The pixel density of Retina displays is so high that your eyes can't detect individual pixels at a normal viewing distance. This gives content incredible detail and dramatically improves your viewing experience.
Mac computers that have a Retina display
MacOS Big Sur supports most Mac models introduced in 2013 and later. View compatible Mac models. Before you upgrade, make a complete backup with Time Machine, or store your files in iCloud. Learn how to back up your Mac. Per this page, Parallels Desktop 12 for Mac: Updates Summary Retina resolution support for OS X virtual machines. Previous versions of Parallels, as well as the competitors VMware Fusion and Oracle VirtualBox, provided some support for high-resolution resolutions in VMs of other OSes such as Windows & Linux, but none did so for macOS-as. MacOS Big Sur supports most Mac models introduced in 2013 and later. View compatible Mac models. Before you upgrade, make a complete backup with Time.
MacBook Pro models:
- 16-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2019. Native resolution: 3072 x 1920 at 226 pixels per inch. Support for millions of colors.
- 15-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2012 or later, except the MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012). Native resolution: 2880 x 1800 at 220 pixels per inch. Support for millions of colors.
- 13-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in late 2012 or later. Native resolution: 2560 x 1600 at 227 pixels per inch. Support for millions of colors.
MacBook Air models introduced in 2018 or later. Native resolution: 2560 x 1600 at 227 pixels per inch. Support for millions of colors.
MacBook models introduced in 2015 or later. Native resolution: 2304 x 1440 at 226 pixels per inch. Support for millions of colors.
iMac models:
- 27-inch iMac models introduced in 2014 or later. Native resolution: 5120 x 2880. Models introduced in 2014 and 2015 support millions of colors, and models introduced in 2017 or later support one billion colors.
- 21.5-inch iMac models introduced in 2015 or later, except the iMac (21.5-inch, 2017) and iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2015). Native resolution: 4096 x 2304. The Retina model introduced in 2015 supports millions of colors, and models introduced in 2017 or later support one billion colors.
All iMac Pro models. Native resolution: 5120 x 2880. Support for one billion colors.
Changing the resolution of your display
Your Mac automatically chooses a default resolution that is optimal for your display. To change the resolution:
- Choose Apple menu > System Preferences.
- Click Displays.
- Select Scaled, then select any of the four or five scaled resolutions, depending on your Mac model. With scaled resolutions, text and objects can appear larger and more visible, or smaller to provide more space for windows and apps.
If you're also using an external display
If you're using an external display to extend your desktop, you can choose a preferred resolution for each display. To see additional resolutions for the external display, press and hold the Option key while selecting the Scaled button.
If you're using an external display to mirror your built-in display, your Mac optimizes for whichever display is selected in the ”Optimize for” pop-up menu. Allow your Mac to choose the best resolution for that display, or select Scaled and choose a different resolution.
When mirroring your displays, you can optimize for the external display instead of your built-in display.
Using apps with a Retina display
If an app looks different than you expect on your Retina display or high-resolution external display, try opening the app in low-resolution mode:
- Quit the app.
- Open the Applications folder.
- Click the app once to select it, then choose Get Info from the File menu.
- From the Get Info window that opens, select the checkbox labeled ”Open in Low Resolution.”
- Close the Get Info window and open the app again.
Some apps that work best in low-resolution mode or that work only in low-resolution mode will have this mode already turned on, and in that case you might not be able to turn it off. The app developer might offer an update that includes support for the Retina display.
Using Boot Camp and Windows with a Retina display
- Boot Camp supports resolutions up to 3840 x 2160.
- When your Mac is using the Apple-supplied Windows Support Software, Windows starts up with the maximum dpi (pixels) it supports, which is 144 dpi, or 150-percent magnification. As a result, items on the display appear small, with a lot of space. You can use the Windows Display control panel item to adjust this setting in Windows.
Want to save and reproduce or use and know a color on your screen? Find out here how to use the eyedropper for Mac to identify the color of any pixel and learn (and easily copy) its RGB value in various color spaces.
How to Use the Eyedropper for Mac: FAQCan I choose a different color space for the values?
First, They Set Fire to Stone
Miners set fire to stone in the Hindukusch six score years ago. Then, cold water was thrown after the flames.
The sudden cooling cracked open the rock and stone, of course, and brought to light a much sought-after gem: in the 1880s, sky-bluelapis lazuli pigments were mined using the “fire-set” method.
Want to know the RGB values of that skyish blue on your Mac’s screen? You need neither throw fire at it nor high water; follow these steps instead to crack the coloring code:
How to Use the Eyedropper on a Mac to Identify the Color of Any Pixel on Screen
Time needed: 5 minutes.
To find the color value (in RGB) of any pixel on your screen using the macOS Digital Color Meter (Mac eyedropper tool):
- Open Digital Color Meter.Tip: You can find Digital Color Meter using Spotlight search as well as using Launchpad, of course, or open the Utilities folder in Finder.
- Turn down the Aperture Size to its very smallest (on the left).Note: This will allow you to see the color value of a single pixel; with an aperture bigger than this, you will get an average value of all the pixels in the selection square.
- Position the mouse cursor exactly over the pixel for which you want to identify the color.
- Optionally, press CommandL to lock the picker on the currently selected pixel or pixels.Note: You can also press CommandX to individually lock the horizontal dimension and CommandY to lock the vertical dimension respectively.
- See the RGB color values listed under RGB.Tip: You need not copy the values by typing.
Press CommandShiftC to copy the color values as a triplet of plain text numbers.
Press CommandOptionC to copy a 74⨉74 square filled solid with the color; you can paste it into a graphics program, for instance, or just into Notes.
How to Use the Eyedropper for Mac: FAQ
What do the RGB values mean?
The RGB values are the amounts of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) that combined make up the measured color. The values are from 0 (lowest) to 255 (highest).
A RGB value is relative to a color space.
Can I choose a different color space for the values?
Yes. Select the desired color space in the Digital Color Meter’s drop-down menu; choices include various standard RGB color spaces as well as the human-eye L*a*b color space.
What is a color space?
A color space contains all the colors a specific device can produce and a method to express them. Specifying the color space together with the RGB values lets you reproduce the same color accurately across devices.
Choose a color space that the device where you want to use the color supports.
What is the L*a*b color space?
The L*a*b color space contains all the colors the human eye can see. Instead of using red, green and blue, L*a*b defines colors as brightness (0–100) — L — , colors from red (-128) to green (127) — a — and colors from blue (-128) to yellow (127) — b.
Can I convert the color values to CMYK, XYZ, HSL and other color spaces?
Yes, though Digital Color Meter itself will not do that for you.
Turn to a site like Colorizer to enter the values gained from Digital Color Meter and have them converted to the color space and specification you need.
Pixels In Hell Mac Os 7
(How to use the eyedropper tool to identify the color of any pixel on screen with macOS tested with macOS Big Sur 11.0 and macOS Catalina 10.15; updated November 2020)