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If you’re looking for the answer to this question and you want a pretty easy answer, then you’ve come to the right place. This article will give a brief description of what screen resolution is, how many there are, and some of the different sized screens available on your computer or device.
What Screen Resolution do I Need?
It’s been asked before but different answers have been given and it can be confusing when trying to find out just what amount of resolution your monitor or television needs. So in this article we’ll try to clear that up for you so at least one question will be answered.
What is screen resolution?
The term “screen resolution” refers to the number of horizontal pixels and vertical pixels that are used to display text, graphics and images. Although most often used for monitors, it is also used to refer to the number of pixels on a television or computer display. The higher the screen resolution, the sharper the picture will be as opposed to an excessively low resolution that will make text look fuzzy or blurry.
Without getting too technical, you should know that every pixel (a single dot of colour) in a computer image has a red, green or blue component (RGB). Each pixel is displayed at a certain place on the screen. The resolution, measured in pixels per inch, tells you how many pixels there are in one linear inch of the display. For example, a “100-ppi” (pixels per inch) display has 100 pixels per linear inch.
The higher the resolution, the more detailed and sharper your image will look. High resolution is especially important if you’re working with large images or using your computer for design work or photography.
Also read: What Type of Monitor is Ideal for Gamers
What screen resolution do I need?
There are many different screen resolutions available, ranging from the very low resolution of 800×600 pixels to the super high resolution of 2560×1600. Image quality depends on the type of monitor you’re using as well as the software you’re using to edit images. If you’re just trying to watch videos or play games, a lower resolution isn’t required so you can get by with something as simple as 640×480.
Whilst this might not sound like a lot, compared to professional editing suites that demand super high resolutions a lower number is still fine. For example, at standard definition you’ll only need 640×480 pixels.
And of course, the more colours available on screen the bigger the image will be and therefore the more detail can be seen. If your image is going to be small, say under 1000 pixels across or high resolution it might not really matter what your resolution is, but if you’re working with larger images or using a higher resolution then it is important.
Higher resolution also means that you can see smaller details. This increases the quality of your design work by enabling you to see fine lines and detail in minute areas (such as hair) that would otherwise be lost in a low resolution image. Having a high resolution image also means you’ll be able to zoom in on an image and still see the fine detail.
Read more: Type of Monitors & Their uses
How do I find out what resolution my display needs?
The rule of thumb when buying a new monitor is that it should be twice as high as your highest resolution. For example, if you have a 1280×1024 pixel display then the next best resolution would be 1920 x 1080 pixels. Most monitors offer preset options for computer resolutions, but if that doesn’t suit you, then increasing the resolution can be done by following these steps:
- 1. Download an application called Crystal in the Windows section of the App store (this is essentially what Screen Resolution is) or go to www.googeek.com/crystal and download the free version.
- 2. Go to the Start menu, select Settings, then Control Panel.
- 3. Double click on Display and change the size of your screen by dragging each of the “scaling” bars up or down to adjust its position. Notice how one bar starts at zero, so you need to add or subtract the height of one bar (in other words, how far you move it from zero) to get the adjusted resolution of your display that you want. For example if you have a 1024×768 display then this would be 1 less than 1024 (so 1023), but if you want a 1280×1920 display then add 2 (so 1247).
- 4. Select Apply, OK then exit out of the Display Properties window
- 5. Open Crystal in the Windows section of the App store and click on “Display Resolution” in the column on the left side of your screen. If you have multiple displays, you can select one at a time by checking its box at the top right corner of your display and selecting it from the drop-down menu located next to “Scaled resolution.” Choose your resolution from this list and select “Apply.” In most cases you won’t need to change any other properties as Crystal will automatically adjust for display format. If that’s true for you, then click on OK and close out of Crysallis without saving any changes.
- 6. Launch Photoshop and check your resolution by going to Windows>Image Size. If everything is correct, then you should see your new display screen resolution at the top of the setting box under “Resample Image” (it should say “Approximate”). If you have multiple displays, you can choose the one where you want to view your image from the drop-down menu located next to “View.” Choose that screen from this list and make sure there are no boxes checked next to Preserve, No change, or Undefined and select OK.
- 7. Reselect the same image from your Image Window menu and double-click on it in order to open up a larger window so that we can zoom in on it.
- 8. Select Image>Image Size to see your pixel dimensions. Remember that it’s only showing the width of the image, so if you have a pixel dimension that is 921, then your height would be (921/2) which is 446. This may or may not be what you want, which brings me to…
- 9. Photoshop can usually determine what aspect ratio (the ratio of height to width) you want in order to see your image once it’s been enlarged. If the image is portrait (tall and narrow), then you will want to select Image>Image Size>Pixel Aspect (or click on the pulldown menu in the upper right corner and choose Pixel Aspect) so that it’s adjusted for your custom display size. If it’s landscape (flat and wide) you will want to select Image>Image Size>Scale Factor (or click on the pulldown menu in the upper right corner and choose Scale Factor). These settings allow Photoshop to put everything at the appropriate location within your custom resolution. For example, if you have a 1024×768 display, but you want to view an image at 1920×1080, so it would be a 1.5:1 ratio. If you have a 5,040×3,200 display, then you’ll want to make it a 0.333:1 ratio and vice versa.
