Premiere Pro CC: can blue text interface be changed back to yellow?

Report · Oct 06, 2014

Just wondering if there's an option in preferences to change the color of the interface text. It used to be yellow and now it's more difficult to see.

I notice the blue text across the entire range of updated programs: AE, PP, Photoshop, etc.

So is it a setting in the cloud itself that would allow me to change the color back to yellow?

If not, not big issue, I'll just have to get used to it. Love the new interface in any case. Much more responsive with no issues.

Thank you, Adobe!

Report · Feb 01, 2016

Adobe hasn't had enough of the bug-reports filed over it to really jump this to the top with the upper-level managers who decide "over-all" things compared with the growth of the PrPro user-base. That's pretty clear, as IF they had, they would have budgeted the engineer time to work on it. Personally, I'd vastly prefer the old yaller-gold changeable text, but ... much as many of us wished, it's not coming back. I disagree with the decision, but they've not called for my personal viewpoint. I just don't understand ...

Neil

Report · Feb 01, 2016

It amazes me that there is such a lack of communications in this "progressive" company.

To blatantly disregard the forum like this i think will hurt them in the long run.

My hope is that someone else will come along and take advantage of this glitch and i will sign up with them.

But we are in an era of "too big to fail" and they don't have that much competition anymore.

Its funny how corporations go authoritarian when competition falls

Report · Feb 01, 2016

Hi everybody, I was recently thinking of this blue problem in an unusual and not at all related place to Premiere Pro or any editing software: The Paris old Opera House!!!

Why? Because since the opening of the season subtitles are projected in French and English and the French lines are blue ( the English by the way yellow) , the same blue as the one in the UI here. BUT and this is the reason why they are perfectly readable from anywhere in that 2200 seats theater: the background is deep black and you're reading them in a completely unlighted theater. You have not in the immediate surrounding of the screen other colors or lights which are disturbing your focusing system. And that's what makes the whole difference with a UI where your letters and other infos are mixed with the rest of the screen which completely disturbs your way of analyzing the screen whatever the main background color you've set up.

Again from my point of view Adobe UIs should enable in the preferences two items: characters size customization and the same for any colors used in the UI.

But as many here have already said, there's absolutely no will from the company to listen to its customers wishes, they know best and we have to accept or quit.

Have a nice day

Claude

Report · Feb 01, 2016

Nice bit of analyzation on the opera-house titles. Portland Opera simply translates whatever language is being sung into semi-condensed English ... in white.

As to Adobe listening/not listening, they do it their way. So some features the user-base calls for make it through the filtering process as to what they will budget time/expenses for, some don't. There are multiple layers involved, starting with the actual engineering teams at the bottom, going through their managers, then up the line through layers that must also include people looking at overall things for a general area such as the video apps or such, and those even higher looking at the Adobe "brand".

Some things clearly come down from On High on those "brand" issues that just have to be followed by those cashing checks from Adobe, such as if they've imposing an "Adobe Look" on UI's. Some things come down from the General Area people, who are looking into the near future of where they see the associated programs going, what the 'market' user base will in general be interested in working with. This probably has more impact on the features suggested for tools/effects & such. And some things come from the engineers, most of which seem to be decent users of the software in their own right.

So ... some of the things "we've" pushed for have made it into the "do this!" queue. Such as the scopes introduced in Sg 2014, now used in the PrPro Lumetri color panel. A VAST improvement.

Many haven't ... such as some things in audio for PrPro and the ability to modify audio track properties on a current sequence in particular. And of course, the UI color.

Neil

Report · Feb 01, 2016

So is it a setting in the cloud itself that would allow me to change the color back to yellow?

Hi,

It's great to see that many of you have filed feature requests. Thank you and keep them coming. If you have not done so, it would be so helpful to add your voice here.

Sorry we have not been able to fulfill most of your requests regarding more UI customization. As I have reported in the past, this probably won't come to fruition until the next generation of the UI comes out. That could take some time.

In the mean time, continue to make suggestions on how to improve on the existing UI.

