Forum Discussion
Storyline 360 on a high DPI monitor
Hello lovely people!
I've run into an interesting problem with Storyline 360 (that I am currently trying out). On a Windows 10 laptop with Custom Scaling set to 150% Storyline 2 looks just fine, looks crisp and clean and lovely.
But with Storyline 360 on the same laptop, with the same settings, it is blurry. This is only fixed by dropping the Windows custom scaling down to 100% for Storyline 360 (and leaving it for the rest of the apps on the laptop).
Of course, this means that Storyline 360 is now very small on the screen. It is crisp and clean but very small and almost unusable.
I have looked around for some threads and found that you only recommend that Storyline runs at 96dpi (which is what custom scaling deals with) but what I don't understand is how can Storyline 2 look perfect but Storyline 360 (with the same code base) doesn't cope with custom scaling in the same way.
Please help
Storyline is not the only application on windows platform that has this dpi issue.
While waiting for a fix (might be a significant rewriting), here is what you can do to get an acceptable working environment.
1. go to the actual location of your storyline app: program files (x86)/articulate/360/storyline
2. right click on storyline.exe and go to the tab properties/compatibility and check "disable scaling in high dpi"
This will grant all other apps scaling while asking SL to maintain its own dpi.
The result is that your slides will look right, most of the UI will look right, but your menus are not---they now have a huge padding on top and bottom.3. If you have the more recent windows 10 creator update applied, you have a different checkbox called "override high DPI scaling behavior".
Instead of simply "disable" scaling you have three options (as the following image indicates):
- Using the application option will let this app remain in its native 96 dpi, equal to the previous "disable" option. But the paddings have disappeared. The fonts are crisp but too small to work with.
- The "system" option is to use the system scaling, where everything will be blurred. Your slides might look wrong (before the update, it definitely will) as it is working in a DPI other than 96 now.
If you don't see anything wrong, then congratulations! Until an official fix, this is by far the best option you have.
- Finally, the system enhanced option will give you a bigger splash window, blurry fonts and some hiding of the menu items. otherwise looking okay.
In summary, the lesson is this: unlike other windows updates, this one is critical to storyline users who work on a high DPI monitor. After update you can see the app is already working good under scaling. But if spot something wrong, you have the option to try the "system enhancement" way or stick to the native dpi.
Thanks so much Dong Liang!
I took the option to disable scaling in high dpi under storyline properties/compatibility, as I do not have Windows 10. This has indeed restored an acceptable working environment outside of Articulate Storyline and Storyline remains nice and crisp also.
Many thanks,
Ellen
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Thank you so much for this information.
Hi there,
I'm experiencing this same issue. When my machine was set to view larger text (150%), Storyline 360 was so large and blurry I could not use it. Now after reading this forum I have adjusted my display settings as described and EVERYTHING is sharp, but so small to the point where I strain to see other items on my computer! The DPI is now set to 96 and general display at 100%. My resolution is set to 1680 X 1050 (recommended).
It would be great if Storyline 360 could work with my need to see everything else a bit bigger.
Any further advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Ellen
Any update on fixing Storyline 360 interface for 4K Monitors. It's still blurry to the point a person starts to question their vision. It has been 4 year after all.
Is there any update on this? I have looked everywhere, and most posts regarding this problem are 3-4 years old. No matter what combination of settings I choose, the Storyline interface is still pixelated on a 4k screen. There doesn't seem to be a straight answer anywhere. Can we conclude that Storyline just hasn't been updated for HiDPI / Retina screens yet?
I'm with Alex. I'd like to know what other options have turned up in the last year.
Hi there, Amy!
Thanks for checking in!
I'm sorry I don't have an update about 4K display support at this time. I'll raise your note to my team, so the second there's more to share, this discussion will be the first to know.
For now, we recommend:
- Setting the resolution and scaling settings to 100%.
- Disabling scaling for high DPI monitors (a community member's approach).
And as always, our technical experts are happy to review various combinations with you! Feel free to start a conversation with them here.
Wow, four years have passed and, out of 117 apps on my PC, Storyline 360 is the only one that's blurry. It's also the only one that's $1000/year. Not good. People don't buy 4K monitors to look at an interface with VHS sharpness.
Could you please inform us, how the current state is?
We've been putting up with this for years. Monitors have moved on to sharper resolutions, as have 100% of the other apps on my PC. None of those other apps costs nearly as much as Storyline 360. Even my free apps know how to scale. Don't any of the Articulate team have a high-resolution monitor? If so, how can you stand it?
It's tempting, when you're the best product in your genre, to attain the type of hubris that lets you ignore your customers, neglecting a key feature we need for proper function. One would hope that the Articulate team would take their product's lofty status more responsibly.
Hi, my display scaling is set to 125% one screen one, and 150% on my second screen. As per other posts Articulate Storyline's interface is blurry and difficult to read. Dropping the scaling to 100% the interface is just too small. An update would be appreciated.
Hi Andy,
Thanks for reaching out here! We've seen and heard from users the exact reverse - that the Storyline 360 set up is looking crisper and easier to see on a high definition monitor over Storyline 2, and we did implement some changes within Storyline 360 based on a lot of feedback we heard in Storyline 2.
I'd like to get some screenshots from you so that we could look at what you're seeing and any settings you're using on our own systems. Would you be able to share them here with us in the ELH discussion or send along to our team here?
