HFV default skin is too bright/white for afterdark usage

[corElement]

Many forums have a darker skin which people switch to at night as white backgrounds on 24" screens even at low brightness causes excessive eye fatigue and stress at night.

I used to skin vbulletin many years ago and now it's much easier these days. There are many free dark themes out there based on the default vbulletin template which just use color codes without any complex coding involved. The admin control panel also has an option for a drop down skin selector at the bottom of pages to let users toggle which skin they want to use.

I kindly wish to suggest that the dropdown skin selector option be activated and a darker theme be part of the options for people who find the default one too bright to use at night.

Thank you for considering my request

 

[ukjeyaraj]

I am also interested in having dark theme.

 

[corElement]

It's a very simple thing to do with css stylesheet. I hope it's taken into consideration.

 

[srinisundar]

More easier is to reduce your brightness of your monitor or ipad

 

[gobble]

More easier is to reduce your brightness of your monitor or ipad

Or change browser settings to display only custom slate background. Unfortunately there is no "Dark n Lovely" cream in the market you could apply to the screen

--G0bble

 

[corElement]

Already have it at zero. Most other forums I frequent have a dark theme option that comes in handy for night. I'm sure there are others like me out there who find it difficult to look at a wall of light at night. The fix is a really simple task. HFV has a lot of members, surely something can be done to make the skin a little more unique instead of the default VB skin year after year

 

[Raghuhifi]

@Core Element thanks. Mostly i use to browse in night. HFV can leave the settings to us so that we select the themes according to us.

 

[corElement]

I am also interested in having dark theme.

@Core Element thanks. Mostly i use to browse in night. HFV can leave the settings to us so that we select the themes according to us.

Cheers guys, I hope the admin takes notice It's a really simple request because it's just css colors.

@ Admin, if need be, I can make a css skin using the default vb style sheet in admin panel so it's just css colors and will be permanent and wont affect any additional mods installed on the forum and will automatically migrate to any future updated vb version.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

For me, this problem is not only HFV, but all my forums and many other things where the background is white or near-white. It is blinding in the day, let alone at night!

I have a solution and it is called Compiz, but, even supposing that you use Linux already, it is a huge sledgehammer to crack one small nut of a problem.

Compiz is the Linux display manager that allows all sorts of effects, the most famous of which is the multi-workspace rotating cube. It comes with a huge selection of effects, many of which are just fun stuff, but some of which are really useful, and one of which has become quite indispensable to me: that is Opacity, Brightness and Saturation.

It permits these to be varied on a per-window basis. Presets can be entered to adjust windows and even window elements (dialogues, tooltips, etc) according to specified rule sets, and key-assignments can be set for on-the-fly adjustment. Alt-mousewheel, to adjust the brightness of the window I am working in has become as natural, and necessary, to me, as the volume control on an amplifier.

I attach a screen shot so that you can see various adjusted "whites" including a comparison of full-blast-Firefox HFV and low-light-comfortable-Firefox HFV.



(the "darkness" is exagerated in posted screenshots)

Compiz, though, really is a big hammer to crack this nut, and it can be tricky to get working properly. Why-oh-why is this simple function not available in some other form?

Or is it? Anybody know?

 

[corElement]

There is, in vb admin control panel in styles and templates section

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

But ... I want to be able to adjust the brightness of any window, at any time, not just HFV and other forums.

Well, as posted, I can, but I would love a lightweight solution to this as I don't really need the other features of Compiz and others would not want to shift to Linux for that one feature.

 

[corElement]

Found a pseudo solution for chrome users.

Global dark style - changes everything to DARK - userstyles.org

Makes everything dark

 

[hydra]

But ... I want to be able to adjust the brightness of any window, at any time, not just HFV and other forums.

Well, as posted, I can, but I would love a lightweight solution to this as I don't really need the other features of Compiz and others would not want to shift to Linux for that one feature.

@thad, here's a global solution that might help. Available for Windows, Mac & Linux: f.lux: software to make your life better

I came across this just now, and thought of this thread. I haven't tried it myself.

 

[sud98]

If you use Chrome there is a very popular app called Turn off the Light. It comes as small bulb in the search bar. Just click on it and your screens will have a darker hue to make it much more readable in the dark.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

No Chrome here, I'm afraid.

@thad, here's a global solution that might help. Available for Windows, Mac & Linux: f.lux: software to make your life better

I came across this just now, and thought of this thread. I haven't tried it myself.

Thanks for that. I did try Flux quite a while ago, and I could see its advantages. I think I had some technical problems with it in the end.

It is just so neat to be able to turn individual windows up and down. Now I'm used ot doing it, I wonder why it didn't get included in the general concept of windowing interface long, long ago.