P: Customize Classic Interface

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

This suggestion is not about buttons and controls per se. I have a bit of a problem with the way the LR interface looks so dark compared and somewhat cluttered to other programs (such as Photoshop and Premiere Pro). I think it may be the very dark borders between and around panels. I'm guessingthe idea is probably to isolate the pictures, but for me it ends up providing too much ~contrast~ against the pictures.

I would be very happy if this became customizable or just les contrasty.

[Geoff the kiwi]

How long have you used Lightroom?? I find the interface colours great for working on images to get accurate colour.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Less than 3 years. I admit it has not "grown" on me. I always breathe a sigh of relief when I open a photo in Photoshop after working a few hours in LR. I appreciate the ability to work in hundreds of files at the same time, thought.

[areohbee]

This is one thing I would not change if I could... - dang near perfect as is...

However, I do sympathize with others less satisfied... - not everybody's eyes/brains work the same...

[HenriMonnier]

The side screens are so bad under some lighting conditions that they are almost impossible to read. They do allow several UI changes in the center portion of the sceen (where your photo images are, which is nice) but none on the side screen on the right and left where all the menu structures are. There needs to be more contrast on those screens to make them easier to read. I'm sure all the 'young bucks' out there have no problem, but some of us 'geezers', myself included would appreciate an option or two for more contrasting menus.....

[Lee Jay]

"The side screens are so bad under some lighting conditions that they are almost impossible to read."

Then your screen is probably horribly out of calibration. Most likely, your black point is way, way, way too bright (as it is on virtually all screens when they come out of the box).

[Lee Jay]

"The side screens are so bad under some lighting conditions that they are almost impossible to read."

Then your screen is probably horribly out of calibration. Most likely, your black point is way, way, way too bright (as it is on virtually all screens when they come out of the box).

[HenriMonnier]

I doubt very seriously that I am out of calibration, I calibrate almost monthly with an Eye-one, and the same conditions are present across two desktop platforms and a laptop,of mine, and on several associate machines of local camera club members.

[HenriMonnier]

I doubt very seriously that I am out of calibration, I calibrate almost monthly with an Eye-one, and the same conditions are present across two desktop platforms and a laptop,of mine, and on several associate machines of local camera club members.

[Lee Jay]

Well, it's not present on any of my machines, which are numerous. The text is very clear, plenty of contrast and quite easy to read. The numerical values of the grays that are against each other on my screen as seen by PS are 141 against 41, 178 against 0, and 153 against 73. I have a hard time imagining how those could be perceived as low contrast.

[Lee Jay]

Well, it's not present on any of my machines, which are numerous. The text is very clear, plenty of contrast and quite easy to read. The numerical values of the grays that are against each other on my screen as seen by PS are 141 against 41, 178 against 0, and 153 against 73. I have a hard time imagining how those could be perceived as low contrast.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Please give us the ability to change the colors of the interface on LR4. The dark on dark is just to hard to use.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I love Lightroom's UI and personally wouldn't want any of the colour scheme to change.

However, I do know someone who finds the dark interface so depressing that they won't consider LR. For people like him, the option to use a lighter scheme would be very welcome.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Nach den ersten Schritten mit Lightroom 4 bin ich von der Funktionalität begeistert, werde Lightroom 4 aber vermutlich nicht kaufen weil die Benutzeroberfläche mich zutiefst abstösst! Es mag ja "schick" sein, solche düsteren Benutzeroberflächen vorzuweisen, ich bevorzuge Software, deren Oberfläche an meine Bedürfnisse angepasst werden kann und deren Bedien-Funktionen klar und deutlich erkennbar sind. Ich habe lange gesucht um eine Möglichkeit zu finden, das kontrastarme schwarz-grau z.B. in ein besser lesbareres blau-weiss/blau-schwarz zu verändern. Leider Fehlanzeige! Oder habe ich es nur nicht gefunden?
Demzufolge werde ich auf Konkurrenzprodukte mit ähnlicher (oder evtl. geringerer) Funktionalität aber besserer Benutzeroberfläche warten.
Dies gilt auch für die anderen Adobe-Produken wie Acrobat X. PSE usw.
Trotz der überzeugenden Funktionalität der Adobe Produkte hindert mich die abstossende und für mich schlecht lesbare Benutzeroberfläche am Kauf dieser Produkte! Da begnüge ich mich lieber mit annähernd so leistungsfähigen Konkurrenzprodukten (Ashampoo o. ä.) auch wenn ich dabei mehrere Tools für die Funktionalität eines Adobe-Produktes benötige.
Vielleicht bieten Sie ja irgendwann eine Möglichkeit zur Anpassung an. Wenn sogar Microsoft eingesehen hat, dass unflexible Benutzeroberflächen bei den Kunden nicht ankommen, sollte das bei einem High-Tech-Unternehmen wie Adobe doch auch möglich sein!
MfG.
Otmar Thoma
e-mail: otmar.thoma@web.de

[dorin_nicolaescu]

Google Translate:

