Windows 10: Photos app opens blurry images in Windows 10

Although the Photos app in Windows 10 is a smooth and useful application, some users have reported that when they use the Photos app to open images, it displays blurry images even when the images are of high resolution and [...]

This post Photos app opens blurry images in Windows 10 is from TheWindowsClub.com.

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Pictured Are Blurry in Windows 10 Photos App


Anyone else finding that pictures in the Windows 10 Photos App are blurry? The same pictures are perfect in the Windows Photo Viewer.

I'm not sure how to demo it as I don't know how it's going to display on your screen and I'm not sure whether TenForums compresses uploaded images. I'll try with a PNG of both the Photos app and Windows Photo Viewer side-by-side.

I can't see a way to view images at their 100% original size in the Photos App (which is really stupid), so I've also attached just the 'Tabs' dialogue box as well. Because it's smaller, it should display at 100% magnification on your screen and therefore not be subjected to downscaling-to-fit.

Alternatively, just take a screenshot of the Internet Explorer 'Tab' settings (in 'Internet Options'), and open the screenshot in both the Photos App and Windows Photo Viewer and compare them.

Side-by-side:






Just Dialogue Box (Right Click > Save Picture As):

 

Photos app often displays sharp images as somewhat blurry (includes example)

What I did was hit the Print Screen key on my keyboard because that did not cause Photos to drop out of full screen mode. Then I pasted it into a new Gimp window, made sure it was 100% zoom, then used the Snipping Tool on that for a smaller crop. There is
no loss of quality in any of those steps except possibly the final saving of the cropped file - and that I did with the Snipping Tool in every case so it's not a variable.

"One possible explanation is that the zoom icon simply goes up or down a fixed percentage. If you go up 10% and then down 10%, you get 99%, but it should be slightly worse than the original and you see it as clearly
better. "

I see what you mean, but I really doubt it works that way since it would be pretty weird My guess of the explanation here is that when you first open the image, it does not do the "sharpening" after a half second
that it does if you zoom in/out. It's probably showing a blurry version initially for speed. It shows blurry versions as you zoom in or out (and after a half second it shows the non-blurry version if it's a nice round zoom percentage), and it shows blurry
versions when you page forward and back to other images. I have seen other image viewers do similar, my camera actually does it, and the older Windows Photo Viewer did that as well I think. The Windows Photo Viewer would "look ahead" to load the next photo
as you paged forward, but if you paged too quickly, you would have to wait a second for it.

I see 2 problems-

• Photos app does not show the non-blurry version when you first open it (for
  round zoom percentages). I would expect it to show that after a half second like it does when you zoom in/out.
• Photos app shows photos significantly blurrier than other image viewers when not at a nice round zoom percentage).

This thing is definitely real. My photos look worse with the Photos app with a somewhat close glance. It's worse for some photos - depends on what's in the photo.

I thought of another way to test with the zoom in/out phenomenon-

• Open a photo that has some clear detail and contrast in the Photos app twice, so you have two windows open of the same photo. Make sure both Photos windows are maximized.
• In the first, click the ... and choose "View actual size"
• Then zoom out using Ctrl key and mouse scroll wheel until you can't zoom out anymore. You can see the image often get clearer or more blurry after a half second on each zoom level.
• Compare the two Photos windows by switching between them using the taskbar (or take crops of both with the Snipping Tool while trying to crop the same area, and flip between them in Photos or any viewer).

I tried this with my 2288x1712 photos, and the result here is that the first Photos window shows a clearer version of the photo. I tested several. I tried this with my 4000x3000 photos and... wait that's strange, the two aren't showing the same zoom level.
The first is still clearer, but it's also slightly larger than the second so not a good comparison. With my 2288x1712 photos, the steps above ended up with both at the same zoom level. I tried with a 3264x2448 image from my phone and it also ended with slightly
different zoom levels. I tried some 2048x1536 images from my older phone and that ended with both having the same zoom, and the first was clearly sharper. The zoom difference seems to be accounted for by the top bar of the Photos app. When first opened, the
zoom level is set to exclude the top bar so the full image is visible. After doing the steps above, the top bar overlaps instead.

So that test may have just brought up new questions. But there is a definite result for my 2288x1712 and 2048x1536 photos. They open initially more blurry compared to what you see if you do the above steps, or if you zoom in then out.

Wow, I just noticed something else. When I open a 2288x1712 photo, it looks clearer for a fraction of a second, then it blurs. The Photos app is actually blurring it after it has already loaded the better version. It happens quickly so it's not easy to see.
I may have to figure out how to make a screencast video to show it. This is nuts though. I was unable to see something like that when trying my 4000x3000 photos. I guess it's like the steps as you zoom. When zooming, after a half second, some zoom steps get
sharper and some get more blurry.

It would be a good idea to come up with a test pattern and play around with it as you suggested.

 

Photos app often displays sharp images as somewhat blurry (includes example)

This is exactly what I see on my screen (and with screen prints). I can't be the only one. I'm sure anybody can see it.

The Photos app shows a different displayed image when viewing the same photo after having just opened it maximized compared to having opened it maximized and doing 1 zoom in and 1 zoom out (zoomed with Ctrl + scroll wheel).

MS could just say - hey that's the way it is, it's a resize and it's not perfect. But for me it's way too blurry on many photos. I chose to not order an 8x10 print of one photo because of it. And anyway, it appears to be blurring it in some cases after it has
already displayed a better quality version, which doesn't make sense.

I have photos of 4 different sizes I have looked at lately:

• 2048x1536 - Photos app shows a clearer version after doing 1 zoom in and 1 zoom out
• 2288x1712 - Photos app shows a clearer version after doing 1 zoom in and 1 zoom out. I also notice when first opened (starts maximized) that the image blurs a split second after it's first displayed - it's very quick.
• 3264x2448 - Photos app shows a more blurry version after doing 1 zoom in and 1 zoom out
• 4000x3000 - Photos app shows a clearer version after doing 1 zoom in and 1 zoom out
  

The 3264x2448 is the odd one showing a more blurry version after doing the zooming. But I have seen some zoom steps do seem to show more blurry versions, less often.

I'll make some screenshots of photos for these different sizes and put them up in a OneDrive folder soon.

"You may want to hold the Windows key down while doing the screen print. That writes a png image to your Screenshots folder. That's a lossless write so you can create a reliable set of test results."

I'm pretty sure that the screenshot that's saved to the clipboard by using the Print Screen key is lossless, and that viewing the image in a Gimp window is also lossless. But I'll do that. It's easier for full-screen screenshots anyway.