- 10. In the example above, we want to view our image at 1.5:1 (1920×1080). We could accomplish this by selecting Image>Image Size>Pixel Aspect and changing it from 1.0 (1440×900) to 1.5 (1920×1080). Our new screen resolution would be 1920 x 1080 or 1920 x 1192 – depending on whether we’re using a 4:3 or 16:9 ratio monitor.
- 11. Then, to view the image as large as possible on our monitor, we would adjust the Scale Factor to 1.0 and change the Width to 1192px.
- 12. The other option is to select Image>Image Size>Scale Factor and change it from 1.0 (1440×900) to 0.333 (1920×1080). Then you would set the Width of your image to 1080 in order for it to fit on your monitor at a 1:1 aspect ratio. You can see that using pixels per inch as a factor when resizing images will make them look blurry when you print them. Also, this is not very useful for web content because it does not affect the dimensions of your site.
- 13. The next screen allows you to change the quality of your image. I like to use 72 ppi for my images and embed them in HTML, since it is more secure and accurate. Photoshop includes a resampling tool as well as some other options and sizes if you want to experiment with higher or lower resolutions.
- 14. Once you’ve decided how large your image should be, Next, choose either Local Size or Fit Image into Frame from the menu on the left (depending on which option you selected in Step 10). Photoshop will then open your image so you can adjust its size and position on your page.
Related post: Difference between LCD and LED Monitors
What is the difference between screen resolution and maximum display resolution?
The term “maximum display resolution” refers to the highest possible number of pixels that can be displayed. This number is usually determined by a property or driver settings for your monitor, video card, graphics card, or operating system. For example, “maximum display resolution” might be set by your operating system in order to do something like automatically adjust the image size to fit a certain screen dimension, or prevent it from being stretched past the size of your screen while being pixelated and blurry.
Therefore there are two different types of “maximum display resolutions”. One refers to how many pixels are displayed and is known as the screen resolution (or sometimes just resolution). The other is the maximum display resolution and is determined by your computer’s capabilities. The screen resolution will not usually match the maximum display resolution, but if it does then it means that your computer is most likely running at full capacity.
For example, a “maximum resolution” of 1920×1200 pixels could be set to match a 1920×1080 monitor’s screen resolution. If you change the screen resolution to something like 2560×1920 (the highest possible) then the computer is unable to handle this image at 100%, which means it will either stretch, shrink or pixelate your image in order to fit it within your screen boundaries.
What is the difference between screen resolution and dpi?
Many of you already know the answer to this question, but let’s go over it for any newbies who are reading this. Screen resolution is the number of pixels (or dots) that can be displayed on your monitor. DPI (dots per inch) is a measurement of screen size, not display size. So if you have a monitor that has a maximum resolution of 1920×1336 pixels, but it’s capable of displaying an image much larger than that, then you can change your screen resolution to fit a larger frame such as 2560×1920 or whatever number will fit on your screen without pixelating or shrinking your image.
Dots per inch, however, is not a measurement of screen size. DPI refers to screen size rather than display size. For example, a monitor with a maximum resolution of 1920×1080 will have the same dpi as a smaller monitor with the same resolution since it will have the same number of pixels displayed on it. However, using this example as an example, if you are able to enlarge your image to fit your monitor without pixelating or shrinking any portions of the image, then that is considered “dpi” not “screen resolution”.
Most monitors that are used for standard computer tasks (Internet browsing on web pages and word processing) have a dpi higher than what they are capable of displaying. This means that some of the pixels in your image will be invisible to you depending on the settings in your monitor preferences. Usually a “dpi” of 200 or more is recommended for good quality content and web design, whereas for printing purposes you may only need a dpi of 100 in order to have acceptable results.
Read here: Reviews of Best Monitor under ₹5000 in India
Frequently Asked Questions:
How Can I Know the Size of My Monitors?
If you need to know the size of your monitors, then all you have to do is take a measurement from their top corners in order for them to be able to be placed on your desk at the right height. You should also look at the size of your current stand and make sure that it will be able to support your new monitor before purchasing any new ones. 59) What Are the Different Types of Asus Monitors?
When you’re looking for a monitor brand, then you should definitely consider going with ASUS. They have a wide range of monitors that vary in size and use because they include everything from gaming monitors to workstation monitors to IPS displays and much more. 60) What Is the Best Monitor for My Gaming Setup?
Every gamer is different, so what you need most for your gaming setup may not be the same as what your friend needs. Because of this, it is impossible to say that one monitor is the best for every gamer. Thus, you’ll want to think about your priorities and most important features in relation to what you need before making a purchase. In addition to this, make sure that you like the design and aesthetics of the monitor because not only does it affect how comfortable it is to use but also how well it will perform. 61) What Is a Gaming Mouse?
A gaming mouse is an essential part of any serious gamer’s setup because they are used for all kinds of different tasks when playing your favorite games. A professional gaming mouse can be tailored in terms of its buttons so as to make playing shooters easier on both the keyboard and mouse. In addition to this, another great feature of a gaming mouse is its weight. The heavier the mouse, the better it performs because it allows for more control and precision when playing fast-paced games.
