XnView Software

Continuing from viewtopic.php?f=82&t=43399
As it's a bit of a separate issue, I figured it may be better to deal with it in a separate thread, however.

xnview wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 5:39 pm"real size" is not 100%, your photo will be displayed with same as print size

…meaning it isn't real size.
Also, "real size", "actual size" and "100% zoom", all mean the exact same thing.

To have "real size" display the print size, is deeply confusing and misleading. It should instead be called "print size", to more properly reflect what it actually is

…and how is print size determined, anyway, if it isn't based on pixels?
Granted, for photos where the dpi (or dpi equivalent) of the camera is included in the metadata, or maybe in images where the same is done (based on the dpi of the monitor of the person who created it? I suppose that could make some sense?) …but most images don't have any such thing.

in Photoshop, it's called 'real size' too

xnview wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 8:07 amin Photoshop, it's called 'real size' too

Other people doing something wrong, doesn't make it any more right, sensible, or coherent.

xnview wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 8:07 am in Photoshop, it's called 'real size' too

zarlan wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 4:22 pm Other people doing something wrong, doesn't make it any more right, sensible, or coherent.

I completely agree with zarlan, the "real size" is wrong and improperly named, it should be called "print size" or similar.

That being said, one can display an image at its "actual pixels" like in my old Photoshop CS6, by choosing View > Zoom > 100% from the menu or pressing the * hotkey, instead of choosing View > Real Size from the menu or pressing the CTRL + / hotkey for its "print size". Just saying, in case anyone else is confronted with this issue. Not everyone has or uses a printer to be interested in the print size, so it's good that at least there is an equally easy way to display the image at its actual pixels size.

Yincognito wrote: Sun Apr 13, 2025 12:29 pm I completely agree with zarlan

Add me as well.

Regardless of who else is using it, "real size" is indeed semantically unclear in this context of looking at images on a screen, and that issue is easily resolved with a simple change to "print size."

I would either:
- leave it as is (as it does not match Photoshop's Print/Actual size) OR
- change it to match Photoshop's Print or Actual size

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/100-vs-print-size-vs-actual-size-something-stays-unclear/m-p/12074307/page/2#M547713 wrote: 100% is simple - it is 1 screen pixel mapped to 1 image pixel.

Print Size - is calculated from the document resolution and the monitor resolution as manually entered in Preferences.

Actual Size - is calculated from the document resolution and the monitor resolution as reported by the operating system which in turn gets it from the monitor itself using Extended Display Identification Data (EDID). Whilst this needs no manual entering of values by the user, it only works correctly if the correct value is returned from the monitor and OS. Hence print size is also in the menu for cases where an incorrect value is returned.

user0 wrote: Tue Apr 15, 2025 5:24 pm

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/100-vs-print-size-vs-actual-size-something-stays-unclear/m-p/12074307/page/2#M547713 wrote: 100% is simple - it is 1 screen pixel mapped to 1 image pixel.

Print Size - is calculated from the document resolution and the monitor resolution as manually entered in Preferences.

Actual Size - is calculated from the document resolution and the monitor resolution as reported by the operating system which in turn gets it from the monitor itself using Extended Display Identification Data (EDID). Whilst this needs no manual entering of values by the user, it only works correctly if the correct value is returned from the monitor and OS. Hence print size is also in the menu for cases where an incorrect value is returned.

That's very interesting information, user0, and it would be great to hear from Pierre as to what XnView MP actual does with "Real size."

Indeed, one thing I have noticed, is that XnView MP's "Real size" on-screen does not correspond to the print size reported by my post-processing software, Affinity Photo.

For example, for an image 3728 pixels wide and set to 300 dpi, Affinity Photo reports a print width of 12.427 inches, i.e., 31.56 cm. The enlargement factor for my monitor, i.e., the zoom percentage at which an image's size on-screen corresponds to its printed size at 300 dpi, is 31%. So, when the image is set to that zoom percentage in AP and measured with a physical ruler, one gets 31.56 cm, more or less (as close as one can determine measuring in this way).

Now, when I set that same image to "Real size" in XnView MP and physically measure it with the ruler, I get something close to 32.6 cm.

HOWEVER, XnView MP's status bar correctly reports 31.56 cm for the width, but a zoom percentage of 32%.

All I have to do to get the right width in XnView MP is to set the zoom percentage to 31%, and, boom, I get ≈ 31.56 with the physical ruler.

So, I do wonder if XnView MP's "real size" is more so the equivalent of Photoshop's "Actual size," that is, a calculation depending on what the computer and monitor are saying, which, indeed can be imprecise.

Anyhoo, "Real size" and "Actual size" remain nonetheless unclear... Maybe "Print size (system calculated)"? IDK.