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LuxViz Author

Level 1

34 points

High Sierra screen artifacts

I'm seeing residual screen artifacts on my desktop and also in application windows that were previously active, but which have been hidden or closed. These artifacts are very faint, and I think over a suitable period of time, the initial set of artifacts "fade"... but they're replaced by artifacts from other open then hidden/closed windows.

Also, if I change the desktop to any solid color, I cannot see these artifacts. And they are visible only with certain background images. (I think if the background image being used is very bright or very dark then you cannot see these artifacts.

NOTE - the artifacts are VERY faint - I've attempted to create some screen shots, which as I look at the screen are relatively easy to see, but when I look at the actual screen shots, they are almost impossible to detect.

iMac (27-inch Mid 2011), macOS High Sierra (10.13), Display issues - 27" iMac mid 2012

Posted on Sep 29, 2017 10:06 PM

Top-ranking reply

LuxViz Author

Level 1

34 points

Posted on Oct 1, 2017 12:38 AM

I have done a restart and that didn't change anything. This is not that big a deal for me to go through a reinstall. I'm only trying to report what I see as a problem on my iMac in case others are having the same problem, and also in case Apple engineering is not currently aware of this problem. I will also try to file a bug report as I'm already an Apple Developer.

I'm adding camera-generated screen shots as the normal screen shots do not help in showing the 'artifacts' - which I now can tell are pixels from other windows which are "bleeding" through and into the top-most window, and which I can now tell are hidden app windows which are somehow still bleeding into the desktop image.

I'm including some more screen shots, this time taken with a camera (though hand-held and not corrected for lens distortion). But with literal screen shots, I think you are not actually able to see the extraneous pixel details that you can see with your eyes. The camera was able to capture the pixel artifacts.

The 2 vertical images show the artifacts visible in my Finder/Desktop image, and also the hidden window for Transmission which is doing some file downloads for movies. If you look at the image of the Transmission window, you can clearly match up the bleeding content in the Finder when the app window has been hidden. I've also included an image of bleeding coming into a Photoshop window, this time with the Transmission window in the background and not hidden.

View in context

62 replies

Jul 12, 2018 11:11 AM in response to Stephen Fuchs

I have the same issue, and its also the exact same spec machine.

Only difference is the OS. I am on 10.13.4

Its very obviously not screen burn because its only visible on the mission control screens left and right of the main desktop. (for example in the Dashboard if it has its own space). Looks like a bug in how the Graphics Card is being used.

Come on Apple.. don't let your loyal users down.

High Sierra 10.13.4

3.4 GHz Intel Core i7

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2048MB

Jul 13, 2018 10:43 AM in response to LuxViz

I wonder if it's possible to discover which driver is causing the issue, and then replace it with a backup of the Sierra driver that works. Would it cause a conflict or compatibility issue? Does anyone know what driver it is? TIA!

Jul 31, 2018 12:37 PM in response to LuxViz

Same thing here on my iMac (27-inch, Late 2012), 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7, 32 GB 1600 MHz DDR3, VIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2048 MB

Vertical lines everywhere and burn in from applications. Apple needs to come up with a solution!

Jul 31, 2018 2:06 PM in response to Winemonkey

This is not "burn in". This is, I'm pretty sure a video driver problem.

The reason I say that is - The "burn in" stays on the Spaces "space" when I swipe.. so its a rendering issue.

Go to the apple menu and click on "About This Mac". The click on the version number of the OS (under the macOS High Sierra banner). You will then see an os build number shown next to the version (for example it might read 17D102)

Then use google, and look for "nvidia driver 17D102"

Go to the nvidia web site and follow the instructions to install the latest driver (in my case also a 680).

Oooh one more thing, I use a mouse prefs tool.. when you install the video driver it might ask you to verify the install in the security /privacy settings (if you have anything that gets in the way of mouse interaction you can click on that ALLOW button until you are blue in the face, it will not work) - i had to quit the mouse prefs tool before it would let me press the allow button...

Anyway I have installed the appropriate driver and in some pretty cursory tests I think it might be solved (I haven't had a chance to use my machine because its in the guest room in my house (and there are guests there), so i have to make do with this laptop).

Give a go and tell me if it sorts it.

Aug 2, 2018 2:46 AM in response to Christian Leigh

OK.. So now I have had time to plod about on my iMac...

I don't think this driver update has really had much of an effect.

There is really some kind of burn in.. and even through the lock screen (where it asks for the password) you can definitely make out details of the web page being looked at. (so much for security!).

Leaving the screen saver on has practically zero effect.. you come back even 10 minutes later and there is some content there, bleeding through.

Even after a reboot..

So. Sorry about giving you false hope.

Looks like thats just the way it is... It could be a side effect of the age of the screen.. I certainly don't remember this when the computer was new...

Thanks Apple for the built in obsolescence. 😟

Aug 2, 2018 3:31 AM in response to Christian Leigh

I have set my desktop colour to black.. That seems to help a bit, I guess because its not working the pixels as hard. Medium grey seems like the worst colour to use. Again, I'm sorry about raising hopes with the driver thing. It seems the only choice is some paliative course of action.. choosing colours etc. Its a bit crappy that the screen is doing this, as I said I don't remember this when the machine was new.

Aug 2, 2018 4:48 AM in response to Christian Leigh

Nope... I take this back... This feels like a software issue. For a start, having a screen saver on for sooo long and the artefacts to still be there screams software. This is something to do with how the graphics are handled in "spaces".

I use parallels a lot, and when I came back to my machine I could see artefacts in the widgets space. Then when I switched coherence mode on in parallels and then switched back to full screen mode (and I did this quickly, so not long enough for any so called "burn in" to fade) - the artefacts in the widget page were gone!.

Therefore I revert back to my original assertion that this is a bug in HighSierra and its somehow related to the graphics card we use on this mac. (there is a lot of people with Nvidia 680MXs here).

Come on Apple pull your fingers out and sort this.

Aug 2, 2018 9:11 AM in response to Winemonkey

Well its been absolutely perfect since about 1pm, that 4 hrs continuous work... back and forth across multiple spaces and various apps staying static on screen for extended periods. The lock screen now does NOT show any information bleeding through. its basically perfect. That tells me undoubtedly that this is NOT " a thing that these panels do". It is some kind of intermittent software issue. Therefore the ball is back in Apples court. What the heck is going on here?

I did fiddle with the Nvidia pull down menu on the menu bar. I selected default Mac OS Graphics driver, and then I switched back again... to basically see if that would have any effect.. maybe it caused something to engage when it wasn't previously... I dunno. I hate intermittent problems like this.. they're an absolute arse to solve.

Aug 2, 2018 11:19 AM in response to Christian Leigh

I have virtualized OS X on a PC. The same issue is there too, which means it's not a graphic card issue, it is strictly software. I've checked around the net and Apple is aware of this but has given absolutely no response to it. I miss Steve!!!

sbehn

Level 1

4 points

Dec 5, 2017 5:08 AM in response to LuxViz

I am having the exact same issue on my 27" iMac Late 2012 with High Sierra 10.13.1 (17B1003). Did anybody manage to solve this already? Its also shown on the lock screen.