resetting the zoom standards in Illustrator? a question for all...
archmedia (584 points) | Wed, 2008-03-12 05:40so, 100% on screen of an 8.5x11 isn't really 100% of an 8.5x11. at least not the way i'm looking for it to be..
so you're thinking "well then if it's not 100%, then what the hell is it?!?"
I want what they call 100% to be "real life" for lack of a better term. I want to be able to set my image to 100%, put a REAL 8.5x11 sheet on my screen, and it would be the same size. now i know, some people are reading this and their heads are blowing up thinking "shit, he doesn't understand DPI's..
If that's you, then relax, you're at a 10, you need to be at a 2...
If i set my zoom level to 137% (which you have to manually type in the navigator cause it bypasses that size) then i get what i call a "real life size"
So my question is this.. Is there any way to reset what Illustrator calls "100%" to be what is "my" 137%???
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Architectural Technician - Multimedia Designer
www.ArchMedia.us
but i know where to find one for indesign. you must be working on a 20" widescreen at 1680x1050. ;)
http://indesignsecrets.com/downloads/zoomto140percent.zip
install it, then edit the script to be 137% instead of 140%.
So using 'Actual Size' doesn't work? I wonder if the distortion has to do with monitor size?
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Powerpoint is not a design application
flikWORLD Design
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The Salon Design Tech
what your monitor size is, so there's no way it can be accurate.
you can set up the script i posted in indesign and then assign a shortcut key to it so that you have a shortcut to true actual size for your monitor.
and yes, you're right, 20" wide at 1680x1050 (dual, but that doesn't matter)
if it works for AI then I'm sold.. however, here's what i'm also curious about the script, if i set 140 to be 137, does it change all the others to be proportional to my new "140" lol
wow this could get confusing REAL quick
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Architectural Technician - Multimedia Designer
www.ArchMedia.us
You can set your Actual size to be the arbitrary figure you came up with as well:
http://www.illustratortechniques.com/stroke_050307.html
Or just go to View/New View to add the current % view you have set in your document window. That view is saved at the bottom of the View pull down menu.
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Powerpoint is not a design application
flikWORLD Design
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The Salon Design Tech
The app doesn't have to know, but your screen resolution can distort an image up or down depending on where it's set. 100% at 72dpi will look different, I assume, at 96dpi onscreen for example.
Actual size on a 1440x900 monitor might be different than on a 640x480 monitor; just to use a drastic example.
Actual size on my monitor (1440x900) in illustrator, by the way, is 126% for an 8.5x11 page. So that should tell you something. :)
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Powerpoint is not a design application
flikWORLD Design
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The Salon Design Tech
i think you're confusing the subject w/unnecessary info.
now that we're in the world of LCDs (most of us, anyway), you have native resolutions. running in non-native resolution is a mistake on an LCD. even if you keep the same ratio, you end up with text that just isn't as crisp, really bad for a designer.
so, purely talking about LCDs here.
since every LCD has a physical size and a native resolution, the "dpi" is just a function of matching those two things. whether it's 72 dpi or 96 dpi doesn't affect how it looks, necessarily--unless you're really good at picking out the tiny dots, which will be slightly larger at 72 than 96 (at an extreme, like the difference between a 22" monitor running 1900x1200 vs a 30" monitor running that resolution, you might notice). as long as you're running native resolution (and hence ratio), there will be no distortion. the distortion isn't affected what the DPI is, it's affected by whether your ratio is correct.
for example, nate's monitor is a widescreen monitor running at 1440x900. everything looks good at that res. if he ran it at 1024x768, it would be distorted (and annoy the crap out of me if i looked at it). but if he runs it at 1280x800, it wouldn't be distorted (same ratio), but his text might not look that crisp because he's not running at native resolution. and while the DPI would be different at 1280x800 than 1440x900, any issues with how it looks would be a function of running at non-native resolution (so it's not one pixel in your physical screen to one pixel of the image produced), not DPI.
of course, i probably just added to the confusion.
gwells, I know you love arguing with me (he he) but did you not see that my actual size resolution for the 8.5"x11" sheet was different than archmedia's?
Okay, forgetting the dpi issue for a moment...
That says to me that the res of the monitor could indeed make a difference since that's the only variable under discussion at the moment that could possibly effect the display of 'Actual Size' between A's monitor and mine. In fact about a 11% difference (my 126% to his 137% for Actual Size).
Regardless, the answer to A's question is to set a View in Illustrator to 137% and call it 'Real Actual Size' or the like. Then you can call up that percentage at any time; no script needed.
