Changing interface color for nightshift

[SSL-ADT]

Is it possible to use white background during the day, and dark grey at night when the sun is down?

I've set up my Mac to do just that, but unlike Mac apps, Photoshop refuse to go along.

Thanks,

-Ronald

[Stephen_A_Marsh · Accepted solution]

@SSL-ADT 

One can of course manually change this in Preferences > Interface...

An action or a script can help to automate this. The following conditional script will change the UI to the dark theme between 6pm and 6am (based on your computer clock), otherwise, it will use the original/white theme:

/*
Night Shift Interface Colour Theme Change.jsx
v1.0 - 17th April 2023, Stephen Marsh
https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/changing-interface-color-for-nightshift/td-p/13729086
*/

#target photoshop

var theTime = new Date().toLocaleTimeString().replace(/(\d{2})(.+)/, "$1");
theTime = Number(theTime);

// Dark between 6pm and 6am
if (theTime >= 18 || theTime < 6) {
    setUIcol("kPanelBrightnessDarkGray");
} else {
    setUIcol("kPanelBrightnessOriginal");
}

function setUIcol(uiCol) {
	// "kPanelBrightnessOriginal" | "kPanelBrightnessLightGray" | "kPanelBrightnessMediumGray" | "kPanelBrightnessDarkGray"
	function s2t(s) {
		return app.stringIDToTypeID(s);
	}
	var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
	var descriptor2 = new ActionDescriptor();
	var reference = new ActionReference();
	reference.putProperty( s2t( "property" ), s2t( "interfacePrefs" ));
	reference.putEnumerated( s2t( "application" ), s2t( "ordinal" ), s2t( "targetEnum" ));
	descriptor.putReference( s2t( "null" ), reference );
	descriptor2.putEnumerated( s2t( "kuiBrightnessLevel" ), s2t( "uiBrightnessLevelEnumType" ), s2t( uiCol ));
	descriptor.putObject( s2t( "to" ), s2t( "interfacePrefs" ), descriptor2 );
	executeAction( s2t( "set" ), descriptor, DialogModes.NO );
}

Instead of manually running the script, it can be set to run automatically via the Script Events Manager:

https://prepression.blogspot.com/2021/10/photoshop-script-events-manager.html

It would just be a case of setting one or more events to trigger the script.

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

It may also be possible to run the script at the operating system level at a specific time, however, that would depend on the scheduling features of the OS (I haven't looked at this yet).

[SSL-ADT]

Thanks Stephen, I'll be considering your script, but hoping Photoshop aligns itself with the MacOS further.

[Conrad C]

Background info: Stephen’s script, or a tool like it, is necessary because Photoshop is only partially adapted for macOS day/night mode. Earlier versions of Photoshop did not support it at all, then in a recent version Photoshop added support for it in some UI items. For example, today Photoshop menus and dialog box title bars do follow macOS day/night mode. But the overall color theme, found in Preferences > Interface, does not currently follow macOS day/night mode and that is why it needs to be scripted.

[SSL-ADT]

In that case, I will wait until it is fully implemented. The sunset time is never the same up north. 

Is MacOS better for photoshop than Windows? I'm new to MacOS, and highly disappointed in the handline of scaled resolutions.

[SSL-ADT]

I meant "handling"

[Conrad C]

In that case, I will wait until it is fully implemented. The sunset time is never the same up north. 

Is MacOS better for photoshop than Windows? I'm new to MacOS, and highly disappointed in the handline of scaled resolutions.

By @SSL-ADT

It might not be reliable to wait. It is not clear when, or if ever, Photoshop might convert all of its UI to macOS-native elements. For example, I like to use the macOS Full Keyboard Access feature, but it does not work in many Photoshop dialog boxes. It seems like Adobe implements some platform-independent UI that makes their applications work more consistently across platforms, but possibly at the expense of being fully consistent with either desktop platform.

Although Photoshop was first developed for macOS over 30 years ago, by now there is probably no inherent advantage in using Photoshop on macOS vs Windows. You should use Photoshop on the platform you are more comfortable with overall. I seem to remember different platform-specific issues that have independently affected the Photoshop versions of macOS and Windows in recent years, giving neither platform a real advantage.

On my Mac, I sometimes use BetterDisplay (paid software) to improve how scaled resolutions look, but I assume it has some performance penalty related to CPU/GPU and memory usage.

[D Fosse]

I know this isn't the question you asked, but it might be worth considering.

If the aim is to maintain consistent output, it actually makes more sense to do it the other way round.

The darker the environment is, the brighter your image appears, and as a consequence you'll edit it darker. Both ambient light and application interface contribute. If the ambient light level is low, darkening the app interface will amplify the effect.

The eye needs a reference to adapt to, so in that case it's better to have a bright interface, and check periodically against a pure white backdrop.

If you can't maintain consistent ambient light - and in practice that's often not possible - the best way to compensate is to change your calibration targets for brightness (and possibly also white point color). In other words, the whole monitor is dimmer at night. The visual reference for white should still be paper white.

Note that this means changing both calibration target and corresponding monitor profile. Some calibrators will easily let you switch just by clicking a different target, others don't. Realistically, you can't be expected to rerun you calibrator twice a day - so in that case, keep a bright app interface, and check against a white backdrop.

It might also be prudent to not trust edits done at night. Work away, but hold final judgement until the next day.

[SSL-ADT]

Not sure what backdrop you are referring to.