New Computer-Wide Screen Diistortion

[lowbone]

I just got a new computer and as if learning Vista wasn't enough of a problem I have another one. My new computer has a wide screen and it is stretching all of my pictures horizontally and making them look like they were in one of those funny carnival mirrors. I know there is a way to correct this but I"m not sure how. I hope someone here can help

[baycruisers]

Make sure the display resolution fits the dimensions of your monitor. You may need to look at the monitor manual to get the ratio, or just play around with it in Control Panel/Display/Resolution setting.

[Tom K]

Hi Lowbone;

When you get the specs and fix the width issue, please publish the
fix.

Thanks Tom :confused:

[aa6660]

Is it stretching everything, or just pics you open in PSE?

You can check how you monitor is set up in Vista by showing your desktop, right click, choose Personalize, and then Display Settings. I have a 19 inch wide screen monitor and I have my dimensions set at 1440x900.

Are you trying to use your own pictures as your desktop background and those are stretched? If so, make sure that your preferences are correct. Do the above, but once you click on personalize, choose Desktop Background. At the bottom of the page (or at least on mine), it says, 'how should the picture be positioned?'. If you are using regular photos, you want it on CENTER or TILE. If it is on Fit to Screen, the photo will be stretched horizontally to cover the entire screen.

If it is just stretching images in PSE, then I have no idea. I love doing PSE on my widescreen with Vista. When I use it at work on my normal monitor, it feels so squished.

[Codebreaker]

It's all to do with Aspect Ratios - that is the ratio of width to height.

Monitors have a fixed aspect ration because of their physical dimensions. The pixel dimensions of a screen can be varied by Windows and unless the pixel dimension aspect ratio is the same as the physical sceen ratio stretching will occur.

For LCD screens there is a recommended resolution, sometimes called the Native Resolution and this is what you need to setup Windows to work with. Just go to the Display Properties in the Control Panel and set the matching resolution.

Native resolution will also produce the sharpest display.

Colin

[lowbone]

Thankks very much. Its set up the right way now

[aa6660]

Can you share what you did to fix the problem so that if any others have a similar problem they can see what exact change worked?