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Powerpoint is not a design application
flikWORLD Design
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The Salon Design Tech
forgot to say that before.
yes, of course your actual size is different. there *are* two elements in play. your monitor size and resolution are *both* different. it's not just the resolution. both factor into the difference. and every monitor size/resolution combo creates a different actual size and dpi.
i was really responding to the "distortion" comment in your post, tho. as long as you use native resolution, there will be *no* distortion (unless your monitor/video card don't work properly). unlike CRTs, which will always display a resolution proportionally (unless you manually adjust it in the monitor settings), LCDs will always stretch whatever resolution you tell them to use to fit the screen and, thus, distort anything that isn't native ratio.
Your point is moot though unless his monitor is set to 72dpi and mine is set to 96. Take dpi out of the equation and you're left with screen size, which I think is to blame for the difference in Actual Size in Illustrator. The evidence having already been discussed above...
Jeez, you're life's work is to bust my chops, isn't it? :)
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Powerpoint is not a design application
flikWORLD Design
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The Salon Design Tech
just trying to make sure the info here is right. ;)
how would you "set" the DPI? your monitor size is a fixed size. your resolution you can set. and the mathematical equation between the two determines actual DPI.
and yes, physical screen size is *part* of the blame for the difference. it's the combination of his screen size (20" WS) and his resolution (1680x1050) creates a difference between his "actual size" and yours (presuming either a laptop or 19" WS external at 1440x900).
cause all of a sudden i thought to myself, what the hell is my DPI right now.
mine is set at 96, not 72, and i'm on a 20" widescreen.
i can actually change mine to be 72, or even higher (using the custom tab)
which, i'm gonna play with to see if i can get 100% to be closer to "actual size" as we've been refering to it..
check here.... this is in my condition..
http://archmedia.ca/sidenote/creativebits/dpi.jpg
trial and error, the best solution to everything..
EDIT: no change, thathad no effect on my zoom levels..
____________________________________________
Architectural Technician - Multimedia Designer
www.ArchMedia.us
gwells, if you were on a pc you'd know. :) You're killing me.
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Powerpoint is not a design application
flikWORLD Design
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The Salon Design Tech
i set resolution, not dpi. i see where it could be set on the advanced tab, but i can't for the life of me think of a reason to make it lower.
gwells, you are neurotic. :)
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Powerpoint is not a design application
flikWORLD Design
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The Salon Design Tech
i do have view names right now, but those are per project.. setting a 137% view everytime is more of a pain then i want, if only i could set it as one of the intervals when using the CTRL +/- to zoom in and out (yeah yeah, i'm PC)
so it comes back to my original question, is there a way to customize the zoom levels?
:D
____________________________________________
Architectural Technician - Multimedia Designer
www.ArchMedia.us
You can set that preset to a command key. I'm on pc too. :) Or set the zoom level/view in your master illustrator document, the one with the presets, and you should be able to see the view setting in any document you open. I think. :)
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Powerpoint is not a design application
flikWORLD Design
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The Salon Design Tech
it doesn't have any effect on the built-in zoom settings. it's a separate thing.
i don't think it works in AI. not even sure if AI has scripting. i spend about 80% of my time in indesign, 15% in PS, and 5% at best in illustrator.
I'm having the exact same problem and it's really annoying. Another program I use has a really simple ruler calibration tool that is great. I have posted a screen shot here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/megbot_423/3443316596/
The Illustrator people really need to do the same thing!
Ok maybe you can tray this. This is very simple and stupid method, because I'm stupid boy. First
apology for my horrible English.
1. You take it normal ruler plastic, metal or material
2. Make new document for example 100mm x 100 mm
2.. Zoom to 100 % measure with ruler (your handy tool not ruler in illustrator) the size of width.
3. For example my result of measurement is 80 mm, it means
80 mm (in Illustrator) = 100 mm (real document size)
1 mm (in Illustrator) = 1,25 mm (real document size)
125 mm (in Illustrator)= 100 mm (real document size)
it means
125 % (in Illustrator) = 100 % (real document size)
its not very accurate but so close you can imagine your document in real size with out 3-4 mm
Now
1.You open template illustrator document from library of template File>New from template any document.
2.Change the document what you want. Change the size and what you need.
3.Zoom to size what we are calculate.
4. View>New View save the view with this zoom size
5. Save document wherever you chant with name for example "Actual_size".
6. Close document
7. You can customize shortcout to coustom view. In shorcouts panel chose the palet>coustomv iew.and use the shortcou whatever you want. Now you can us yoru shorcut in template.
If you start work with illustrator open this template the view was was save with template change the proprieties of document size etc.. design what ales you want . Save as PDF, EPS AI what ever. Leave the template as you open.
I hope you like my way to solve problem. Good luck . If you have something new for this problem write me.
Why bother? Check your artwork at 100% size in whatever program you are using. This will be the best manner to proof art on screen (whether it matches the actual physical size or not). Proofing on screen is always a secondary option to an actual physical proof anyway.