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User Interface themes

Feature Request

I’m having trouble reading the text, as it is small and quite dim on my calibrated monitor (2560 × 1440 pixels). 'I suggest thinking about creating and making available several different themes: E.G., a ‘gray’ and a ‘light’ theme in addition to the ‘dark’ UI already available. Also, it would be advantageous to provide small, medium and large sized text. This is not a frivolous request, as I believe this software could have a very long life and predominate over its competition.

Posted by Steven Potashner ·
Status: Completed12 comments

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Comments12

  • Ryan Cush

    Team•

    Oct 18

    Hi @Steven Potashner - thank you for logging this. You aren’t the first user to comment that the readability can be challenging, and I think you’re right that it comes down to both color contrast and font size. I will put some work into improving this.

  • Wolf Amri

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    Oct 31

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    Merged request

    •

    1 vote

    Adjustable text size

    I’m personally a huge fan of small fonts, but I know people who absolutely dislike them and since some of them have bad eyes, they may not be able to use your software properly and give up on it.

    I’d add a font size choice in your preferences. That’s probably a lot of work in regard to UI, but I think it will be worth it in the long run ;).

  • Mark Laurendet

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    Nov 1

    Great Suggestions

    I am having the same problem on my iMac 27”

    The UI or interface for me is one of the most important things that distinguish between a good and great program, and as you say Macro Studio" is shaping up to be a leading contender.

  • Ryan Cush

    Team•

    Nov 6

    @Steven Potashner , @Mark Laurendet , and others — this just went live with an update, check it out and let me know what you think!

    • Mark Laurendet

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      Nov 8

      Sorry for the late reply but been busy lately. We have overseas visitors.
      The new UI options are looking good, only had the chance to have a basic look. Good to be able to view them all without restarting like in a lot of programs. The selections look good.

      Currently trying

      Text = Large

      Theme = High Contrast & Light Grey.
      Light Grey is not showing the line connecting Look percentage values between 0 and enhanced, like all the other options, and cant really see the difference between the tool options on the top of the screen or between undo or redo when active / unactive

      I hope to go through a full stack in the next day or so to check other aspects of the UI, especially high contrast.

      I like light grey, but think it needs more contrast to see between active and inactive components, plus the missing line in the look panel [I suppose higher contrast overall in light grey]

      Just wonder why does the slider adjustment panel on the right disappears when you are in edit and select a tool and then pop back after you apply? Is it just that they are inactive when a tool is selected?.

      • Ryan Cush

        Team•

        Nov 8

        Hi Mark - thanks so much for this feedback! I agree, some of those elements that you mention do need more contrast, so I’m going to update those. I looked at so many variations during this project, by the end, I think my eyes were crossed, and I wasn't able to pay close attention to every UI element, so I appreciate your keen eyes.

        Regarding the slider adjustment panel disappearing in certain edit tools, yes, you're correct. In those tools, the adjustments aren't active, so I hide it to save screen space.

        Here are the before/after images of those elements with the updates I’m proposing. How do these look on your monitor (recognizing that these are just small images not full size).

        Before (current):

        After (proposed):

        • Mark Laurendet

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          Nov 8

          I dont think it is really possible to test or even get a UI finished in a single revision.

          Do you see the missing line in the “Light Grey” option the same as me. IE Light Grey is not showing the line connecting Look percentage values between 0 and enhanced, like all the other options ?

          Edit:

          Had a run through with a new stack. Every seemed ok apart from one possible discrepancy. If you “apply” a crop in the crop tool it does not always trigger an “undo last edit” While retesting this I think it triggered one once after multiple crops on the same image. But with further testing on a second image I could not trigger an undo.

          Other tools Retouch, Spot Correct / Clone & Defringe all triggered an undo.

          One thing I have noticed in the “Clone” tool is that it leaves a “cross” where the initial sample comes from. But the sample moves in relation to the brush in a second circle the same as other clone tools I have used. Does that cross that indicates the original sampling spot have a special purpose ?

          One last thing [this time :) which is sort of UI related. In “settings”, could the selected tab be coloured with something like the “Blue” highlighted selection for text size & Theme. Just for old blokes like me who cant remember what tab we are in :)

          • Ryan Cush

            Team•

            Nov 8

            The Look connector line is light, but I can see it. But I’m darkening it in the next release, that was a good call.

            On Crop — the “undo” button in the Crop screen only undoes changes made in that cropping “session”. The “Reset” sets it back to its original state (the way it was the very first time you entered Crop). Hope that makes sense. :)

            Good point about the Clone cross. It just stays there to show where you started sampling from, in case you want to “undo” and try again from a slightly different spot.

            GREAT suggestion to make the selected Preferences tab more obvious! Consider it done.

            Thanks for the feedback!! 🙏

            • Ryan Cush

              Team•

              Nov 8

              How about this?

            • Mark Laurendet

              •

              Nov 8

              Regarding Crop undo, if I read your reply correctly you are referring to undo while you remain in the crop screen and the main slider screen panel is not visible?

              If that is correct I bungled my description, I was trying to say that the new undo button under the sliders panel does not activate with an undo after you apply the crop, all other tools do from what I can see.

              You have improved the UI experience a lot now, great to see this level of support for these small changes that must take up a lot of your time.

              • Ryan Cush

                Team•

                Nov 11

                ah, good call. Yes, it doesn’t currently capture Crops or Mask edits. I need to add those. The release that just went out has the improvements to the light grey theme, and also the Preferences tabs so that it’s more obvious which one you’re on. Thanks for suggesting those!

                • Mark Laurendet

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                  Nov 11

                  Great Support Thanks