After the first steps with Lightroom 4, I'm impressed with the functionality, Lightroom 4 will not buy but probably because the user interface repels me deeply! It might be "smart", whichever is such gloomy user, I prefer software whose interface can be customized to fit my needs and the operating functions are clearly visible. I have been searching to find a way to the low-contrast black and gray as to change into a better more readable blue-white / blue-black. Unfortunately, none! Or I just did not found?
Therefore I will wait for competitors with similar (or possibly less) functionality but better UI.
This also applies to the other Adobe Acrobat X. New in our range as PSE etc.
Despite the compelling functionality of the Adobe products, and prevents me from the repulsive to me illegible user to buy this product! As I settle better with nearly as powerful competitors (Ashampoo etc.) win when I need several tools for the functionality of an Adobe product.
Perhaps you have even one day at a way to adjust. If even Microsoft has realized that inflexible user interfaces with customers does not arrive, it should at a high-tech companies such as Adobe also be possible!

[dorin_nicolaescu]

Google Translate:

After the first steps with Lightroom 4, I'm impressed with the functionality, Lightroom 4 will not buy but probably because the user interface repels me deeply! It might be "smart", whichever is such gloomy user, I prefer software whose interface can be customized to fit my needs and the operating functions are clearly visible. I have been searching to find a way to the low-contrast black and gray as to change into a better more readable blue-white / blue-black. Unfortunately, none! Or I just did not found?
Therefore I will wait for competitors with similar (or possibly less) functionality but better UI.
This also applies to the other Adobe Acrobat X. New in our range as PSE etc.
Despite the compelling functionality of the Adobe products, and prevents me from the repulsive to me illegible user to buy this product! As I settle better with nearly as powerful competitors (Ashampoo etc.) win when I need several tools for the functionality of an Adobe product.
Perhaps you have even one day at a way to adjust. If even Microsoft has realized that inflexible user interfaces with customers does not arrive, it should at a high-tech companies such as Adobe also be possible!

[Jbean25]

To me, one of Lightroom's biggest drawbacks is the interface and lack of customization available for the interface. After enjoying the look and layout of Bridge, it's a big let down to see the low contrast, cluttered UI for Lightroom. I want to be able to change the text contrast/brightness, select a background color for the panels, increase the size of the borders between the panels, and be able to see thumbnail metatdata in the same format Bridge offers, with the ample space between thumbnails. Bridge offers the thumbnail view, which to me is much sleeker and less cluttered looking than the grid view of Lightroom. Even the document path, which is clearly displayed at the top of the screen in Bridge, to me is far superior than what Lightroom offers. Also, the scrubby sliders which are so easy to use in ACR, are more difficult with Lightroom, since you have to move the mouse to the far right of the slider to use them, where as with ACR you simply hover the mouse over any portion of the slider. In a nutshell, I would like Lightroom to look exactly like Bridge,except with the extra functionality Lightroom offers.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

please please let me choose my own color on the interface. I really cant stand the dark look and reading menues is not hard but it doesnt come fluint like black text on white for instance or many other color combinations. It ́s just such a downer seeing black.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I have not found a way to lighten the interface of Lightroom as I can the other programs in Adobe Creative Cloud. For whatever reason I have difficulty with dark interface and cannot work for more than 20-30 minutes. Obviously I would like to work longer in Lightroom and take advantage of its features. All I can change is the desktop which is then covered by photos so not as helpful as having the other areas lightened with dark text. In preferences I've changed the settings to light grey and white and no change takes place.

[elisebauer]

Me too! This is a real problem, especially for those of us with over 40 eyes. I cannot work in an environment that has white text on a black background. It really causes eye strain. This seems like such a simple fix to implement and would address a major accessibility issue.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Background colour in panels lr cc .
It's possible to change background colour on the workspace.
This is not possible on the panels (answer from Adobe support)

As I'm writing an instruction and taking screen dumps, they become so dark when I print it in black & white.

My idea is that you make it possible to change background color for the left-, right-, top- and bottom panels to.
The same way as for the workspace.

[Victoria Bampton LR Queen]

How will you be printing Anders? I applied a custom curve to the screenshots when I was laser printing in B&W, and got a much better result, without Adobe needing to do anything.

[Victoria Bampton LR Queen]

How will you be printing Anders? I applied a custom curve to the screenshots when I was laser printing in B&W, and got a much better result, without Adobe needing to do anything.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I can not work in Lightroom because of the black toolbar. It's really annoying, not possible to concentrate on the photos.  Is it a try  to be like Apple, when you don't give a chance to customize toolbar's colors? Don't try to ba Apple. People like you because you are Adobe. And Adobe has a lot, a lot of things to tick and untick.

[spacekitt3n]

I do not see why there is no option to change the interface colors in lightroom from grey, to perhaps another scheme--a brighter or darker one, or even be able to completely customize the colors to your liking. I don't see why Adobe wants to keep you stuck with their dark grey color scheme. My particular reason is strange -- for some reason my monitor will darken if there are mostly dark elements on the screen, but brighten to the proper amount if there are brighter elements. I have pulled my hair out to see why this happens (no, it is not adaptive brightness). In Photoshop this isn't a problem because I actually can brighten the interface there. Please change this, it can't be that hard.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

You can simply clic on the small arrow situated just in the top center of the screen. This will hide the tool line