Old 07-19-2019, 07:05 AM   #1
EManBass
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Default TIRED OF SQUINTING

Hey all,

I'm kinda tired of straining my eyes navigating through Reaper. I have been looking and looking into ways to make this work, but there seem to be no way to re-scale Reaper without things looking weird. Like, it's all perfect, but the text size when looking in the FX finder, or the options, is killing me. I've tried everything in the settings and theme development, but nothing. I like the default theme, but I guess I gotta try something else to make this change happen? I don't need bigger buttons or bigger anything, just the text. I can scale my OS or decrease my resolution, and maybe Reaper will be manageable, but then everything else is messed up.

Is there anything I am missing here? And what theme would you recommend if that's the avenue you'd suggest? Thank you!
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Old 07-19-2019, 07:16 AM   #2
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HiDPI is work in progress. See prerelease subforum.
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Old 07-19-2019, 08:24 AM   #3
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Quick and dirty solution would be to move the monitor closer to your face or get some reading glasses. But yea, bugs me as well.
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Old 07-19-2019, 08:37 AM   #4
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I picked up a 50" Samsung TV on Black Friday for about $300. I run it at 1920x1080, which helps a LOT.

(back story: I bought a 32" TV for this 3 years ago, the wife took it to our bedroom. So I bought a 40" TV for this 2 years ago, the wife took THAT one to our bedroom and put the 32" in our guest room. (sigh) So I got this one last fall, and insisted I get to keep it for the DAW. She relented; now we watch TV in the (basement) studio during hot weather.) I guess I have enough TVs now...

I use the big one only for the TCP; the MCP/Action List/other stuff is in a tabbed docker on a separate 18" monitor at 1440x900, and all the other stuff (effects windows, control app for my interface, etc,) is on a 20" monitor at 1920x1080.

I also did some stuff in the Theme Editor (in the Actions List) to boost font sizes and a few other contrast enhancements.

All this stuff helped a lot... It really speeds up the work. I got a track ball so I can just give it a spin to jump from monitor to monitor, and pair of weak reader glasses that I always keep at the DAW station for when tiny text still pops up...

I now feel really crippled when working on a single monitor; I guess I'm spoiled.
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Old 07-19-2019, 08:58 AM   #5
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If you go into the theme editor and type font into the search window, you can increase the font size a bit. I wouldn't go crazy with it, maybe go up one size for each.
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Old 07-19-2019, 10:21 AM   #6
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I've done all of those things. There's nothing on the theme editor that will increase the font of the fx browser or menus or similar. I wear glasses, have two 19" monitors, one for edit and another for mixer view, both screens are at arm's distance as good ergonomics dictate, I can read everything on my screen just fine except the Reaper tiny print in its menus, and plugin browser.
The only thing I'm not familiar with is the HiDPI thing. I enabled that but don't what else I could try with that.

EDIT: these are actually 22" monitors

Last edited by EManBass; 07-19-2019 at 08:29 PM. Reason: wrong info
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Old 07-19-2019, 10:26 AM   #7
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I've never seen a way to change the font in the browser windows etc. You can?
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Old 07-19-2019, 06:26 PM   #8
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No, I can't change any of the browser pages' font in Reaper, not the FX browser, not the media explorer, not the preferences... Those are the ones I wished they could be made bigger.
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Old 07-19-2019, 09:01 PM   #9
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I use control-mouse-scroll on the mac to zoom in/out the screen. it's a macOs accessibility feature. look into the OS features like that.
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Old 07-19-2019, 09:54 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by superblonde.org View Post
I use control-mouse-scroll on the mac to zoom in/out the screen. it's a macOs accessibility feature. look into the OS features like that.
Now that is a good tip !!!
Cheers to your eyes
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Old 07-20-2019, 12:43 AM   #11
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Now that is a good tip !!!
Cheers to your eyes
Yup, same on pc
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Old 07-20-2019, 12:37 PM   #12
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To me ... the biggest problem I have with Reaper ... by far ... is legibility of the fonts. Low contrast themes and light grey fonts against grey backgrounds just kill me. I've yet to find a theme that really helped. I like Reaper but poor legibility is a real problem.

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Old 07-20-2019, 01:10 PM   #13
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I'm running the Default_5.0_hidpi theme (because it is the only theme that I can practically use at 4k), and the only real problem I have is with third party plugin gui's.

Edit: I forgot about text on track control panel meters. That is impossible to read from a normal viewing distance, especially with the low constrast (yuck).
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Old 07-20-2019, 02:03 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KenB View Post
To me ... the biggest problem I have with Reaper ... by far ... is legibility of the fonts. Low contrast themes and light grey fonts against grey backgrounds just kill me. I've yet to find a theme that really helped. I like Reaper but poor legibility is a real problem.

KenB
Take mine and tell me if it helps ;-)

https://we.tl/t-949Nn4rJBZ

after loading the theme, add this one for better colors

https://we.tl/t-2yYDh0OK7Q
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Old 07-20-2019, 03:03 PM   #15
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Thanks for the themes Arpegia. Unfortunately they didn't help. I still have to get my eyes about 15 inches from my monitor ... a 23 inch 1920 X 1080P.

