User Interface too dark - how to change ?

Hi,

I calibrated my Monitor and now the Resolve 14 User Interface is way too dark and without contrast.
I cannot find the point where this could be changed.
The Manual has no info about it or missed I something.


Regards
Juergen

You can turn on the use of grey in Resolve / Preferences. I think it’s under the User Button, but it could be the System Button. You’ll find it. I’m not on the System at the moment. Even the grey is quite dark.


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If the UI is too dark, that means you calibrated your monitor incorrectly. If you are in a room with ambient lighting, lowering your target gamma could help. Note that it is recommended to do grading in a completely darkened room, hence the dark UI. If you are using the GUI viewers instead of a dedicated grading monitor, you can make a LUT that compensates for the gamma discrepancy between your display calibration and the graded content (which will usually be 2.4/Rec1886 for Rec709 or 2.6 for P3) using DisplayCAL's 3DLUT Maker, but again note that ambient light will alter the appearance of dark tones compared to a theatre setting. Like Rick I also prefer the neutral grey interface over the slightly blue default UI tint, but only because it makes accurate white balancing a lot easier.

Hi,

thank you for your answers.
I switched the use of grey on and it improves a little bit.
When I started this thread I was in a room with dayligth and it was hard to see.Now in the evening it is much better.
It is not the footage I am complaining of(therefore it is not a gamma problem) - or am I missing something.
I thougth that there maybe a switch for brigthness and/or contrast - but this seems not the case.

Regards
Juergen

I got so frustrated with this unusable UI that I went ahead and changed my monitor's brightness and contrast settings. And that not only worked on Resolve, it actually made all my applications look better.

Hello - this is very relevant to me. I'm finally making the jump from FCP7 to a new editing program. Like 50% of the population, I have some astigmatism, which makes reading white or gray text on a black background really difficult. Disappointing, as almost all of the new apps have this UI configuration, more or less.Tons of people on the Premiere and FCPX forums also have this concern. I loved FCP7's dark gray text on a light gray background (see attached photo). Since Resolve is free, I may try to adjust my monitor, but I don't hold out much hope for the kind of shift I would require. See FCP7 screenshot below. Any new ideas?

A minor tweak of my monitor won't do it for me. A light gray UI with dark gray text (like my beloved FCP7 had) would make Resolve work for me. Only Avid seems to have this option. Like 50% of the population, I have some astigmatism, which makes reading white or gray text on a black (or near black) background problematic. One only needs to google "dark mode accessibility" to find widespread similar concerns. In any case, I e-mailed: support-usa@blackmagicdesign.com with a feature request. I'd like to create a new post, asking others to do the same, but I don't see a new post button on my screen.

Hello - this is very relevant to me. I'm finally making the jump from FCP7 to a new editing program. Like 50% of the population, I have some astigmatism, which makes reading white or gray text on a black background really difficult. Disappointing, as almost all of the new apps have this UI configuration, more or less.Tons of people on the Premiere and FCPX forums also have this concern. I loved FCP7's dark gray text on a light gray background (see attached photo). Since Resolve is free, I may try to adjust my monitor, but I don't hold out much hope for the kind of shift I would require. See FCP7 screenshot below. Any new ideas?

Yes! 18 % grey (Avid, FCP Pro 7) is the ideal UI for NLE. DaVinci is not only color grading apllication today where black or dark brown are make sense. Protect our eyes and allow us a customized user interface, please!

You can use avid (the interface there is light) + darktable > hald > 3dlut > avid. But somehow it is more convenient under Davinci. A mega program for color correction of video and photos.

Thanks! Yes, Avid is the only current program that seems to have a light gray UI option (like FCP7 had). I'm still hoping that DaVinci will "see the light" and create that option. Lots of people would welcome it.

Yeah, i think, this have two variants.

1st: Authors dont may do light ui,

and 2nd: The authors of DaVinci have bullheaded, and simply do not want to make a light interface.

I have a very hard time understanding why the Blackmagic management team is ignoring the request for a higher contrast UI. Many creators are working mobile, in brightly lit environments, struggling with the dark, low contrast UI. Even at home I'd also like to work during day time with sunlight in the room. A low contrast dark UI makes sense for color grading, but 90% of my time spend on this SW is non-color-grading-work, where this low contrast UI feels like an assault on my eyesight health.

Agree

Maybe BMD is holding off until they revamp the UI with dockable panels, etc.

My workspace environment includes a window directly behind my seating area, which results in a significant amount of natural light flooding the space. While I appreciate the benefits of a well-lit environment, this situation has inadvertently highlighted a flaw in the interface of your program: the low-contrast design makes it nearly impossible to discern various elements on the screen. This not only hinders my ability to work efficiently but also causes eye strain as I struggle to differentiate between text, icons, and other interface components.

Please make the interface high-contrast

I too would like an option for a lighter grey interface - I find the grey text on dark hard to read...

Are you sure your screen(s) are set up correctly?
This is my setup with a large window 2metres to my right. All monitors are set to 100nits and I have no problem reading what's on the screen.
The picture doesn't actually do the reality justice as the monitors are even clearer in real life.

Thanks, but I (and others, I believe) are looking for something approximating dark gray letters on an 18% background, much like FCP7 or perhaps Avid has/had. I have astigmatism (very common). White on black or on really dark gray doesn't work for me.

I'm considering moving to resolve, from Premiere - but the black with grey text, or eve the grey with lighter grey text is a deal breaker. The sun through the window means I cannot edit until the afternoon. I'm not grading. I don't wish at the moment to do anything other than edit, but I simply cannot see the screen. I can use Premiere with no issues. Resolve is just so, black. Looking at it now on a large screen on the mac, I can see the black on white bar at the top, but the resolve Media Pool, highlighted works, but the other titles are just invisible. I assumed I could change this, but grey or greyer seem the only options. Really annoying as a newcomer, because I don't yet know where everything is, so progress is very slow.

Amen

Resolve is primarily a grading system, one of the best, actually. Grading is normally done under very controlled lighting. You should see editing as an added bonus.
So, if you don't like to change the lighting conditions, but also don't like to cough up to Adobe all the time, what about FCP-X? It costs about the same and Apple never charged for updates either.

For me, FCP7 was great. I liked how one organized media (very different than FCP X) and the dark gray on light gray UI option. I like everything about Resolve except their stubborn resolve (sorry) to not give us the FCP7-like UI option. Avid does, but I hate everything else about the app. Adobe's pay structure does suit me as a filmmaker/occasional editor. Pros and Cons to every app

Yes - I realise, but BM recommended it to me as a decent editor, and while I'm very proficient, I was welcomed by the setup menu asking f I wanted replicate the shortcuts for FCP, Premiere and others - so I figured they expect people to be editing, not just grading, and of course the new features for replay they just released also have editing a main feature.

Just a shame the colours are preset to that useful in zero/low light. Often, I'm editing quickly, in the studio - so darkness is not a feature for me I'm afraid.

Not to worry, back to Premiere I guess. I gave up this morning. Thanks folks

It also depends on your screen or screens being set up properly. Here are mine, all set to 100 nits, in a daylit room.