Customizing PSP for low vision

Whether you need glasses or you are just getting older, you might find your display looks smaller and smaller. There are simple ways to customize your PaintShop Pro to see better despite those challenges. Let's look at a few ways.

Icon size

As early as PSP9 (from JASC), there was an option to use "regular" or "large" icons. By default, the icons were small, but there was an option under the View > Customize to choose "large icons".

Interestingly, in version X4, this option was removed. Did it end up displaying the "large" icons by default? I am not sure, but the option came back with version X5, where the default was the large icons, and you had the option for smaller ones.

However, starting with PSP2018, you have three options for size: small, medium, and large. Furthermore, the option is now available directly in a new location: the User Interface menu.

The difference in size is as follow:

Of course, the larger the icons, the more room they will take on your toolbars, but if it makes it easier for you to see them, it will be worth it.

Scroll bar size

Once Corel added the User Interface, they also added the option to have larger scroll bars.

And right from the start, we are given three sizes. Do you have a hard time seeing and grabbing that scroll bar when working on large images (or zoomed-in images)? this is what you might need. Here is the comparison between the different sizes for the scroll bar:

Node size

Along with the new options for changing the size of the Scroll Bar, the User Interface also added the option to enlarge the nodes. You know, those tiny little squares that are visible when working on vector objects? Or the nodes around an element when you activate the Pick tool and might be hard to grab? Now, you also have three options for those nodes.

And here is the comparison between the size of those nodes:

Although the size of the nodes makes them easier to see, the area you can click is still as small which means you still have to aim in the center of them. But now that you can see them better, it should be easier, right?

Text size

Although the Scroll bar and the Node size were added in version 2018, we had to wait until the next year to get the option to have larger text. Of course, with larger monitors and higher resolution, that "standard" text that was sufficient in the past is now looking very small, so it is a good option to enlarge that text.

Unlike the other options, you have only two choices for the text size, but the difference is significant.

This text size change applies to the menus, the commands, the toolbars, etc. However, you might notice a few places where the text stays as small as before, like the numbers on various toolbar settings but overall, almost everything is larger and easier to read.

Although those options for larger displays are quite obvious, there are other options, well hidden, that you might want to consider if you either have low vision or just feel more comfortable with larger displays.

Layers Palette previews

The Layers palette includes a preview of what is on individual layers, plus, when you hover over the thumbnail, you get a tooltip thumbnail. Both of those images are set at default dimensions but can be adjusted to suit your needs. You can go to File > Preferences > General Program Preferences and under the Palettes tab, on the left, you then get some options on the far right to adjust those sizes.

The default display for the Layers palette looks like this:

But if you change the value of the Palette thumbnails from 50 to 100, the Layers palette will look like this:

Of course, larger thumbnails mean that you will see fewer layers in the palette.

If you want to still see as many layers as before, you can change the size of the Tooltip thumbnails.

The image that will display when you hover over the layer will be larger.

If you have a low vision, have you adjusted those displays on your PaintShop Pro?