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Old 07-20-2019, 05:18 PM   #16
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Hey KenB,
What scaling setting are you running at on your display? (100, 125, 150 etc)
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Old 07-21-2019, 12:29 PM   #17
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I'm running 125%. Anything bigger and the UI's of some of my programs require a lot of scrolling.
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Old 07-21-2019, 01:52 PM   #18
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I use Rado Vox and have found it quite legible even on my smaller screen.
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Old 07-21-2019, 11:36 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KenB View Post
I'm running 125%. Anything bigger and the UI's of some of my programs require a lot of scrolling.
That's what I'm running at and I have the exact same problem as you. Been working on a theme for myself to fix that. It's founded on MaXyM's recently released Scalable theme and can run at anywhere between 100-200% (I prefer 150 myself). I'm still polishing it up, but it's quite useable in it's current state if you'd like to give it a try.

I call it "AM_Clarity"...

https://stash.reaper.fm/browse.php?q...=th&o=nd&pp=24

Last edited by Mr. Green; 07-27-2019 at 12:53 PM.
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Old 07-21-2019, 11:38 PM   #20
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Hi, KenB
I too have a 23" IPS 1920x1080 monitor and whilst I agree with you about low contrast themes, etc., I get the impression that you may have issues with your vision as well.

If so, how do you get on with just regular Windows stuff? Same problems, or is this entirely Reaper specific?

Hoping I might be able to point you at some more specific help, as I have a slight involvement with the RNIB for a few years back.
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Old 07-22-2019, 05:36 AM   #21
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If you are using Win10 and have the display scaling set to 125% have you tried: Start>Settings>Ease Of Access: Move the text size slider to the right (try 125%). This will increase the text size and maintain the display scaling.
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Old 07-22-2019, 05:41 AM   #22
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Ok, the ctrl+mouse scroll thing doesn't seem to work as a global tool on Windows 10. Though I had completely forgotten about the Windows Magnifying Glass, if that what some of you were talking about. I just set it up to be a magnified floating window and I think it will be my new best friend when working with Reaper, at least until they give us the flexibility to adjust this.

I tried scaling everything, too, on Windows. I made everything humongous, yet the texts I'm talking about, FX browser, media explorer, preferences, etc remain the same tiny little things. Pretty annoying!
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Old 07-22-2019, 05:44 AM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by picophone View Post
If you are using Win10 and have the display scaling set to 125% have you tried: Start>Settings>Ease Of Access: Move the text size slider to the right (try 125%). This will increase the text size and maintain the display scaling.
I tried that, but it doesn't change any of the texts I need to increase. I set it up to 118% as that looks nice for everything. The top screen menus on Reaper like File, Edit, View, Insert... Those were affected, but not the rest. The FX browser is still a nightmare to stare at.
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Old 07-22-2019, 06:11 AM   #24
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"The FX browser is still a nightmare to stare at."

I agree. This is going to become a bigger issue as screen resolutions increase. Mixbus has addressed this, but I find there are only a few usable settings.
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Old 07-22-2019, 07:17 AM   #25
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For every mac user with blurry fonts:

Set all your fonts to "Bold" in the theme configuration!
Perfectly clear fonts.

I recommend the Open Sans font but most should work.

There should be a popup on the mac-build of Reaper: "Set your color profile to sRGB, set your fonts to Bold".

So many people are struggling with problems that take seconds to fix because this somehow never turns into common knowledge even though i consider it essential for mac users.

HiDPI and GUI performance for mac is around the corner so it won't matter soon, but still..
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Old 07-22-2019, 12:38 PM   #26
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I wear glass for reading the computer screen... and I have fairly hi rez monitors which make the fonts mentioned here smaller than your normal monitors. Still they are larger than a normal window's window in detail view...

So I have to suggest that the OP get his vision checked and get some proper eye glasses ....
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Old 07-22-2019, 12:50 PM   #27
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Set "Play cursor width" to 10. normally 2.
wow, this makes such a huge difference in being able to see.

I dont like the background color in the track area because the "I" mouse pointer and play cursor get visually lost.
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Old 07-22-2019, 08:28 PM   #28
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@inansc

Nope ... nothin' unique about my vision for my age. Seeing regular Windows stuff is fine as long as it's not stuff like a light font color on a light background or such. It's mostly Reaper that's the problem. Reaper has a lot of that stuff ... lots of themes with light gray fonts on a gray background ... or tiny light black fonts against a light background ... or the FX window which is hideous to read. Overall I think Reaper has lousy contrast when it comes to readability of fonts ... though some themes may be slightly better than others. Other than basic scaling in Windows I don't use other Windows UI tweaks because they're almost always not global ... they work on some stuff but not others ... so IMO they just serve to muck everything up.

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Old 07-22-2019, 10:58 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EManBass View Post
Hey all,

I'm kinda tired of straining my eyes navigating through Reaper. I have been looking and looking into ways to make this work, but there seem to be no way to re-scale Reaper without things looking weird. Like, it's all perfect, but the text size when looking in the FX finder, or the options, is killing me. I've tried everything in the settings and theme development, but nothing. I like the default theme, but I guess I gotta try something else to make this change happen? I don't need bigger buttons or bigger anything, just the text. I can scale my OS or decrease my resolution, and maybe Reaper will be manageable, but then everything else is messed up.

