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Designing Retina Web Graphics in Photoshop: Should You Work at 1x or 2x?(danrodney.com)

over 6 years ago from Dan Rodney, instructor, web developer, designer

  • Andu PotoracAndu Potorac, over 6 years ago

    Dan, design @1x always. It's common sense and there's no reason to do otherwise.

    1x is what you get for 2x and 3x too, with a bit of variation in pixel sizes. What Apple does with the assets (images or fonts), it does it in the same container, the same placeholder. So you don't have to account for that, it's automatic.

    http://iosres.com/ - see here the logical resolution. That's what you design for - and those sizes are 1x.

    These variations are addressed in design and code using constraints and size classes. The rule is this:

    1. You design at 1x and export at 2x and 3x for the ASSETS.
    2. You use AutoLayout (in Sketch) to implement constraints and show them at the right sizes, for the SCREENS. Note I said for the right sizes, so you won't do 2x and 3x from the 1x because you don't get the right screen size (assuming you start at 375x667).

    Instead you generate all screen sizes with AutoLayout and make sure the constraints show developers how they should do it too.

    Offtopic - Stop using Photoshop for this stuff. There's Sketch and Figma and Adobe XD. Just stop it!

    5 points
    • Dan RodneyDan Rodney, over 6 years ago

      My article has one very specific topic, designing web graphics in Photoshop. I said it clearly at the start of it. I never said it's what you "should" design in. It's just a fact that some people do design in it and I wanted to talk about it. Yes you can argue that you should use another app (and I'd agree), but that's off topic, as is talking designing apps. While you might think it's common sense to design @1x, my whole article focuses on why I think you should design @2x. I'm beginning to think people just read the title and insert their own opinion without reading what I said.

      1 point
      • Andu PotoracAndu Potorac, over 6 years ago

        I said it's offtopic. :)

        1 point
      • Andu PotoracAndu Potorac, over 6 years ago

        Regarding the second part of your comment, that is true when the title reveals the content of the article. There's a way to write, and this is not it.

        Make the title an invitation for people to read the article.

        2 points
        • Dan RodneyDan Rodney, over 6 years ago

          As an instructor, I want people to know what they will be reading, and the answer is not included in the title. What would you suggest as a better title?

          0 points