 for the issues folks were running into with the high-resolution monitors, so it should be a much better experience for you! I'd suggest starting a trial of Storyline 3 to really see for yourself if it meets your needs and expectations.
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