MuTools

sl23 · Post by **sl23** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 11:13 pm

I realise you are busy on some serious stuff at the moment and this seems a tad unimportant in comparison, but I hope to try and make it clear why it is more important than it's given credit.

All the different gradients offered give a confused look.
It is a clear and simple picture, but I find that it is much clearer if it were possible to remove the obstructions.
These obstructions are the various unchangeable shades of grey as well as the gradients used in places such as the Racks and Front Panel Group Frames.
Without the borders, you may think it confusing to see what belongs where, for a newbie, yes, but for a seasoned user who knows the app inside out, these things should be changeable and allow a clearer perspective throughout the app.

Personally, I prefer heavy use of grey for backgrounds, with the ability to use colour to distinguish certain texts, focused items, transport bar items, etc.

Obviously everyone has their own idea of perfection

But this is mine. I will try to make a mockup to clearly show what I mean.

So with a little bump to this pre-requested FR, I'd like to point out it's not simply about aesthetics, but usability. Clearly seeing what needs to be focused on.

Thanks

sl23 · Post by **sl23** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 11:41 pm

Ok here's a very quick mockup, a bit dodgy in places, didn't want to spend too much time on it.
It illustrates how much clearer the GUI becomes when it's colours are more uniform.
This doesn't have to be dark grey, it could be any chosen colour, that's the point of themes!

One extra point, the focused rack title should be coloured too, same as Top Colour would suffice.

et Voila...
Before
My current theme:

MuLab - Colours.png

After
A flatter cleaner theme:

MuLab - Colours - Edited.png

It's not a perfect representation, many things are missing from my After pic, like the compose plus and minus button area, what where when labels should be coloured, measure labels, text entry fields, track headers and their text labels, etc.

Sorry if I'm stating the obvious and going over old ground, it's just that a clearer more uniform gui would help you to focus by seeing things more clearly.

That's the theory behind some other apps, the only one I can recall is Focus Writer, but it works, keeping distractions to a minimum.

Thanks for reading, what do other users think? I would really appreciate this being implemented, but I realise the situation all too well

pekbro · Post by **pekbro** » Sat Apr 08, 2017 1:39 am

Definitely it would be nice to be able to change the bg colors at will.

Personally I prefer some color separation for some areas, none for others. But generally monotone overall.

-cheers

ZeePok · Post by **ZeePok** » Sat Apr 08, 2017 6:44 am

That won't work for me!

Can't distinguish anything on the second picture.

sl23 · Post by **sl23** » Sat Apr 08, 2017 7:37 am

zxant wrote:
That won't work for me!

Can't distinguish anything on the second picture.

Understood but, it should be optional.

Some prefer cleaner, clearer interfaces. It's about minimalism. Some like it some don't. Some need it. Some, like you find it makes things worse.

As I said, it's all about personal preferences, but more than that, it actually reduces clutter to enable me to focus better.

Thank you for your feedback

sl23 · Post by **sl23** » Sat Apr 08, 2017 7:43 am

pekbro wrote:Definitely it would be nice to be able to change the bg colors at will.

Personally I prefer some color separation for some areas, none for others. But generally monotone overall.

-cheers

Thanks pekbro

That's what I'm saying, but I go further as for me it's clearer. But some separation is required for the compose, perhaps an optional variable sized border like the play bar. Which should also be themed.

Michael L · Post by **Michael L** » Sat Apr 08, 2017 8:43 am

Thanks for making an example, sl23! As a result, I tried making all my colours the same hue. I learned that for me, its OK to have only one hue, but its necessary to have a range of values (dark/light) to visually organise the desktop/modules and identify focus. Also, I wonder if the grey is less important when the UI is filled with tracks, modules and VSTs?
( You should rename this thread "Greys"

)

sl23 · Post by **sl23** » Sat Apr 08, 2017 9:26 am

Thanks for the amount Michael.
I agree with what you say about distinction between modules and windows, this is a valid reason the window frame should also be theme-able.

That way whatever choices are made these will always be a frame to make windows standout from each other.

sl23 · Post by **sl23** » Sat Apr 08, 2017 9:36 am

Michael L wrote: ( You should rename this thread "Greys" )

Isn't that bordering on prejudice?