orrinfacey01: 10.7: Enable HiDPI mode for higher resolution displays

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

10.7: Enable HiDPI mode for higher resolution displays

The earlier hint, "Signs of resolution independence" in Preview reminded me of another discovery that points to not necessarily full blown resolution independence but perhaps a compromise of making larger widgets on high-resolution displays.

To enable HiDPI mode, you first need Xcode 4.1 for Lion. It's a free download from the App Store. (Xcode 3 will not work.)

Launch Quartz Debug from /Developer/Applications/Graphic Tools, then enable the 'HiDPI' support. This setting is found under Window » UI Resolution. You'll be forced to log out and re-login to activate the change.

Now, check out the Displays preference in System Preferences. Some resolutions will now have '(HiDPI)' appended to their name. Choose one to see this feature in action.

HiDPI mode uses graphics (and fonts) that are twice as large as standard DPI mode, similar how how the retina di ...