If you want to express how much you do not like the UI, the direction we took, or you have any other negative comments related to the UI, kindly reflect that by submitting a bug report. Product management will then see your specific complaints, so it will be read, understood, and tallied. Any complaints expressed here on the forum will probably only be read my me and not product management. While I can express the issue to management, I have no power to make any direct changes along these lines.

While I know it's frustrating that the forums operate this way, and you need a way to vent your frustration, you need to do so via the bug report form. This forum is primarily a space for troubleshooting current issues with Premiere Pro.

Thank you,

Kevin

Report · Feb 01, 2016

I think it is funny that this forum is having the same type of problem as the UI problem 🙂

The customers have found an easy way to express their dismay with the UI ( some companies spend a lot of money to find out where their customers are unhappy to improve it)

Its easy really...they find a thread on the Adobe forum and vent their frustration

The thread is about a certain topic and people are only writing about this certain topic but because it is not the way

Adobe wants it done...the complaints go unheard.

As customers we see over and over again for several years that if we just write a bug complaint it will have a better chance of getting heard on a subject ...and at the same time we have been informed the UI will not be looked at for a long time

It is a comedy of errors!

To me if your customers have found a place to let issues be talked about regarding design...i don't care if it is on another site...if i care....really care...i will be there reading it and seeing what i can do to resolve people getting upset and letting others know there is a problem.

I also know that for the people that do complain there are many others having the same issue...and NOT complaining directly.

I also know it festers and whatever festers starts to stink and others start to stay away.

But that is a sign to Adobe ( and to be fair many corporations) that there is NO ISSUE because not enough people complained in the way Adobe wants and made it hard to even get the complaints heard. So hard in fact and not understood that poor Kevin has to keep telling people they have another step to really get heard because the people who can change it...never look here.

Bottom line is Adobe wants to force their customers to behave a certain way whether it is dealing with the UI or freely posting complaints on the WRONG place and ignoring it because the customers wont listen.

Kevin i wouldn't want your Job!

But i am sure you could have a great future in politics in the future 🙂

PS Problem solved: when threads get hot enough... make it policy that the people who designed it have to read the forum threads with the issue and deal with it!

Report · Feb 01, 2016

they've not called for my personal viewpoint. I just don't understand

Some nitwit sorted the call list according to first names, not last. They're just now finishing up on P. I don't expect there'll be many Qs, so hang in there.

(Personally, I prefer the blue.)

Report · Feb 01, 2016

The customers have found an easy way to express their dismay with the UI ( some companies spend a lot of money to find out where their customers are unhappy to improve it)

Soshman,

It's no more difficult to file a bug report or feature request. But people continue to come here to voice their concerns about various issues. Unfortunately, it's an ineffective way of doing so.

Its easy really...they find a thread on the Adobe forum and vent their frustration

The thread is about a certain topic and people are only writing about this certain topic but because it is not the way Adobe wants it done...the complaints go unheard.

You see the issue. These forums are designed for troubleshooting current issues. I wish I could automatically turn threads into bug reports, but I cannot. I have to refer people to the bug report/feature request form that will actually do some good.

As customers we see over and over again for several years that if we just write a bug complaint it will have a better chance of getting heard on a subject ...and at the same time we have been informed the UI will not be looked at for a long time

It is a comedy of errors!

As video editors (myself included), we are not experts in software design and implementation, nor are we aware of what can and can't be done for each version.

With software production, there are constraints (time, staff, budget, etc) that we may not be aware of. UI design and implementation is one of those items that seems to have a lot of constraints. Software bugs can be fixed, features can be added, with bug reports and feature requests guiding us. However, UI "frameworks" do remain constant over multiple versions.

That said, bug reports and feature requests do help a lot. Of course, they must be balanced with all tenets of software creation.

To me if your customers have found a place to let issues be talked about regarding design...i don't care if it is on another site...if i care....really care...i will be there reading it and seeing what i can do to resolve people getting upset and letting others know there is a problem.

Part of my job is to report back to the team about forum issues. It gets back to the team, however, it may not be quantified, tallied, or entered into any database, however. We don't have a massive army of people to track every issue to enter this forum, in addition to "other" forums. It's only me, Rameez Khan, and other volunteers assisting here. Although, it sure would be nice to have a staff large enough to police every complaint on the forum. Here's the news: we do not.

