Bug 487278 - Blurry icons in various places using fractional scaling
Summary: Blurry icons in various places using fractional scaling
Status: RESOLVED INTENTIONAL
Alias: None
Product: plasmashell
Classification: Plasma
Component: general (show other bugs)
Version: 6.0.4
Platform: Other Linux
: NOR normal
Target Milestone: 1.0
Assignee: Plasma Bugs List
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2024-05-20 13:29 UTC by Anya
Modified: 2024-05-24 10:04 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

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


Attachments
System tray icons, comparison (118.91 KB, image/png)
2024-05-20 13:29 UTC, Anya
Details
Start menu icon, task manager icons, comparison (25.19 KB, image/png)
2024-05-20 13:32 UTC, Anya
Details
Desktop and dolphin 120% (173.77 KB, image/png)
2024-05-20 13:36 UTC, Anya
Details
Desktop and dolphin 100% (111.75 KB, image/png)
2024-05-20 13:37 UTC, Anya
Details
Dolphin icons comparison (16.16 KB, image/png)
2024-05-20 13:38 UTC, Anya
Details

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Description Anya 2024-05-20 13:29:33 UTC
Created attachment 169655 [details]
System tray icons, comparison

When scaling factor is set to 120%, desktop icon labels, systray icons, taskbar icons and some dolphin icons become blurry. The clock seems unaffected. There may be blurry icons in other places as well. I made screenshots for comparison between 100% and 120%, but at a quick glance the problems persist with other fractional scaling factors. Icons flicker a little when hovering mouse cursor over them, but this happens at 100% as well.

I logged out and back in after changing the scaling factor every time. Tested mainly on a (single) 2560x1440 monitor, Nvidia 550.78. Panel is default but Floating is disabled, System Tray option "Panel icon size" is set to "Scale with Panel height", and I changed the panel height for every screenshot to demonstrate how icons look at different sizes. I confirmed 120% looks blurry on a different machine as well (different resolution and GPU). I hope the screenshots make sense otherwise.

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Operating System: Arch Linux
KDE Plasma Version: 6.0.4
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.2.0
Qt Version: 6.7.0
Kernel Version: 6.9.1-arch1-1 (64-bit)
Graphics Platform: Wayland
Graphics Processor: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti/PCIe/SSE2

I see other bug reports related to taskbar blurriness but they seem to be a different problem, as in my case hovering the mouse doesn't change sharpness, and the problem persists when Floating is disabled. Apologies if an identical bug report already exists though.
Comment 1 Anya 2024-05-20 13:32:56 UTC
Created attachment 169656 [details]
Start menu icon, task manager icons, comparison
Comment 2 Anya 2024-05-20 13:36:17 UTC
Created attachment 169658 [details]
Desktop and dolphin 120%
Comment 3 Anya 2024-05-20 13:37:31 UTC
Created attachment 169659 [details]
Desktop and dolphin 100%
Comment 4 Anya 2024-05-20 13:38:38 UTC
Created attachment 169660 [details]
Dolphin icons comparison
Comment 5 Nate Graham 2024-05-24 01:48:41 UTC
I can confirm the issue, but I'm afraid a certain amount of blurriness is unavoidable with KDE's current icon rendering technology at low fractional scale factors and screens with a low to medium pixel density — especially when using monochrome line-art icons with 1px line widths, as KDE icons are.

To learn more about the reason why, read https://community.kde.org/Get_Involved/Design/Frequently_Discussed_Topics#Pixel-alignment_for_SVG_icons

In an ideal world we'd be able to use sub-pixel rendering to avoid blurriness for thin monochrome icons the way we can for fonts, but this is a level of technology we unfortunately don't have in KDE, or anywhere else outside of the font-based icons in macOS and Windows, for that matter.
Comment 6 Anya 2024-05-24 10:04:10 UTC
(In reply to Nate Graham from comment #5)
> I can confirm the issue, but I'm afraid a certain amount of blurriness is
> unavoidable with KDE's current icon rendering technology at low fractional
> scale factors and screens with a low to medium pixel density — especially
> when using monochrome line-art icons with 1px line widths, as KDE icons are.
> 
> To learn more about the reason why, read
> https://community.kde.org/Get_Involved/Design/
> Frequently_Discussed_Topics#Pixel-alignment_for_SVG_icons
> 
> In an ideal world we'd be able to use sub-pixel rendering to avoid
> blurriness for thin monochrome icons the way we can for fonts, but this is a
> level of technology we unfortunately don't have in KDE, or anywhere else
> outside of the font-based icons in macOS and Windows, for that matter.

Aw, that's a shame. Thank you for the info though.