Is there anything I am missing here? And what theme would you recommend if that's the avenue you'd suggest? Thank you!
I changed the aspect ratio on my monitor
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Old 07-22-2019, 11:00 PM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EManBass View Post
Hey all,

I'm kinda tired of straining my eyes navigating through Reaper. I have been looking and looking into ways to make this work, but there seem to be no way to re-scale Reaper without things looking weird. Like, it's all perfect, but the text size when looking in the FX finder, or the options, is killing me. I've tried everything in the settings and theme development, but nothing. I like the default theme, but I guess I gotta try something else to make this change happen? I don't need bigger buttons or bigger anything, just the text. I can scale my OS or decrease my resolution, and maybe Reaper will be manageable, but then everything else is messed up.

Is there anything I am missing here? And what theme would you recommend if that's the avenue you'd suggest? Thank you!
ALSO, change your theme to comalla dark. Its the best theme for reaper and it makes everything vERY easy to see.
here is the link > https://stash.reaper.fm/theme/1702/D...ReaperThemeZip
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Old 07-22-2019, 11:21 PM   #31
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Speaking of themes, that one I posted earlier was actually meant for you, EManBass. Sorry for any confusion.
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Old 07-22-2019, 11:34 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EManBass View Post
EDIT: these are actually 22" monitors
So I'm assuming you have two HiDPI monitors (aka Retina)? Then in Windows you should have to have DPI scale set to 200%. After that it should be enough to set Reaper to HiDpi Aware mode and most of texts would be scaled up properly (while there are still some not-scaled areas).
Use of 200%/Retina Themes is obvious in this case

If nothing works you can try development build of Reaper. Those builds cover more areas in regard of HiDPI.

Last edited by MaXyM; 07-23-2019 at 01:18 AM.
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Old 07-23-2019, 06:18 AM   #33
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I don't know if this is any help. Windows key and plus sign call up the magnifying glass and you can keep tapping on the two keys simultaneously to continue increasing the size (minus sign for opposite direction). I think you can choose the magnification increments in your settings.
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Old 07-23-2019, 06:45 AM   #34
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Quote:
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@inansc

KenB
Obviously something's wrong with your monitor! Or maybe your eyes?

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Old 07-23-2019, 03:59 PM   #35
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Ha! No ... that's just fumble fingers!
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Old 07-28-2019, 12:07 PM   #36
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Speaking of themes, that one I posted earlier was actually meant for you, EManBass. Sorry for any confusion.
This may be weird, but it seems like no matter how big everything else becomes, the things I actually need to be bigger do not get bigger. I tried the all the themes and variations posted here, but the FX menu, preference menu, and so on remain tiny. Am I doing anything wrong?
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Old 07-28-2019, 12:50 PM   #37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EManBass View Post
This may be weird, but it seems like no matter how big everything else becomes, the things I actually need to be bigger do not get bigger. I tried the all the themes and variations posted here, but the FX menu, preference menu, and so on remain tiny. Am I doing anything wrong?
Text font size as found in menus such as those are handled by the system os. The only way to adjust that (that I am aware of) is through system scaling. I use a setting of 125 myself and have no issues with it. 150 seems quite functional as well, but is more than I need.

btw - if you change that setting, it is important to reboot or log out of the system before
reopening Reaper.
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Old 07-29-2019, 05:32 PM   #38
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I have to agree with whomever recommended getting glasses or an eye exam. I don't need glasses for most everyday things, but at the urge of my wife, I went and got an exam and some new glasses.

60" screen 1920x1080 about 5 ft away, I was leaning in and squinting to read the small FX parameter settings.

Now with my new glasses, things are SOOOOO much clearer, I'm having to ask myself why didn't I do this sooner? Even smaller print on the gear 3ft in front of me, now it's 100% clear where previously I literally couldn't read any of it.
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Old 08-13-2019, 10:38 PM   #39
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I went. They said my vision hasn't changed at all, but to see if in a couple of weeks or so I still feel like something is off, and they'd give me a prescription for computer use only, even though it would be a very minimal change from my current glasses.

Now, very interesting thing just happened. I just got a Surface Pro 2-in-1 which of course I went and installed Reaper for my remote recording gigs. I loaded my Reaper Configuration file from my desktop and what looked alright on the Surface screen before loading my desktop's config, now it looks sooooo damn tiny!!!!!!!

So there's something going on with my configuration, too. Does anybody know where I could be scaling things that the effect of it is saved within the Config file?

-------------------------
Just did a quick test, I went to factory default config, and loaded my config and UNCHECKED the actual configuration option upon the load prompt. By doing this, the windows look normal.

Last edited by EManBass; 08-13-2019 at 10:49 PM. Reason: I did a test
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Old 08-13-2019, 10:41 PM   #40
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I gotta say, the things I have never been able to change on my desktop did not change on the Surface either, but for example, the toolbar, the timeline bar, the tracks text in edit and mixer view...all that is tiny as hell.
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