How To Perform Scaling On GPU And Display

Scaling is a process that adjusts the size of an image or content to fit the display or GPU, preserving the aspect ratio and avoiding distortion. It is a standard operation in computer graphics. Ensuring that content is displayed correctly on different screen sizes or resolutions is essential, and this is exactly where Scaling comes in handy. If you don’t know how to perform Scaling on GPU and display, don’t worry, the process is pretty simple. 

Key Takeaways

• Scaling is the process of adjusting the size and quality of an image to fit a specific display or output device.
• Both GPU Scaling and Display Scaling have their own strengths and weaknesses, and the best method to use will depend on the specific application and hardware being used.
• Understanding both the types of scaling and their advantages and disadvantages can help users choose the best method for their needs and achieve the best possible image quality.

GPU Scaling

Modern GPUs have powerful scaling engines that can perform scaling operations quickly and efficiently. GPU scaling is used when the display’s resolution does not match the content’s resolution. For example, if a 1080p video is played on a 4K display, the image will appear smaller than the screen’s full size.

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GPU scaling can be used to adjust the size of the video to fit the screen’s full size, preserving the aspect ratio and avoiding distortion.

Upscaling and downscaling are two types of GPU scaling used to adjust the size of an image or content to fit the display while preserving the aspect ratio and avoiding distortion. These processes are commonly used in situations where the resolution of the content does not match the display’s resolution. 

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Upscaling

Upscaling involves increasing the resolution of an image or content to fit a higher-resolution display. The GPU achieves this by adding pixels to the image and using interpolation algorithms to estimate the color values of the new pixels. This process can result in a loss of quality and sharpness as the new pixels may not accurately reflect the original image’s color values.

Upscaling is often used when displaying older content or content that was designed for lower-resolution displays on modern high-resolution displays. For example, when playing a DVD movie on a 4K TV, the GPU will upscale the DVD’s 480p resolution to fit the 4K display’s 2160p resolution.

Downscaling

Downscaling involves decreasing the resolution of an image or content to fit a lower-resolution display. The GPU achieves this by removing pixels from the image and using interpolation algorithms to estimate the color values of the remaining pixels. This process can result in a loss of detail and sharpness as the removed pixels may contain important information.

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Downscaling is also often used when we wish to display high-resolution content on lower-resolution displays, such as connecting a high-end gaming PC to a lower-resolution monitor. The GPU will downscale the content’s resolution to fit the monitor’s native resolution, reducing the strain on the GPU and, thus, improving its performance.

How To Perform Scaling On GPU

1. Right-click on your desktop and select “NVIDIA Control Panel” or “AMD Radeon Settings,” depending on your installed GPU.

   

2. Look for the “Display” option on the left-hand side of the panel and click on it.
3. Scroll down and find the “Adjust desktop size and position” option.
4. Choose the monitor you want to adjust from the drop-down menu if you have multiple displays connected to your GPU.
5. Under “Scaling,” you’ll see a drop-down menu with several options to choose from. These are Aspect Ratio, Full Screen, and No Scaling. The aspect ratio preserves the image’s original aspect ratio, meaning that it won’t be stretched or compressed.
6. If the image’s aspect ratio is different from your monitor’s, there will be black bars on either side of the image to fill the screen. The full screen stretches the image to fill your screen, regardless of the image’s original aspect ratio. This can result in a distorted image if the original aspect ratio differs significantly from your monitor’s aspect ratio.
   No scaling displays the image at its original size without any stretching or resizing.
7. If the image is smaller than your screen’s resolution, it will be displayed in the center of your screen with black borders on all sides.

   

8. If you’re having trouble with blurry images or text, you can also adjust the “Override the scaling mode set by games and programs” option to “On.” This will force your GPU to use your chosen scaling mode even if a program or game tries to use a different scaling mode.
9. Once you’ve selected your preferred scaling mode, click on “Apply” to save the changes.

How To Perform Scaling On Display

1. Right-click on your desktop and select “Display settings.”
2. Scroll down and click on the “Advanced display settings” option.

   

3. Under “Resolution,” click on the “Advanced scaling settings” link.
4. You’ll see a few different options here, including a toggle switch labeled “Let Windows try to fix apps so they’re not blurry.” If you’re having trouble with blurry apps or text, make sure this switch is turned on.
5. When You Get To “Scaling,” there will be a drop-down menu with several options to choose from, including Keep The Aspect Ratio, Custom Scaling, Full Screen, and No Scaling.
   Custom Scaling allows you to set a custom scaling percentage, which can be helpful if you have a high-resolution monitor and find that text and images are too small to read comfortably. Note that setting a custom scaling percentage may result in some blurriness or distortion.
6. If you have multiple monitors connected, make sure to adjust the scaling settings for each monitor individually.

   

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Pros And Cons Of GPU And Display Scaling

Both GPU and Display Scaling are not without their pros and cons. Following are the pros and cons of both types of Scaling, i.e., GPU Scaling and Display Scaling.

GPU Scaling

The pros and cons of GPU Scaling are as follows:

Pros

• It can result in a sharper, more detailed image than display scaling, especially if you’re stretching a lower-resolution image.
• It can be useful if you’re playing a game or watching a video that doesn’t support your monitor’s native resolution or if you want to stretch a lower-resolution image to fill your entire screen.
• In some cases, it can help reduce input lag, as the graphics card can handle scaling faster than the monitor.
• It can also result in better performance for certain types of content, especially games or videos.
• It can be useful if you have an older or lower-resolution monitor and want to stretch the image to fill the screen.
• This can result in a more fluid and smooth gaming experience, especially if your graphics card is powerful enough to handle GPU scaling without slowing down.
• It can help reduce the appearance of jagged edges or aliasing in some games or videos.
• It can also be used to customize with different scaling options, such as preserving the aspect ratio or scaling to full screen.

Cons

• This can result in some distortion or blurriness, especially if you’re stretching an image with a very different aspect ratio than your monitor.
• It may not work correctly with some older games or applications that don’t support GPU scaling.
• It can result in a distorted or blurry image if the scaling ratio is too high or the image has an unusual aspect ratio.
• It may not be necessary or valuable for all types of content or monitors.
• Some older graphics cards may not support GPU scaling or have limited options.

Display Scaling

The pros and cons of Display Scaling are:

Pros

• Adjusts the size of individual elements on your screen, which can be more precise than resizing the entire image.
• It can be helpful if you have a high-resolution monitor and find that text and images are too small to read comfortably.
• Built into the Windows operating system, it is generally easy to access and use.
• It can be helpful for people with vision impairments or who prefer larger text or elements on their screen.
• It can improve the readability of text and other elements on your screen, especially on high-resolution monitors.
• It can be customized for different display resolutions and scaling ratios

Cons

• It can result in some blurriness or distortion if you happen to be enlarging elements too much.
• Some people may prefer GPU scaling for certain types of content, such as games or videos.
• It may cause some apps or programs to look blurry or pixelated, primarily if thdon’tn’t support display scaling properly.
• This can result in uneven scaling of different elements on your screen, which may look awkward or unappealing.
• It may not work properly with all display hardware or drivers, especially on older or less standard hardware.

Final Thoughts

Both GPU scaling and display scaling are useful tools for adjusting the resolution and scaling of content on your screen. Both options have their own strengths and weaknesses, so it’s tough to pick and choose; so it’s essential to consider factors such as input lag, distortion or blurriness, and compatibility with your hardware and software when deciding between the two. Finding the perfect balance of resolution, scaling, and performance does require a bit of trial and error!

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