increase font size and the size of the icons in the dashboard?

[Prema]

Hello,

can you increase the font size and the size of the icons in the dashboard? I have tried all the options under Edit- Settings. light/dark, contrasts etc. I am a bit older, my eyesight is deteriorating and the program is difficult for me to use because everything is much too small. I use Affnity Publisher on my desktop device.

best regards,
Birgit

Edited March 21, 2024 by Prema

[walt.farrell]

If you are using a Mac then then there are some additional UI options you might try in the application Settings.

However, if you are on Windows, the only thing you can do is adjust your Windows system settings, specifically Display Scaling, which will affect all the other applications you use, too. Many users have complained about this.

[menrg]

Walt -  Thanks for this idea.  Can you be more specific about where to go and what to do to increase the size of the icons on a mac?  I am having the same issue that Prema explained and would love to get the icons larger.  

[Granddaddy]

For newcomers just encountering this issue, know that it has a decade long history.

See my post from May 3, 2024 for links to history and partial solutions in Windows.

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/180602-ui-generally-too-small-windows-no-scale-option/#comment-1211111

One of the partial solutions uses Settings/Ease of Access/Display to at least make text bigger that uses the system font in the Affinity UI, avoiding the problems that arise when you scale the entire display.

[menrg]

Thanks Grandaddy - Shocking to hear this has been going on for a decade. With such a complex program you would think they would be able to customize that sort of thing fairly easily.  It leaves one wondering if they care about their users?

Glad to hear you have some workarounds for PC.  Anything for a mac?  I have been playing with the settings in the UI and it is much more usable at this point but I would love to get the tool icons larger.  

 

[h_d]

1 hour ago, menrg said:

Anything for a mac?

 

This is the best I can suggest, and it sounds like you've already got something fairly close to it yourself.

I have UI Contrast set to High, although there is no visual indication when you click the buttons which option has been selected. Both stay resolutely slightly grey...

The only thing I can find in System Settings that might help is 

Displays>Larger text

 

If I set Larger Text to 1440x900 I get reasonable-sized icons in the Affinity apps (this is Designer):

 

But that seems to be at the expense of enlarging the entire UI on my Mac. 

This is with a getting-slightly-old MacBook Pro, you may have better or worse results with an external monitor.

[peter]

I have this problem too; post-cataract surgery, wearing varifocals and using a 27" display.

I would like to see an extra large option added to the choice of font sizes, maybe on a sliding scale, if possible.

I've just compared the old with the new, this really made me feel old. 

[menrg]

Yes, thanks for posting this Peter.  That is about what my screen looks like on my 27 inch monitor.  All other programs allow adjustment to the fonts.  I sure wish Affinity would do that.  The tool icons on the left sidebar of my screen are so small that it is difficult to right click them in order to bring up the other options.  This is such a basic problem I am surprised that is has yet to be addressed. 

[peter]

You're welcome. It's the same company, so they had it solved all of those years ago.

[Alfred]

3 hours ago, peter said:

they had it solved all of those years ago

More than fifteen years ago! But only for Windows, of course.

[chuckbaggett]

I'm glad I tried the free trial. 

I like Affinity Designer, and was thinking about buying it on the current half price sale, but won't buy it because the UI size is not adjustable. 

Programs need to allow customization of UI features at the per program scale. There's not necessarily one setting at the OS level that works for all apps for everyone's unique needs and wants. 

[Ron P.]

42 minutes ago, chuckbaggett said:

but won't buy it because the UI size is not adjustable. 

Sorry to hear that. However I think that's a poor reason.

That said, I realize other apps exist that do allow the user to customize the GUI, like resizing the text. Corel (now owned by Alludo) has 2 apps, Paintshop Pro( $59.99) and Coreldraw Graphics Suite, that do. The latter is more like Designer, however it is way more expensive( $549 US), and Corel does have a subscription plan ($19.92 mo). Currently as you noticed Serif is offering 50% off. If you go the Universal route, $82.99. That's for all Affinity apps, for all Platforms, Mac, Windows and iPad. Plus Canva/Serif have been listening to their users. The Trial Period has been extended to 6 months. Not 7 days, not even 30 days, which is common in the software world. Six Flippin' months to try out the products. That's crazy!!!

So just because you can not change the GUI text size you would rather spend more money for an app that may (or not) do what you need to do? You said you like Designer, so....?

[Pšenda]

On 7/9/2024 at 6:57 PM, chuckbaggett said:

There's not necessarily one setting at the OS level that works for all apps for everyone's unique needs and wants. 

But it should be - it only makes sense to set the UI size at the OS level. This is how it works for me on Windows. If any applications do not respect this setting or have implemented it incorrectly - they should be fixed. Requiring all apps to allow UI settings, and thereby fixing flaws in other apps is really weird.

[peter]

It's a very easy fix, unlike my prescription.

[peter]

I've had a cataract removed from my left eye, which is a fixed lens and now overly sensitive to UV light (nothing bionic here sadly), whereas my right eye's lens, has an ever so slightly green tinge to it, similar to a car's glass side window or UV safety glasses, which means this affect colour temperatures. ie the grass always looks greener in my right eye.

[martinbrossman]

I am older with Dyslexia, and I can not see your tiny icons. Forcing me to go back and use Photoshop. This is a worthless program for me, without bigger icons and text. This doesn't make sense, and it is a bit abusive with people who are challenged like me. 

Edited August 9, 2024 by martinbrossman