Text in Compose for Desktop is rendered without subpixel anti-aliasing for now. The issue is known and blocked by the issue in skia (another one)

P.S.

1. Flutter has a similar issue

2. UWP applications (and Start Menu) don't use subpixel anti-aliasing too:
   
   There is an issue in WinUI

Thanks for that information, it's good that the cause is known! I feel like I'm always having this issue whenever a new multiplatform-framework targets windows. I remember similar issues when Electron was new, and Qt also has issues unless you manually mess with text rendering. I know that a lot of devs use Macs nowadays, but a majority of consumers are still using Windows as far as I am aware--especially in the scientific and engineering (my area) communities where desktop apps are still the primary means of doing work.

By the way, there is a way to draw a text with subpixel antialiasing, if we use Canvas directly:

import androidx.compose.foundation.Canvas
import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.drawscope.drawIntoCanvas
import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.nativeCanvas
import androidx.compose.ui.window.singleWindowApplication
import org.jetbrains.skija.Color
import org.jetbrains.skija.Font
import org.jetbrains.skija.FontEdging
import org.jetbrains.skija.Paint
import org.jetbrains.skija.TextLine
import org.jetbrains.skija.Typeface

val font = Font(Typeface.makeDefault()).apply {
    edging = FontEdging.SUBPIXEL_ANTI_ALIAS
    size = 24f
}

fun main() = singleWindowApplication {
    Canvas(Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
        drawIntoCanvas {
            it.nativeCanvas.drawTextLine(
                TextLine.make("Text", font),
                0f,
                -font.metrics.ascent,
                Paint().apply {
                    color = Color.makeRGB(0, 0, 0)
                }
            )
        }
    }
}

Thanks, this is huge 🎉 It basically opens up Compose Desktop for use on Windows!

igordmn closed this as completed in JetBrains/skia-pack@05623f7 on Sep 2

It seems GitHub closed it somehow, even it is not merged yet.

It wasn't meant to be closed, so reopening, until we merge all functionality (it won't be in 1.2.0)

Please check the following ticket on YouTrack for follow-ups to this issue. GitHub issues will be closed in the coming weeks.