MuseScore Renders text incorrectly on external monitor when scaling factor on external monitor is different
1 Have a laptop with an external monitor. In my case, display resolution is 1920x1080, but Scale and Layout is set to 125% on internal monitor but 100% on external monitor.
Note: Scale and Layout factor may be set differently on external monitor because the external monitor is larger and the text is large enough with 100% scaling. I am considering getting a 24" 4k external monitor but it is clear that MuseScore could not handle it because the scaling factor would have to be 175%.
RESULT: When the external monitor has a different scaling factor from the internal monitor, text editing is difficult because the text renders to a different size than cursor positioning. This means that the edits are made at a different cursor position than displayed on the screen. I reported this bug previously but had not noticed that it only occurs when scaling factors are different.
In this report I will submit a score and screenshots of how it renders on external monitor vs internal monitor. Saving to a PDF, it is determined that the layout on the internal monitor is accurate to print.
I am saying this is Major because people would want to use Musescore on their largest monitor, the one that doesn't work and on which they can't type. And, setting larger scaling factor for 4k monitor is a necessity.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Let It Go piano+sax.mscz | 61.66 KB |
| External Screen.PNG | 196.23 KB |
| Internal Screen.PNG | 1.51 MB |
Comments
Did you try the "-D xxx" command line option to set the resolution?
I assume you are referring to Musescore command line options documented here:
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/developers-handbook/getting-started/c…,
in which -D Enables a plugin script debugger. That doesn't seem applicable.
As to telling MuseScore the display resolution, I'm confused why that would be necessary. All other software known to me works fine on the second screen. Telling MuseScore details about the display would require informing it about all the parameters of every screen it may be dragged to.
That is an outdated and wrong handbook page, better use https://musescore.org/en/handbook/3/command-line-options
Thank you. MuseScore has to be able to operate on a computer with multiple screens, each with its own resolution and scaling factor. It clearly knows the resolution of each monitor , but uses the scaling factor of the primary monitor for text rendering on other monitors.
That indeed is the case. You'd need to find a compromise setting that works with both screens
That is extremely helpful. I did create a shortcut to "C:\Program Files\MuseScore 3\bin\MuseScore3.exe" -D96 ,
I thought this solved the problem, but was wrong.
If the primary screen is at 150 scaling and the other screen is at 100 scaling, everything is perfect and there are no bugs. BUT if the primary screen is at 125 scaling and the other screen is at 100 scaling, the text renders wrong on the second screen and cursor position is misaligned. Assuming I did the parameter correctly, it does not solve the problem. (Both screens are standard 1920 HD resolution)
I verified that I am doing the shortcut correctly because I get radically different scalings when I use -D72 vs using -D192
However, in all cases, if I have 125% on the main monitor and 100% scaling on the second monitor, the image on the second monitor renders text wrong and the cursor is misaligned..
I found a partial workaround: If I make my external monitor (standard HD with 100% scaling) my Primary display before launching MuseScore, text is drawn in the right place on the page on the external monitor but incorrectly on the internal (standard HD with 125% scaling). So I can pick my monitor.
In reply to I found a partial workaround… by David Bangs
Thank you! I really thought I was the only one with this display problem with the external monitor and after a long search (I am more often on the French forum) I finally find your description which is exactly mine. Different scale on the laptop (125%) and on the large secondary monitor (100%). Your workaround is fine. Personally I prefer, as soon as I work on MuseScore, to move the second monitor to 125% scale and so I no longer have this very annoying cursor problem.
Many thanks to you.
I would like to point out however that the problem does not exist with MuseScore 2.3.2 which supports without any problem the different scales between the 2 monitors.
It would therefore be a regression.
Came up again in #318316: Strange lyrics texts spacing when using multiple (and differently sized) screens
This still needs to be fixed. Point size is not a relative measurement, whatever the screen resolution it should display correctly.
Since scores are set with print layout in mind, what concerns me is that I don't know for sure how it may print.
In reply to This still needs to be fixed… by liamborg
It has been several years , and I still can't use Musescore on my second monitor. Now I have a different computer and a different monitor, but it doesn't matter. Musescore is the ONLY software in the whole wide world that is unable to be used on a second monitor. I have linked a video of what happens when I edit text.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6p0d4mh5x17n254/Musescore%20bug.avi?dl=0
The video shows how the cursor displays like it is halfway in the middle of a letter, but then when you type the text gets added in completely the wrong place. In a longer piece of text, it would be off by multiple characters. So, I only use Musescore on my primary monitor.
No such problem here, one screen 1920x1080 @ 125% , the other 1600x1200 @ 100%
In reply to No such problem here, one… by Jojo-Schmitz
Mac users have all the luck? Ok, you are probably also using Windows 10.
My second monitor is now also a vertical one - partly to see sheet music but since I started using continuous scroll mode, I now prefer the primary horizonal monitor. I love that in continuous mode, my edits don't cause the measure I'm editing to suddenly move.
Came up again in #325997: Text edit and formatting BUG