Bug 467480 - Scaling with Retina | UHD+ displays | appimage
Summary: Scaling with Retina | UHD+ displays | appimage
Status: REPORTED
Alias: None
Product: digikam
Classification: Applications
Component: Usability-FullScreen (show other bugs)
Version: 7.10.0
Platform: Appimage Linux
: NOR normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Digikam Developers
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2023-03-17 10:17 UTC by vieno_bugs_kde44
Modified: 2025-04-04 01:42 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:


Attachments
example_scaling_comparison (1.14 MB, image/png)
2023-03-17 10:17 UTC, vieno_bugs_kde44
Details
digikam_hdi_small_text.png (853.17 KB, image/png)
2023-03-17 12:23 UTC, vieno_bugs_kde44
Details
attachment-862668-0.html (2.40 KB, text/html)
2023-03-17 13:02 UTC, vieno_bugs_kde44
Details
attachment-1257878-0.html (1.94 KB, text/html)
2023-03-21 15:05 UTC, vieno_bugs_kde44
Details

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Description vieno_bugs_kde44 2023-03-17 10:17:36 UTC
Created attachment 157356 [details]
example_scaling_comparison

SUMMARY: Request for in-app scaling options for Digikam .appimage

Using Digikam appimage with High Definition / high ppi displays results in very small text and icons making it very difficult to use at normal /comfortable viewing distances from screens and monitors. This negatively impacts the usability of the app, especially for people who require larger fonts to be able to use computers.

Some appimages (and flatpaks) offer master shortcut with ability to scale the app ('zoom' in/out proportionally). For example appimages such as: Obsidian; Bitwarden; Tutanota (also has additional desktop integration when installing); each offers this feature making  it easily to integrate with system. 

***
Tested with: 
Fedora 37 Workstation (Wayland)
UDH+ 15" (3840x2400); 4k 28" (3840x2160); 4K 32" (3840x2160)
Comment 1 caulier.gilles 2023-03-17 10:33:53 UTC
did you try this settings :

https://i.imgur.com/qLws1uy.png
Comment 2 Maik Qualmann 2023-03-17 11:34:09 UTC
Activate "Use high DPI scaling from the screen factor" in the digiKam settings under Miscellaneous-> System.
This scale your GUI and fonts to the 2.0 (200%) scaling factor you set.

https://docs.digikam.org/en/setup_application/miscs_settings.html#system-settings

Maik
Comment 3 vieno_bugs_kde44 2023-03-17 12:23:04 UTC
Created attachment 157359 [details]
digikam_hdi_small_text.png

Thanks for suggestion. I have enabled it, but see screenshot attached. Only some icons increased in size but the menu and sidebar text increased negligibly. See screenshot comparing Digikam with native system app and Obsidian appimage scaling. 

Also worth noting the Digikam logo in the tool bar doesn't scale with the other icons, nor do the side bar menu icons (which would be useful to scale). Again, see comparison with other apps in screenshot.




17 Mar 2023, 11:34 by bugzilla_noreply_at_kde_org_rhxbyxirt@simplelogin.co:

> https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=467480
>
> Maik Qualmann <metzpinguin@gmail.com> changed:
>
>  What    |Removed                     |Added
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  CC|                            |metzpinguin@gmail.com
>
> --- Comment #2 from Maik Qualmann <metzpinguin@gmail.com> ---
> Activate "Use high DPI scaling from the screen factor" in the digiKam settings
> under Miscellaneous-> System.
> This scale your GUI and fonts to the 2.0 (200%) scaling factor you set.
>
> https://docs.digikam.org/en/setup_application/miscs_settings.html#system-settings
>
> Maik
>
> -- 
> You are receiving this mail because:
> You reported the bug.
>
Comment 4 caulier.gilles 2023-03-17 12:32:27 UTC
Did you restart the application after changes ?
Comment 5 vieno_bugs_kde44 2023-03-17 13:02:30 UTC
Created attachment 157360 [details]
attachment-862668-0.html

Yes. Did restart.  :)

However it's probably work mentioning that because scaling is tricky to setup on linux between multiple monitors I set things up differently depending on whether I'm using my laptop solo, compared with being plugged into my studio monitors. e.g.

Laptop by itself:
3840x2400 (200%) 
note: Just tested by itself and logos are bigger but text is still too small (for me). Often with apps I'll toggle up/down when needed. So maybe some apps are sometimes equivalent of 225-250%%(?) Being able to toggle in Flatpaks/appimages has become faster/more convenient to setup than configuring system backend.

