Can i lock the aspect ratio?
#1
hi.
i've made a custom menu bar (in horizontal mode) and i've got it looking and working the way i want it too on my macbook. but when i apply the same settings on my windows laptop, the background images are all misaligned and look terrible. the home screen background image and other images within the texture file, are stretched out. im guessing that it has something to do with the aspect ratio between the macbook 13" and windows laptop 15". also (and could be totally wrong), the macbook uses a 64bit version of kodi and windows uses 32bit version.

is there any way that i can lock the aspect ratio so that all of the images used in the skin can remain the same aspect ratio? or is there a way to detect what aspect ratio a device (windows, mac, android box, tv etc etc) is, and the skin to apply the correct aspect ratio for that device? so that all of the images on different devices, look the same and not stretched etc

thanks
Reply
#2
You can adjust the interface aspect ratio in windowed mode using the drag gadgets. Full screen Kodi takes up the measurents delivered by EDID information. Check the desktop settings to see if there is a screen desktop resolution that matches the Mac parameters and use that, perhaps in full screen windowed mode? I should also mention there is a system wide video calibration in settings>system>display (expert mode needs to be activated).
Reply
#3
thanks for the information. i'll give it a go.

some of my family and friends like the look of what i've done and want it on their device. but some (who am i kidding....most...lol) of them have difficultly opening a tin of beans, nor long going into kodi's settings...lol...is there a way set the ratio so that kodi itself can select the correct ratio for that device? i've tried to add different ratios in the addon.xml, but it didn't work.
Reply
#4
Kodi automagically should take the default size from the desktop o/s, on launch it's getting the hardware capablities of the system, then in settings there is some overide options. Most have not had issue with aspect ratio of the GUI. Can you pass along a few screen shots of what is going on?
Reply
#5
hi.
here are screenshots from my macbook and win laptop. sorry but i cant get them to show as pics. but it does link to the images.

the macbook image is how is what i want it to look like. as you'll see in the win laptop pic, the car background image is stretched and the numperplate overlay has also stretched. but what you can't see in the pic, when the menu text is longer than the numberplate, it auto scrolls. the menu text matches the stretched overlay image and not keep to the the cars numberplate as it's intended. personally, i would prefer the win laptop image. as it shows all of the car. but when i modify the overlay image and menu text to suite, when i put the same settings into the macbook .xml file, the overlay is smaller and the menu is misaligned.

mackbook
Image

win laptop
Image

when i made this on Ciruss:Extended (not supported for kodi 17), swapping between the macbook and win laptop, didnt alter anything and worked.

thanks for your help
Reply
#6
As long as the images/screen size are not the same size, you might be asking a bit much. The length of the text after 14 charcters (font size permitting) would bring in scrolling, a limitation of this skin atm.

Mac 1280 x 800  Pixels
Win 1366 x 768  Pixels

The GUI is made up of many components, each are given co-ordenates for placement within the skin, and of course in most cases these are pixel designations given relative to the overall GUI size. Once you've gotten into altering the placement of eliments, you've taken on the hat of the skinner and you shouuld be asking questiones here https://forum.kodi.tv/forumdisplay.php?fid=12  If you wish I can move this thread to that area

You could make both images the same size and use windowed mode, or use identical desktop sizes.
Reply
#7
@PatK

Hello sir, I'm so sorry for waking up a year old thread, but this is, literally, the only thread i found, that discuss a problem similar to mine, (note the same! but a bit similar), if i need to post this somewhere else, please redirect me.

My problem is simply i don't have 16:9 display, the only displays i can't put my hands on, in my location, are 4:3 and 5:4 aspect ratio, (weird i know). so you can imagine how most of the skins will look on my screen, well to be honest, Kodi is doing a nice job, they are scaling fine enough and most of their components looks acceptable, except for the artworks, the scaling makes them taller, so landscape looks square, squares looks rectangular, and posters looks a lot taller.
Picture 1 this suppose to be landscape artworks
Picture 2 this suppose to be square artworks
Picture 3 and this is how posters looks like

My question is, is there anyway to force the skins (or at least the artworks) to remain in their 16:9 aspect ratio and not scale to my display's, through playing with some XMLs or through any way else, i am ready to do anything to fix one of the most important aspects of this media player, "transform my mundane media player into a showpiece to be proud of".

and again, i am sorry if waking up an old thread is making any inconveniences.
thank you.
Reply
#8
(2019-02-06, 04:47)simouryou Wrote: the only displays i can't put my hands on, in my location, are 4:3 and 5:4 aspect ratio

If there's any hope of a 16:9 display, consider yourself future proof. In windowed mode (hitting the slash \ key) Kodi can be resized with the windowing system gadgets and drag bar, this will give you the perfect aspect you are looking for in the overall interface (including the artwork) alas you will end up with window drag bar & gadgets and a bit of black space (I have heard there is a patch to make these invisible). "i am ready to do anything" You will find most of the skin .xml files for aspect defined as pixels \addons\skin.transparency\1080p  and it's likely the folder has the name 1080p as a representation of the aspect of the skin, and every file would have to be investigated from the aspect of a skinner. First skin tutorial (wiki) and this from the master https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=159476
Reply
#9
(2019-02-06, 04:47)simouryou Wrote: and again, i am sorry if waking up an old thread is making any inconveniences.
It's not a problem if it's for a good cause. We don't close forum threads by default, so that helps.