But that is a sign to Adobe ( and to be fair many corporations) that there is NO ISSUE because not enough people complained in the way Adobe wants and made it hard to even get the complaints heard.

I wish there were an easier way, but there isn't. File bug reports to get your voice heard. Ranting like that found on this thread on these forums is not even allowed according to our community standards. I am allowing it because it's an issue (believe it or not) that I'm trying to get fixed and always have always been the guy making the most noise about it internally.

So hard in fact and not understood that poor Kevin has to keep telling people they have another step to really get heard because the people who can change it...never look here.

I do get help from MVPs, other employees, and power users that inform others to file bug reports.

I should also mention that engineering does look at these posts, and sometimes they even reply. Mark Mapes, James Strawn, and Colin Brougham are all examples of QEs that participate fairly regularly here. So saying they "never look here" is not an absolute.

Bottom line is Adobe wants to force their customers to behave a certain way whether it is dealing with the UI or freely posting complaints on the WRONG place and ignoring it because the customers wont listen.

Most software companies react to customer complaints via bug reports. I wouldn't say that our team is going about it wrong. I do see what you're saying, however. Customers do expect, increasingly, that they be reacted to over social media, this forum included. And that the interaction should take place immediately, or nearly immediately. That's a pretty tall order!

We are doing our best to react wherever our customers are found, but again, we only have a limited amount of staff that can react to those complaints.

Kevin i wouldn't want your Job! But i am sure you could have a great future in politics in the future 🙂

I appreciate that you see that my task is not an easy one. Keep in mind, for 20 years, I was an editor just like you. Thanks for the idea of going into politics. Intrigued, so thanks.

Problem solved: when threads get hot enough... make it policy that the people who designed it have to read the forum threads with the issue and deal with it!

I would say that the product team is very aware of this issue. I would be happy to continue a discussion of this topic on the Video Lounge forum.

Thanks,

Kevin

Report · Feb 01, 2016

Hey Kevin!

I appreciate your time with this post and others!

I also appreciate you allowing me to rant a bit.

Of course it is nothing as compared to while editing trying to read the blue.

I agree that an immediate response and change is crazy to try and accomplish...but 2 years?

I think lots of patience has been had by many on this issue. I would understand better if it was a brand new feature

but it was a great feature you had and took away.

Your answers here are clear

And i felt heard and i have a better understanding of the process with your responses.

The only part i still have an issue with is the programming.

As i have stated before ( being a programmer since the early 80's)...i know it is fairly easy to change UI colors

Much easier than what needed to be done changing the coloration of the Blue.

I know it would be fairly easy to change some code to get it back to yellow ( the code already exists from earlier versions )

Maybe Make a Beta version with the yellow/gold UI for us guys who have eye and brain issues with the blue.

I want to move forward with Adobes advances instead of having to be back on 2014 PP or even farther to 5.5

Thanks again for your time and attention to this publicly and in private 🙂

Mark

Report · Feb 01, 2016

Hi Mark,

Of course it is nothing as compared to while editing trying to read the blue.

I apologize for all the trouble you and others are having with this issue. I have pressed for changes and you see the very small ones we've made so far. Sorry, I wish that I could do more for you and others on this thread.

I agree that an immediate response and change is crazy to try and accomplish...but 2 years?

As I explained, UI doesn't get incremental changes as they affect more than one Adobe product. Sorry, but any great changes related to UI take a lot longer. 2 years is not a long time in UI time, I guess.

I think lots of patience has been had by many on this issue. I would understand better if it was a brand new feature

but it was a great feature you had and took away.

I'm not a UI designer or software engineer. Sorry, I can't really make a valid comment here.

i know it is fairly easy to change UI colors

Much easier than what needed to be done changing the coloration of the Blue.

I know it would be fairly easy to change some code to get it back to yellow ( the code already exists from earlier versions )

Keep in mind that the UI is used across multiple applications. Therein lies the rub.

Maybe Make a Beta version with the yellow/gold UI for us guys who have eye and brain issues with the blue.

I don't have that power. You can suggest this in a bug report, though.

Sorry for your continued issues.

