Have you ever tried to play a game on your PC that was a bit more than your graphics card could handle? Instead of seeing panoramic views, you have pixelated edges and blocky shapes. These "jaggies" are usually eliminated by increasing the resolution of your screen.
But this is not possible for everyone.
So if you have an older GPU or are just playing on a rig not designed for gaming, here's some bad news for you: you can't achieve high resolution textures without compromise in the form of slowdown. your game drastically.
However, you can try using anti-aliasing to improve graphics resolution without slowing down. Learn more about anti-aliasing and why you should consider it in this article.
What is anti-aliasing?
Antialiasing is a way for your computer to play with all those pixels in PC games and smooth them out into graphics worthy of this century. In short, it is a graphics parameter that helps to get rid of irregularities.
If you're running a game at a higher resolution, you're in luck. You probably don't know what a "jaggie" is and you haven't seen one. But some gamers have to make do with what they have and that can mean a sub-par platform for high-demand games.
Think of it this way...
Images in games are created by stacking and aligning square pixels. When you don't have a high enough resolution, you may see jagged edges or "jaggies" in images. Officially this is called 'aliasing' but players like 'jaggies' and 'jaggies' better. It's easier to remember.
So come the anti-aliasing settings in your PC's graphics window to take care of this visual monstrosity. A PC can handle anti-aliasing in several ways:
spatial
When you have a low resolution image littered with jaggedness, spatial anti-aliasing works to fill in the gaps created by that low resolution and eliminate that jagged staircase look.
It takes color samples from the excess pixels of a higher resolution image, creates samples and scales them down to the original resolution. The result is an image with pixel colors averaged from the high resolution pixels blending those hard edges and making them less noticeable.
Post treatment
With the post-processing anti-aliasing method, the smoothing occurs after the image is rendered and blurs the perceived edges. Although post-processing anti-aliasing can eliminate some of these jaggedness, it tends to blur your images. And the more detailed your game is, the more likely you are to notice it.
However, since the GPU determines where to blur after rendering an image, this happens very quickly with less strain on your CPU. So it really depends on the player and what they prefer to compromise.
What is anti-aliasing in Minecraft?
Minecraft's design is meant to be reminiscent of the pixelated heroes of early games. Blocky scenes and characters are drawn this way on purpose. But aliasing can lead to some unintended "jaggies" in the pixelated world of Minecraft.
If you have a Windows 10 or VR edition of Minecraft, a simple solution awaits you on the Options screen. Since update 0.15.0, these Minecraft editions have an anti-aliasing feature. Just keep in mind that any AA function puts a strain on your processor. And, of course, there's the blur factor.
What is anti-aliasing in games?
Aliasing or "jaggies" occurs when curved lines are rendered in PC games that look like stairs. Hence the term "jagged" because of its jagged edges. In a high resolution screen, you won't notice the irregularities because the high pixel count makes it less noticeable.
However, on low resolution screens, there are not enough pixels to smooth out these lines. And what should be smooth, curved lines turn into stacks of Lego-like stairs.
Having high resolution output isn't the complete answer, however.
If you're running games at 120 FPS, the image might look crisp and clear, but you're sacrificing processing power. And if your processing hardware doesn't match your resolutions, you're looking at drastic slowdowns to the point of playability in your games.
The solution for jaggies with minimal CPU impact is anti-aliasing. Yes, there are some downsides to using this method like blurring and reduced processing power. But this can still have a significantly lower performance impact than running your game on the highest graphics settings.
What is anti-aliasing in Photoshop?
Aliasing doesn't just happen in PC games. You can also see it when using low resolution images in Photoshop. This jagged, jagged outline around the edges of a smooth image is called aliasing. And Photoshop has a solution for that too.
To use the anti-aliasing option, follow these steps:
- Go to the options bar and select Anti-Aliased
- Choose your tool in the Edit workspace (Lasso, Magic Wand, Elliptical Marquee all work with Anti-aliased)
- Select the image in the image window
- Blur the edges by pointing with the left mouse button or use long strokes by holding down the left mouse button
Antialiasing only works on the edges of an image. If you need to smooth the edges inside an image, you can use feathering to blur some of those rough edges.
What is anti-aliasing in Illustrator?