What Is the Difference Between an Xbox One Monitor and a PS4 Monitor?
When looking for a monitor for your console, you should always consider looking at both of these products because they are designed to look and perform just as well as one another. For instance, if you need something that looks stylish while also being capable of offering 1080p HD resolutions then you should look at a PS4 monitor because it’s required by Sony. However, if you want something that’s easy to use and requires less time to connect to the PS4 then you should go with an Xbox One monitor because it uses an HDMI connection.
What Are Passive and Active Monitors?
The difference between these two types of monitors is very clear. Passive monitors are designed to have virtually no input lag when compared to active monitors that can have input lag up to 15ms. For this reason, if you need a monitor that is fast enough to perform tasks such as gaming at 144Hz then you should go with one that has an active screen instead of one that is passive.
What Are Strobe Backlights?
A strobe backlight is necessary for all types of monitors that offer refresh rates of more than 120Hz because it reduces the motion blur that is present when you’re playing video games. This technology can be useful in helping with fast-paced gaming experiences by speeding up transitions between various frames.
What Is a 4K Monitor?
Because 4K monitors are becoming more and more popular, I decided to include this section to help out our readers. A 4K monitor offers about four times as much screen resolution compared to a 1080p display. For example, a 1080p monitor has about 2 million pixels whereas a 4K monitor will have around 8 million pixels. However, in order to get the most out of it, you need a good gaming system that can run 4K at high frame rates.
Relevant reading: Should you get a 1440p monitor or a 4K monitor
What Is G-Sync?
G-Sync is technology that was designed to help with certain forms of lag that is present on the perfect gaming monitors. However, because of how expensive these products are, I don’t recommend going for them unless you already know exactly what you want. In addition to this, if you’re looking for a new display then there are many other great displays such as OLED and IPS that will offer similar performance for a cheaper price. 74) What Is a 144Hz Monitor?
When it comes to the amount of frames per second that a monitor is capable of displaying, 144 Hz means 1/60th of a second or 1ms frame rate. However, as the frame rate increases, the motion blur that occurs becomes more pronounced. This is why it is important to always try to find out what a monitor’s refresh rate is before you make a purchase as this can provide you with an idea of how much motion blur will be present during gameplay.
What Is Input Lag?
Input lag refers to the delay that occurs when using a device such as an Xbox One controller, keyboard, or mouse. You should never forget that the amount of lag on your display will affect how fluid your gameplay experience will be. Therefore, if you have a large delay on your screen then it will become extremely difficult to play fast-paced games and movies at high frame rates because of this. In addition to this, you should also look for monitors that have a low input lag because it makes your gameplay not only more fluid but also more comfortable.
What Is a G-Sync Compatible Monitor?
G-Sync is a proprietary graphics card technology that was designed by Nvidia to help with certain forms of lag that is present on gaming monitors. However, because of the high price of these products, I don’t recommend going for them unless you already know exactly what you want. In addition to this, if you’re looking for a new display then there are many other great displays such as OLED and IPS that will offer similar performance for a cheaper price. 77) What Is A TN Panel?
When it comes to the amount of input lag that occurs when using a device such as an Xbox One controller, keyboard, or mouse. You should never forget that the amount of lag on your display will affect how fluid your gameplay experience will be. Therefore, if you have a large delay on your screen then it will become extremely difficult to play fast-paced games and movies at high frame rates because of this. In addition to this, you should also look for monitors that have a low input lag because it makes your gameplay not only more fluid but also more comfortable. TN panel monitors are designed to be as fast as possible. Thus, although they may not offer the same level of quality as other types of monitors, they can perform faster which is why they are ideal for gaming purposes.
How do I fix my computer monitor?
One of the first things you will want to do when fixing your computer monitor is to find an adapter that connects your cable from your computer to your new monitor. Many stores and online shops have these available in-store. You might even find them for free when buying a new TV or VCR.
If you’re looking online, you can search for VGA to HDMI (or DVI) adapters first and then search for newer adapters that will work with your operating system.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How Can I Make My Monitor Last Longer?
Just like with anything else, taking care of your monitor will ensure that it lasts longer. Before you clean your monitor, make sure to unplug the power cable and remove any peripherals. Don’t use any cleaning chemicals that could potentially damage your screen, instead use lukewarm water and a soft microfiber cloth to gently wipe the screen. This can also help reduce your monitor’s risk of failure due to other common issues such as dead pixels. 24) What Is an IPS Panel?
IPS panels are known for their wide viewing angles and vibrant colors, but they aren’t ideal for gaming or photo editing because they can’t keep up with faster refresh rates. They also have wide viewing angles and can give colors a cool, washed out feel to it. This is because the human eye tends to lose some of the natural color as you go away from the center of your screen.
What Are the Benefits of Using a USB-C Monitors?
USB-C Monitors are becoming more popular among consumers because it allows for fast connectivity with computers, along with side-by-side functionality. For MacBook users, being able to connect simultaneously four USB devices at once is extremely useful for all types of work.