I would be happy to discuss this further on the Video Lounge.

Thanks,

Kevin

Report · Feb 01, 2016

Yes i did post over there right after your last response 🙂

Thanks again Kevin!

Report · Feb 01, 2016

I believe that Adobe just needs to hire more programmers or subcontract someone just to solve this problem. Yes they are additional expenses but what can you do else if the team cannot cope with the tasks?

If people is straining their eyes with unreadable font color then it must be a priority task!

Report · Feb 01, 2016

When said that way...it makes more sense!

It is true it doesn't just block us from using one small feature...it interferes with us using all features

Great point!

Report · Feb 01, 2016

Hi FNLN,

I believe that Adobe just needs to hire more programmers or subcontract someone just to solve this problem.

Let the Premiere Pro engineering team know how you feel by filing a bug report. This is a troubleshooting forum. Only so much we can do for you here as I've tried to explain.

If people is straining their eyes with unreadable font color then it must be a priority task!

I agree with that. If you are still having issues seeing the UI, please explain in detail inside the bug report. Explain which elements of the UI give you the most trouble, etc. Again, do that in the bug report where your advice can be of best use.

Thanks again,

Kevin

Report · Feb 01, 2016

It is true it doesn't just block us from using one small feature...it interferes with us using all features

Hello Mark,

Please make that excellent point in your bug report.

Thank you,

Kevin

Report · Feb 02, 2016

Hi Kevin

We do appreciate your attempts to make our demands taken into consideration,

We well know as said before that demands should be forwarded in the bug and requests filing and we all did it once or more without success as one can see

So we draw conclusions and they are unshakable: Adobe has not the slightest concern for its customers as long as it is not in the line with its predefined policy

geared by a top management which is not on the field and has absolutely no knowledge of the customers needs. As for many companies around the world Adobe's prime motivation is to make money, expand by acquiring knew products or companies in line with its products development and all other concerns are thrown into the trash bin.

We customers are just good to pay a monthly subscription and shut up. Sorry to say that's the best way to loose a customer and the result will be in the end by word of mouth a total discrediting of Adobe which will draw to bankruptcy and you Kevin will unfortunately go down in the process although you're a competent guy and do your job as defined in your job description.

We all here try to keep quite and show patience but to be honest there are times when revolt is brewing and could be very nasty in its wording. Someone as a high level of management should from your side stress energetically this situation which is totally intolerable. This is vital for your company.

Claude

PS: Can you tell me why again I'm moderated without the slightest reason when we did settle the problem months ago and this harassment was stopped by yourself. That'"s another example of how things are dealt in Adobe. You say something and behind your back a guy does the contrary.

Report · Feb 02, 2016

Claude,

Adobe is not having any problem with their company profitability ... period. The user-base has been "doing fine", and given that, unfortunately I don't see any huge reason that those of us who would prefer a different color in the UI have a huge lever to force a change. In either UI or pricing according to subscription, for those that feel passionate against that. I'm a "splitter" on those two issues ... would prefer gold or red or green to the medium blue, but am quite happy with the subscription pricing.

And ... having communicated with many other users over the time since the swap of the UI colors, the vast majority either don't care or prefer the blue. I have to assume that thee & me & those like us are nowhere near a significant portion of the user base, no matter how passionate we are, to over-ride the comfortability or at least lack of concern of the majority of the users. I'm not happy with this ... but it's reality.

Neil

Report · Feb 02, 2016

Neil, let's get things clear:

A/ I have not said or written that Adobe has any problem with their company profitability. Read carefully what I'm writing. I will not accept to be accused of such nonsense! May be my English has not been precise or misleading. Sorry for that it happens that I'm only a stupid froggy!

B/ I just think that any company around the world which has the attitude I and others observe here when we ask for something through the regular methods ie posting either on the special link to make requests or when we discuss a matter such as this one on the forum, is dangerous. To have contempt for customers, not to answer to letters as I have been personally twice concerned, is a luxury no company can take in any kind of business.

I'm not a professional in the media business, but I am a senior financial analyst and I know from experience my friend that among many other causes of financial problems of companies in any field of business lack or bad communication between customers and its vendor can bring problems. It's been my job to look into this for 40 years...