Studio:Laptop (2560x1600) 100% | 4k 32" 100%** | 4k 28" 100% 
note: This setup generally keeps all title bars and frames ofPlease note that my photoediting worflow setup when I use multiple monitors is:
(**last screenshot was from the 32" monitor).

Laptop display 
 apps at reasonable size for working, but some apps require magnification so might end up at different magnifications, maybe 125%, 150% but can different between flatpaks/appimages as devs do things differently.
If you like I can send screenshots from each monitor at the different settings with Digikam HDI enabled should you want to compare your app icons/text with other apps on my setup.



17 Mar 2023, 12:32 by bugzilla_noreply_at_kde_org_rhxbyxirt@simplelogin.co:

> https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=467480
>
> --- Comment #4 from caulier.gilles@gmail.com ---
> Did you restart the application after changes ?
>
> -- 
> You are receiving this mail because:
> You reported the bug.
>
Comment 6 Maik Qualmann 2023-03-17 20:49:04 UTC
You're on a Gnome OS, plus Wayland, so it won't work. The digiKam GUI would have to scale strongly with a factor of 2. Works here under plasma with X without any problems. As a test you can export a variable before you start digiKam in the terminal:

export QT_SCALE_FACTOR=2.0

Maik
Comment 7 vieno_bugs_kde44 2023-03-21 15:05:58 UTC
Created attachment 157495 [details]
attachment-1257878-0.html

Thanks. I've tested and found that 200% on my laptop screen (3860x2400) looks better and does work better with Digikam HD setting (had to restart) but I still cannot adjust menu/sidebar text in Digikam which is still quite small. I tried using gnomes text accessibility options but then text on DE is huge. 

Also, I use my 32" and 28" 4K at 100% so the digikam header/menu/sidebars is too small to use comfortably. Are there any plans to offer customisation of Digikam application fonts for menus/settings and sidebar text etc?

I actually prefer using KDE to gnome (but had issues with getting nvidia card working so switched to gnome+wayland). Are you saying I would be able to achieve a better graphics setup for Digikam using KDE+X11?




17 Mar 2023, 20:49 by bugzilla_noreply_at_kde_org_rhxbyxirt@simplelogin.co:

> https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=467480
>
> --- Comment #6 from Maik Qualmann <metzpinguin@gmail.com> ---
> You're on a Gnome OS, plus Wayland, so it won't work. The digiKam GUI would
> have to scale strongly with a factor of 2. Works here under plasma with X
> without any problems. As a test you can export a variable before you start
> digiKam in the terminal:
>
> export QT_SCALE_FACTOR=2.0
>
> Maik
>
> -- 
> You are receiving this mail because:
> You reported the bug.
>
Comment 8 caulier.gilles 2023-05-03 12:16:05 UTC
@vieno_bugs_kde44@volkaith.io,

Definitively yes X11 will give better result than Wayland with the AppImage. There are other report with Wayland so i recommend to switch to X11 for the moment.

Also using last 8.0.0 must be better too.

Note: did you check the font type setting to use in the Setup/Misc/Appearance ?

https://docs.digikam.org/fr/setup_application/miscs_settings.html#appearance-settings

Best

Gilles Caulier
Comment 9 caulier.gilles 2023-10-10 03:00:42 UTC
@vieno,

Please give us a fresh feedback using the current digiKam AppImage Linux bundle pre-release 8.2.0 available here:

https://files.kde.org/digikam/

This one is compiled with last Qt 5.15.11 (previous one used Qt 5.15.7)
Thanks in advance

Gilles Caulier
Comment 10 caulier.gilles 2024-04-20 03:23:03 UTC
Hi all,

The digiKam 8.4.0 Appimage bundle pre-release is now based on last modern frameworks Qt 6.7.0 and KDE 6.2.0.

File can be downloaded at usual place : https://files.kde.org/digikam/
Take a  care : the bundle is named with the suffix "-Qt6" not "-Qt5". This bundle is compiled under Ubuntu 22.04 and require a Linux with GlibC version >= 2.35 to run.

Can you reproduce the dysfonction with this version?

Thanks in advance

Gilles Caulier
Comment 11 caulier.gilles 2025-04-04 01:42:33 UTC
Hi,

The new AppImage bundle 8.7.0 pre-release for Linux based on Qt 6.8.3 is
online at usual place :

https://files.kde.org/digikam/

Let's me know if the problem remain.

Best regards

Gilles Caulier