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I am working on android application and want to make user interface in photoshop. App will support all screens ldpi to xxhdpi. What should be dimensions of psd file? I am searching for two days not achieve exact result. Should I make it 1280x720 then scale other sizes?

nikinci
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  • Yes, better to scale DOWN. Then make sure your image is in xxhdpi resolution (480 dpi). And save it as png (or jpg, if it doesn't have transparencies), since psd files aren't handled by Android. – Phantômaxx Apr 08 '14 at 13:46
  • resolution is pointless. the resolution information is not read by android. only the dimension counts. – njzk2 Apr 08 '14 at 13:49

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No single answer to this, it all boils down to what kind of assets you're designing and what devices you're targeting.

In case you're thinking "well, all of them, of course!" -- probably you'll still have to do somewhat separate designs [at least, layouts] for tablet and phone versions.

The most optimal (as in 'least effort') approach is probably to aim your resolution at the highest-def device you're going to support. This [link] is a good place to look for resolutions -- the highest one for tablets at this time is 2560x1600.

Also a good thing to look at is the resolution distribution chart here http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html.

Don't think it's a one-shot effort, though. Going for the highest res resources first will not magically make all other resolutions look good with autoscaled graphics, you'll have to look out for scaling artifacts. Here's an awesome video on this topic by Roman Nurik: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtyzOo7nJrQ

Also, from the comment to the other answer, I see you're not very familiar with the concepts of the Android multi-res support, I suggest you read this, it will make things much more clear http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/screens_support.html

Ivan Bartsov
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Since there are so many different devices with different screens and pixel densities there is usually no correct answer to this question. Unlike in iOS where you can just assume that the retina screens have the dimensions doubled.

However, you should take a look here http://developer.android.com/design/style/iconography.html and pick a baseline. Then you can slice your PS images with the same proportions as the ones suggested by google.

What I usually do, is make sure that the image/icon looks sharp on a larger displays and then scale it down with the given proportions.

Note that dpi is not necessarily equal to px.

peshkira
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  • Thanks @peshkira If ı start with 720*1280 (baseline =xxhdpi) then slice images as described in link there wont be any Error am ı right?what you suggest to dpi? – nikinci Apr 08 '14 at 14:18
  • As I mentioned dpi is often not the same as px (depending on the device screen). So your only option is to make the images/icons large enough for the baseline and then scale them proportionally for the rest. It is also a good idea to talk to the developer if you are not developing the app yourself. (S)he will also be able to give you some input depending on the graphics you are using. – peshkira Apr 08 '14 at 14:47