C/ Perhaps you have had good returns on the actual subject by other customers which I doubt not but it happens that this discussion has been on and on for two years and fills 8 pages of this forum. So perhaps all the customers are not so satisfied and even if we're a minority we could be also considered. That's all.

Report · Feb 02, 2016

RNH:

The problem I have with what you are saying is, at least on the After Effects side, a fix was discovered by a user that took him all of 5-10 minutes to locate the files and implement the changes. I think a user from the forum (the original entire thread was "accidentally deleted") where this was resurrected said it best:

"Does it not baffle you that to implement your hack it takes 3 seconds to replace a couple of png and psd files and works fine? Meanwhile they've [ADOBE] spent over a year arguing about the "best" solution? Could they not have released a simple script that did essentially what your hack does to the minority of people that are having a lot of difficulty with this problem for the whole year and some they've been sitting around deliberating? To me it's unbelievable. Are they seriously going to sit there and tell me that no one on the Adobe team knew you could replace those files with the old yellow keyframe images and prevent the majority of complaints and grief from the community? I'm flabbergasted."

Again, this is for After Effects ... and Todd K., who seems to fighting the good fight for us over there, has said as recently as the end of December that they WERE working on it. I don't know what this means for the Premiere side of things, but at the very least it means Adobe is willing to listen to it's users. Now, it may just be that one team listens better (or has more complaints) than the other, and/or is easier to implement, etc. But I feel the above-quoted poster's bewilderment and frustration regarding what appears to be a simple fix.

Report · Feb 02, 2016

This is a LONG thread, like the one that also recurs on the subscription pricing. Yep. Those who are passionately against the UI color change & subscription pricing are just that ... passionate about it. I'm in one group (UI color) and not in the other one. Hence the long long thread life for these two subjects.

As someone with what, 38 years of running my own business, I've had numerous people get angry with me that my pricing and policies were wrong wrong wrong! That I was ripping people off, that I was inconsiderate, that ... all sorts of things. I would note that most of the people complaining made 2-5 times per year than I and my wife ever have from our business. In response, we worked to make our pricing & policies more clear ... but have never taken what those who didn't like our pricing thought into account when planning how we were going to run our business to both take proper care of our clients & our own family.

Perhaps you and I disagree on this, but to me it seems that Adobe made a change on the UI from someone Upper Above Mere Mortals ... some overall committee perhaps ... to "unify" their stable of programs with a New Look. Granted, not all programs actually adopted that New Look, which makes the unhappy clients of those that did ... unhappier ... when it's stated that this was a Company decision applied Company-wide. Or at least, mostly so. Non of us users are aware of any of the discussions as to why some programs 'took the look' and others didn't. I don't even personally think it was a change that most of the PrPro team felt nearly as important as say, working on the audio setup or some of the other continuing issues that cause daily problems.

However it was made, that decision was made and applied to many Adobe programs, and it was a Bad Thing for some of the user-base. Unfortunately for them (such as thee & me) it wasn't a major issue for (apparently) the majority of the users. I know that it was discussed in the aisles at NAB last year, but ... more interest was in what was going on with the Lumetri color panel stuff, HEVC implementation, 4k & above editing/exports, and improvements to the audio setup tools. FAR more interest, in fact. Well ... I know from those discussions that if you took the folks walking around NAB and polled them for their Top 5 Needed Changes, there's a darn good chance UI color wouldn't make the list. Not that I'm happy about that, but ... realistic. It might make a Top Ten list ... but it'd be lucky to hit 10. And most of the respondents would be vastly more interested in the items above it.

So, it's not high on the list coming from the user-base, other than those for whom this is a major issue. I do understand how some men above 40 especially will have physical problems trying to work with this program, and will need to find an alternative ... period. Which clearly, Adobe does not provide. I don't find this a good situation. But what I find, and what Adobe middle-management sees as Important, aren't necessarily aligned. I'd appreciate some sensibility to the issue, but ... I'm not holding my breath at this point. I can use it as-is without strain, for the hours per day I use it. Which puts me in a better 'boat' than some others, I know. I don't like the color, it's not as quick for me to 'see', but I'm working. Others simply can't. But that group that can't isn't clearly a large group.

