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I've just switched to Ubuntu, and I'm trying to replicate the Windows ClearType font quality using the Unity Tweak Tool. The default anti-aliasing is "Grayscale", and I'm trying to change it to "RGBA", however, I'm not seeing any perceptible difference. Is it a problem with the tweak tool, with Unity, or something else?

RGBA

Grayscale

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    This covers both Ubuntu and GNOME. Changing the option does not cause the Tweak Tool or most existing open applications to redraw their text with the new antialiasing setting. You need to open a new application or window thereof to check the results, after changing the setting. Alternatively, GNOME Terminal redraws if you change the setting in Tweaks and then re-focus the Terminal window, if console fonts are enough for you to make a decision, or you can temporarily change to a non-console font in the Terminal. Nov 4, 2018 at 11:11

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According to similar questions on Ubuntu's support community, the "Grayscale" option is standard grayscale antialiasing whereas the "RGBA" option is subpixel antialiasing for LCD screens.

To see a difference between the two, you can temporarily increase the scaling to something huge and try each option. The larger font scale should allow you to see any differences in font edges.

Also, not sure why it defaults to grayscale. Based on questions at http://help.ubuntu.com it appears that most applications seem to prefer either the "RGBA" or "None" settings.

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