Multiple displays - adjusting size

Question

Level 1

72 points

Multiple displays - adjusting size

Hi,

I have an iMac 27" 5K and I just connected a second monitor 24" Full HD via Display Port.

Is there any way of how to properly set up the "physical" size of the monitors so I can adjust the position next to each other correctly, so when I move the mouse from one to another, there will be no "position jump" between the two displays?

I understand that iMac doesn't know the physical size of the second monitor so it just compare pixels, however, I believe this is so common (connecting different size/resolution) so it should already be figured out somehow.

So is there some way (perhaps some 3rd party app) of how to do it?

Thanks,

Jakub

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Jul 22, 2020 2:10 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Luis Sequeira1

Level 9

67,240 points

Jul 22, 2020 2:29 AM in response to jakudo

I don't think you can make it absolutely seamless, but you can get pretty close.

The pixels on your iMac are much smaller than a 24" Full HD display.

You could choose a lower resolution on the iMac, but instead I suggest you adjust things in

System Preferences->Displays->Arrangement so as to make it as close as possible, and still take advantage of the gorgeous 5K display.

Reply

Answer 2

jakudo Author

Level 1

72 points

Jul 22, 2020 3:17 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

I just arranged the two displays so that the differences is +2 cm on top and -2 cm at bottom (see picture). So now it's the best I can get now.

I would really just expect that this phenomenon should already been solved by companies such as Apple or Microsoft. That shouldn't be so difficult to add some function where you can not only arrange the physical location of the displays but also adjust the physical size of the displays relatively to each other.

Reply

Answer 3

jakudo Author

Level 1

72 points

Jul 22, 2020 2:42 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Thanks for reply. Yes, I arranged it as close as possible, however, there are still about 2 cm difference on top and bottom of the screens. It's not something I cannot live with and I don't want to change 5K resolution :)

I would just assume that this is so common setup of 2 (or more) displays, that Apple (or Microsoft with Windows) would have this already handled. It's pity they haven't figure this out yet...

Reply

Answer 4

Jul 22, 2020 3:04 AM in response to jakudo

I am afraid that this is a consequence of the fact that, say, 1080 pixels high on your 24" are not the same as 1080 pixels high on your iMac, so they will never align perfectly, top to bottom. You can make it quite exact at the bottom, say, but then the top does not align; or you can try to make it so that they align at about the middle, and progressively disalign as you go upper or lower...

Reply

Answer 5

Jul 22, 2020 3:06 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Wait... I just reread your last post.

Are you saying that the difference is the same on top and bottom?

Then it should just be a matter of displacing the screen representations in System Preferences->Displays->Arrangement, ever so slightly, until you reach a good enough match...

Reply

Answer 6

Jul 22, 2020 3:41 AM in response to jakudo

There is no escaping the fact that the two displays have very different screen resolution (in ppi, pixels per inch). The pixels on the 24" display are significantly larger than the ones on the 27" iMac.

If we are trying to display the same pixels on both, they show up at a bigger size on the 24".

Depending on applications, you may end up with a better result. For example, when showing pdf files in Preview you can decide that "size on screen equals size on printout". That might work - I cannot test, as I am away from home and without a second display at the moment.

Reply

Multiple displays - adjusting size

Similar questions