And so the decision we'd like hasn't been made. And probably isn't in the works, though maybe with enough b/f-r's filed, it could be. I hope so. I don't think however it makes Adobe a 'bad' company any more than our not changing to the cheap and "you're free to copy after buying only one 4x5" policies that a number of clients have tried to demand of us.

Neil

Report · Feb 02, 2016

Great points and conversation here!

If I could get a few clues as to a folder to look in to hack the UI I would be great full

As far as quantity of people complaining about features getting priority...if they would add gravity to the equation it would soon be #1

Also companies have a history of keeping issues quiet from other customers who may wake up to the fact that it was bothering them too but it wasn't conscious.

Kind of like the headache you had while a fan was running...but didn't realize it until it stopped and you could instantly feel the relief of pressure.

If I was a competitor and noticed it I would market this gem.

Report · Feb 02, 2016

TCC ...

I'm no coder in any shape or form ... and have no clue how simple or convoluted this might be. From personal conversations at NAB (and yes, staffers were included at times, very circumspectly), I think many if not most of the PrPro team would like to see the option at least if not a change in the UI period. So we're not fighting against PrPro, Ae, or any other specific program team.

It's somewhere up above those folks, and I would guesstimate they simply look at their preferences for a Unified Cool Groovy or whatever spiffy verbiage they may choose to use ... see the number of b/f-r's filed over this compared to other things, and don't see that it's that big a deal ... for them. So yes, more & continuing b/f-r's over it is a very good thing. Might even get it through eventually, I sure hope so.

However, I do know how difficult it is for many people to look past their own "understanding" of something, to see what it's like from another viewpoint/perspective. For instance, dealing with most Professional Educators as our autistic son has made it through school was pretty decent to awesome for a few. But there were a couple teachers ... well-trained, highly respected ... who had Their Way of Doing X. Period. In meetings even with autism specialists, it could be directly noted that approaching X from that demanded approach would cause a major issue, and that a very slight amelioration to XY would get their point across without issue. As someone with spectrum issues simply can't do that specific approach, while a simple modification takes all the problems out.

No way don't even think about it! They simply didn't see why anyone else's issues should even cause them to consider the slightest change in the way they did X. And that's with people supposedly trained to sympathy in dealing with physical/handicap issues ... which the blue thing in PrPro is for some of us.

However, I know a lot of people who have no problem with "seeing" the blue, will simply look at the comments about the difficulties in properly resolving medium to deep blue on a charcoal background ... no matter the proof offered to show the science behind it ... look at the screen which looks easy enough for them to 'see' for a few moments ... and decide there really isn't anything to worry about. They literally do not see the problem, and because of that, they don't credit anything that contradicts what they see.

They're not mean, nasty, or intending to be rude. Just having a very human non-response to what they perceive as someone else's tiny little insignificant problem. They just don't see that it could be a major one. And I'd guess, as this might not be that big a deal to handle, it isn't because it would cost a lot or anything ... the people holding back on the decision simply don't see it as worth considering.

And for those for whom this blue is a physically painful issue, it's hard to comprehend someone else can't see it as at least worth considering.

I hope they do at some point.

Neil

Report · Feb 02, 2016

"And for those for whom this blue is a physically painful issue, it's hard to comprehend someone else can't see it as at least worth considering."

Which begs the freaking question ... (not "freaking at you, Neil 😞 Why in the hell not make it optional?!? This, and the apparent ease (at least in After Effects anyway), at which it would be to implement it, is what is so frustrating.

Then the "Blue boys" could have their wonderful Mac-cloned-but-scientifically-proven-horrible-contrast-interface. (And then wonder why they are all experience severe headaches and decreased vision abilities a few years down the road.)

Report · Feb 02, 2016

Can't disagree with a thing there, not a single thing ... now, wouldn't the world be better if you & I told 'em how to behave?

Neil

Report · Feb 02, 2016

Nah, I'd rather them naturally come to that conclusion, Neil ... I'm ALL ABOUT choice.

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Premiere Pro CC: can blue text interface be changed back to yellow?