(2019-02-06, 04:47)simouryou Wrote: My problem is simply i don't have 16:9 display
I had a somewhat similar problem when I got a 21:9 screen. Things looked kinda stretchy. Smile

Tinkering with the screen solution in a skin is possible, just make sure you have a good backup of the files you are editing. Also not every skin is as easy to be persuaded.

One thing to start with is adding your screen resolution to your skin's addon.xml file:
xml:

<extension point="xbmc.gui.skin" debugging="false">
<res width="1280" height="1024" aspect="4:3" default="true" folder="xml" /> # Or is your screen 1024x768 ?
</extension>
And change the 'true' option into 'false' at the 1920x1080 entry.

After that can start replacing the fixed values in the Home.xml file for <left>, <bottom>, <height> and <width>.
The same goes for the other .xml files. A find tool that does global search/replace on multiple files is a "nice to have" here.
It should get you some idea if the skin is easy to adjust or not.
Reply
#10
@PatK  @Klojum 

Thank you so much guys for replying, getting replies this fast, in itself, is really helping, motivation wise at least.
Quote:windowing mode, will give you the perfect aspect you are looking for
i have tried windowing mode, the thing is, the drag bar is not the only issue, i get the same scaling problem if the window is maximized, it only looks good when it's about half the size of my screen Sad
Quote:every file would have to be investigated from the aspect of a skinner. First skin tutorial (wiki) and this from the master https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=159476
if that's what it takes, i am doing it, i started looking in these guides, hopefully i will be able to do it from the aspect of a skinner Smile thank you.
Quote:I had a somewhat similar problem when I got a 21:9 screen. Things looked kinda stretchy
Oh! man, feels nice to know someone is feeling what you're going through haha.
Quote:One thing to start with is adding your screen resolution to your skin's addon.xml file:
i have made the necessary changes as you suggested, it already looks like I'm on the right direction, so i want to start by thanking you sir.
here are some screenshots of what I've got: Screenshot 1 and Screenshot 2.

well, i understand the results I've got, it's like I'm only getting a window of the skin, which makes sens considering the difference in pixels count illustration 1.
and, obviously, crumpling everything to fit in my screen resolution would put me back to my original problem.

but what if i can make the skin keeps it's aspect ratio by taking smaller foot print, something like that: illustration 2. will that be possible?
this will makes me face other problems, like filling the empty bottom with a row of content, and forcing the background, the video player, and other stuff to remain at their current shape.
will this too be possible? if not, i can't imagine how i can do it without redesigning the whole skin.

i want to mention that the Estuary skin is doing that by default, all the shapes and artworks looks correct (16:9) and still i have no gaps, everything is filed up perfectly. so if i can mimic it's settings for other skins, it will be so great.

also i am interested to know how you fixed your issue after upgrading to 21:9 screen.
sorry if that was too long, and thank you again.
Reply
#11
(2019-02-06, 18:50)simouryou Wrote: but what if i can make the skin keeps it's aspect ratio by taking smaller foot print, something like that: illustration 2. will that be possible?
You can always try to change the skin's resolution but plenty of objects will need to be realigned to the new situation. I'm by no means a skinner myself, but I understand xml files.

(2019-02-06, 18:50)simouryou Wrote: also i am interested to know how you fixed your issue after upgrading to 21:9 screen.
Oh, that was easy. Tongue I kept nagging so long that a number of skinners added 21:9 "awareness" to their skin so the skin will adapt itself to a 16:9 or 21:9 screen resolution. Rofl
The default Kodi skin Estuary is also 21:9 capable.
Reply
#12
Quote:Oh, that was easy. I kept nagging so long that a number of skinners added 21:9 "awareness" to their skin so the skin will adapt itself to a 16:9 or 21:9 screen resolution.
Hahaa, yeah easy! Rofl, well your lucky 21:9 is the future, for me 5:4 is decades old, i wouldn't dream any skinner would make 5:4 capable obviously, so my best bet is to manipulate the skins manually.
i would appreciate if you direct me to the right forum/ thread, where i can find someone who i can show theses mockups and get some help making them real.
Quote:The default Kodi skin Estuary is also 21:9 capable.
or to someone who knows a little about Estuary and helps me mimic it's settings. that would mean the word for me, thank you Shy .
Reply
#13
I have 1280×1024 [SXGA] 5:4 and interested too in having support for it in skins.
Adding the support to one skin (e.g Estuary) could serve as a reference for others.
I put request here Adaptive layout: Estuary for every aspect ratio but I afraid Estuary was left by it's author Sad
Reply

Logout Mark Read Team Forum Stats Members Help
Can i lock the aspect ratio?1