The anti-aliasing option in Illustrator is available when exporting images to the web. When you choose "Save for Web", a drop-down menu Optimized for Art becomes available. In this one, you have three choices:
- None – Does not apply anti-aliasing to the image
- Optimized for Art – Applies anti-aliasing or blurring around any art in the image
- Optimized for Text – Applies anti-aliasing or blurring around any text in the image
Unfortunately, you cannot apply anti-aliasing to an image you are working on in Illustrator. But most of the time you don't need it because the lines look smooth when you work on it.
What is an anti-aliasing filter?
Antialiasing is a term used for different things.
For example, in the field of digital signal processing, it refers to an analog filter that only lets in a certain sample of the desired frequency range.
The term is also used in photography. But in this case, it's an optical low-pass filter or OLPF that sits on top of a camera's image sensor. Its main job is to filter out interference patterns that can potentially spoil images. Much like game resolution and photo editing software, this filter softens fine details. Instead of edges, however, an in-camera anti-aliasing filter seeks to blur high-frequency pattern detail to prevent moiré patterns.
What is anti-aliasing in Genshin Impact?
In the Settings menu under Graphics, there are three options to choose from for anti-aliasing in Genshin Impact:
- None – no in-game anti-aliasing elements
- TSAA – temporal alias that examines previously rendered frames instead of a single frame
- SMAA – post-processing anti-aliasing method that detects and applies filters
Generally, you want to keep your graphics settings at SMAA if you can. This setting gives you the best graphics when playing Genshin Impact. However, if you notice a drop in FPS, you can go down to TSAA. However, the difference isn't very noticeable during combat, so if you're looking for performance, you might want to turn it off altogether.
Additional FAQs
What are aliasing and anti-aliasing?
Aliasing in images and PC games occurs when the edges of pixels appear jagged like a staircase. Antialiasing methods typically involve smoothing out the jagged appearance of lines by adding shadow pixels or blurring the edges of an image.
What is Graphics Antialiasing?
Aliasing occurs when there is an undersampling of rendered pixels that makes smooth lines look jagged. It normally appears at the edges of a graphic and when using low resolution displays.
Due to the nature of pixels, you cannot create an anti-aliased graphic. But you can use anti-aliasing tools to make jagged lines appear smooth in games and photo-editing programs.
Is anti-aliasing good for FPS?
The short answer is no. »
Anti-aliasing comes at a cost, and typically that cost is processing power. The more you increase the anti-aliasing method levels, the more you will see a drop in performance. You'll have to decide which is more important: lightning-fast gameplay or aesthetically pleasing graphics.
Or you can just buy a higher resolution screen. Just make sure your processor can take a higher resolution display. Otherwise, you may experience other issues such as screen tearing.
What is anti-aliasing used for in games?
Anti-aliasing smooths out these rough edges or “jaggies” and makes graphics more visually appealing. Of course, this comes at a cost, however.
Antialiasing methods like SMAA can make your game look stunning even on a low resolution screen. But you may see a drop in FPS as a result, as anti-aliasing consumes a lot of processing power.
Should I enable or disable anti-aliasing?
If your visuals look great and you have a high resolution display, you don't need to enable anti-aliasing options. Antialiasing is for people who experience these unsightly "jaggies" and want to smooth the edges of their graphics.
Also keep in mind that when it comes to PC games, anti-aliasing consumes processing power. If you want to dump some of that into graphics, that's your choice. But if you're looking to scrape more FPS, you might want to turn it off.
What are “Jaggies” and why do they happen?
“Jaggies” is what happens when you see the edges and corners of pixels in an image. Imagine having a jagged outline instead of smooth curves around your favorite graphic. And this happens for various reasons.
The first and most likely culprit is a low resolution screen. X number of pixels are required to render graphics properly, but a low resolution display only has Y to work. Usually, turning on the anti-aliasing graphics option can help smooth out those jagged edges.
Anti-alias or no anti-alias, that is the question
Anti-aliasing is a big problem for PC gamers and, to some extent, graphic designers. There are pros and cons to using anti-aliasing tools on both sides, but ultimately it's up to you.
Players using anti-aliasing may see frame rates drop to the point of being unplayable. And artists who use anti-aliasing tools can alter images to the point that they look overprocessed.
These situations are of course extreme, but the fact is that anti-aliasing comes at a cost. It's up to you to decide how much you're willing to pay.
Do you use anti-aliasing for your PC games or photo editing programs? Tell us about it in the comments section below.
