Bug 699628 - rgba subpixel font setting is ignored
Summary: rgba subpixel font setting is ignored
Keywords:
Status: CLOSED WONTFIX
Alias: None
Product: Fedora
Classification: Fedora
Component: gtk3
Version: 15
Hardware: Unspecified
OS: Unspecified
unspecified
unspecified
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Matthias Clasen
QA Contact: Fedora Extras Quality Assurance
URL:
Whiteboard:
Depends On:
Blocks:
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 2011-04-26 08:21 UTC by Tim Cuthbertson
Modified: 2012-08-07 17:08 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

Fixed In Version:
Clone Of:
: 846635 (view as bug list)
Environment:
Last Closed: 2012-08-07 17:07:59 UTC
Type: ---
Embargoed:


Attachments (Terms of Use)
xmag screenshot - F14 (100 DPI) - good hinting, kerning, subpixeling (20.24 KB, image/png)
2011-06-03 10:31 UTC, Michal Žejdl
no flags Details
xmag screenshot - F15 (85 DPI) - watery apperance, no subpixeling in GTK (but IceWM do it) (15.93 KB, image/png)
2011-06-03 10:33 UTC, Michal Žejdl
no flags Details
xmag screenshot - F15 (85 DPI) - infinality, subpixeling, but bad kerning (19.23 KB, image/png)
2011-06-03 10:35 UTC, Michal Žejdl
no flags Details

Description Tim Cuthbertson 2011-04-26 08:21:04 UTC
Description of problem:

I *believe* I have enabled rgb subpixel antialiasing. I have the following ~/.fonts.conf:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM "fonts.dtd">
<!-- see:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Font_Configuration#Anti-aliasing
-->
<fontconfig>
	<match target="font">
		<edit name="antialias" mode="assign">
			<bool>true</bool>
		</edit>
		<edit name="hinting" mode="assign">
			<bool>false</bool>
		</edit>
		<edit name="autohint" mode="assign">
			<bool>false</bool>
		</edit>
		<edit name="hintstyle" mode="assign">
			<const>hintnone</const>
		</edit>
		<edit name="rgba" mode="assign">
			<const>rgb</const>
		</edit>
		<edit mode="assign" name="lcdfilter">
			<const>lcddefault</const>
		</edit>
	</match>
</fontconfig>


And the output of:
$ xrdb -q
Xft.antialias:	1
Xft.dpi:	96
Xft.hinting:	0
Xft.hintstyle:	hintnone
Xft.rgba:	rgb

Definitely shows that rgb subpixel rendering is set. 


Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
gnome 3; fc15


How reproducible:
Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. save above ~/.fonts.conf
2. log out & in
  
Actual results:
None of my fonts are being rendered with subpixel rendering. On magnification, all black text on white background is shades of grey - so it's antialised, but not subpixel.

Expected results:
I would expect to see slightly coloured fringes to the left/right of glyphs.


Additional info:

Comment 1 Michal Žejdl 2011-06-03 10:27:12 UTC
I must confirm this. GTK2 (Firefox, FPM2, Terminal, XChat) and GTK3 apps (gnome-terminal) are antialiased without subpixeling. And even worse, these grey antialiased glyphs are watery so it is pain for my eyes to read it.

There is no problem with grey antialiasing in F14, it is well readable (but subpixeling does a better job for me in F14).

In F15 I have IceWM menu/titles/toolbar subpixeled (I'm satisfied with IceWM font apperance), but I can not turn on subpixeling for Firefox and other apps. I'm using Xresources (Xft.* dpi, hintfull, rgb) for a long time. And even with /etc/fonts/conf.d/99-override_all.conf, I set rgba rgb there, I have no success.

The best result I got with freetype-infinality preload:

yum --enablerepo infinality --releasever=rawhide install freetype-infinality

Then all GTK2 apps were subpixeled immediately (after relog to make preload work) and GTK3 apps were subpixeled after rgba had been set to rgb in my 99-override_all.conf.

But fonts were still hard to read (fuzzy, hairy...) until I set autohint to true in my 99-override_all.conf. With freetype-infinality and autohint I have clear glyphs with bad kerning, which is the best what can I get with my knowledges now.

I have other five F14 systems waiting for upgrade to F15 until there will be the same (or better :-) experience as in F14 - good grey antialiasing and even better subpixeling with clear glyphs and good kerning.

There are many similar bugs reported and complaints around but I can not get to root of it, so here is my post.

I tested only DejaVu Sans and Mono.

Comment 2 Michal Žejdl 2011-06-03 10:31:51 UTC
Created attachment 502774 [details]
xmag screenshot - F14 (100 DPI) - good hinting, kerning, subpixeling

Comment 3 Michal Žejdl 2011-06-03 10:33:51 UTC
Created attachment 502775 [details]
xmag screenshot - F15 (85 DPI) - watery apperance, no subpixeling in GTK (but IceWM do it)

Comment 4 Michal Žejdl 2011-06-03 10:35:25 UTC
Created attachment 502776 [details]
xmag screenshot - F15 (85 DPI) - infinality, subpixeling, but bad kerning

Comment 5 Fedora End Of Life 2012-08-07 17:08:01 UTC
This message is a notice that Fedora 15 is now at end of life. Fedora
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