Dark mode
- Thread starter astronoob
- Start date
How to set dark screen mode
Hi PI Experts! I'm very new to PI. I am using an LG C1 OLED 48" display. I would like to set the PI UI to "dark mode" to reduce eye strain and improve the OLED HDR capabilities. I cannot locate such a feature directly in Global Preferences. Would modding the Core Style Sheet file be a method to...
pixinsight.com
Sorry for necroposting, but I saw this thread and wanted to add my request for a dark UI mode.
Here is the reason I think this would be useful: It would allow PI users to use PI during a public outreach session when they're doing EAA (Electronically Assisted Astronomy). Here is an example of what I mean:
I sometimes do astronomy "outreach" events here the San Francisco Bay area, and last summer I tried using EAA for outreach during one of my volunteer nights at Lick Observatory. Instead of bringing my 18" dobsonian the way I used to do, I decided to use my EAA rig to show deep-sky objects to the public. I use an 8" Celestron SCT with a 0.63x focal reducer, on a Losmandy G-11 mount. I'm using a ZWO 294 MC Pro one-shot color camera. I use Sharpcap to polar-align, and to acquire and live-stack images. I choose objects and send slew commands to my mount with Stellarium.
I connected a spare 27" monitor to my laptop while I was doing this at Lick, and I was able to show deep-sky objects in color to the public, in real time. It was a lot of fun, and it was nice to be able to go so much deeper than we could have seen visually, after just a few minutes of live-stacking.
Sharpcap has a built-in annotation routine, which is nice, and it has a decent "night mode" for its UI. But if you really want to go after some challenging targets like faint asteroids, comets, and KBOs, Pixinsight is much better for high-precision plate-solving and annotation. There's really no substitute for PI if you want to "push the envelope".
The challenge, though, is dealing with bright UI elements. If Pixinsight had a dark theme, like the example shown by the OP, it would be much more comfortable for everyone to look at, while I'm demonstrating what plate-solving and annotation are. Some of the other volunteers are doing visual observing with the public, so they would appreciate it if my second monitor were as dim as possible.
It might seem tempting to say "put a red transparent plastic screen over your monitor", but that would defeat the whole purpose of using a one-shot color camera and showing the public that deep-sky objects have color. It's great to be able to show the color in the Trifid, Dumbbell, etc...
Someday, OLED monitors will become more common (and cheaper), and my second monitor will become dimmer overall. Less grey background light leaking out. But when a program has a UI with bright scroll bars, etc..., an OLED panel won't help. Thus, my request for a "dark theme" UI for Pixinsight.
I have the same wish for Cartes du Ciel. It is more thorough and sophisticated for finding objects, such as faint asteroids, comets, and KBOs, but it has bright UI elements around the edge of the map, and no dark theme. I have to use Stellarium to "drive" my scope, and its not as sophisticated as CdC for databases and finding faint objects. I should email Patrick Chevalley and see if he thinks this would be possible.
I just thought I'd add this request for a PI dark theme. I think PI can be useful during a public outreach event, if you're presenting to people who want some more detail and information than just "here is an object". Sharpcap's image-processing and annotation help, but a dark-themed PI would really equip an "EAA outreach presenter" with the tools they need to make the most of a file they've just saved from Sharpcap.
Here is the reason I think this would be useful: It would allow PI users to use PI during a public outreach session when they're doing EAA (Electronically Assisted Astronomy). Here is an example of what I mean:
I sometimes do astronomy "outreach" events here the San Francisco Bay area, and last summer I tried using EAA for outreach during one of my volunteer nights at Lick Observatory. Instead of bringing my 18" dobsonian the way I used to do, I decided to use my EAA rig to show deep-sky objects to the public. I use an 8" Celestron SCT with a 0.63x focal reducer, on a Losmandy G-11 mount. I'm using a ZWO 294 MC Pro one-shot color camera. I use Sharpcap to polar-align, and to acquire and live-stack images. I choose objects and send slew commands to my mount with Stellarium.
I connected a spare 27" monitor to my laptop while I was doing this at Lick, and I was able to show deep-sky objects in color to the public, in real time. It was a lot of fun, and it was nice to be able to go so much deeper than we could have seen visually, after just a few minutes of live-stacking.
Sharpcap has a built-in annotation routine, which is nice, and it has a decent "night mode" for its UI. But if you really want to go after some challenging targets like faint asteroids, comets, and KBOs, Pixinsight is much better for high-precision plate-solving and annotation. There's really no substitute for PI if you want to "push the envelope".
The challenge, though, is dealing with bright UI elements. If Pixinsight had a dark theme, like the example shown by the OP, it would be much more comfortable for everyone to look at, while I'm demonstrating what plate-solving and annotation are. Some of the other volunteers are doing visual observing with the public, so they would appreciate it if my second monitor were as dim as possible.
It might seem tempting to say "put a red transparent plastic screen over your monitor", but that would defeat the whole purpose of using a one-shot color camera and showing the public that deep-sky objects have color. It's great to be able to show the color in the Trifid, Dumbbell, etc...
Someday, OLED monitors will become more common (and cheaper), and my second monitor will become dimmer overall. Less grey background light leaking out. But when a program has a UI with bright scroll bars, etc..., an OLED panel won't help. Thus, my request for a "dark theme" UI for Pixinsight.
I have the same wish for Cartes du Ciel. It is more thorough and sophisticated for finding objects, such as faint asteroids, comets, and KBOs, but it has bright UI elements around the edge of the map, and no dark theme. I have to use Stellarium to "drive" my scope, and its not as sophisticated as CdC for databases and finding faint objects. I should email Patrick Chevalley and see if he thinks this would be possible.
I just thought I'd add this request for a PI dark theme. I think PI can be useful during a public outreach event, if you're presenting to people who want some more detail and information than just "here is an object". Sharpcap's image-processing and annotation help, but a dark-themed PI would really equip an "EAA outreach presenter" with the tools they need to make the most of a file they've just saved from Sharpcap.
Adding my request for a 'dark' theme - similar to the MacOS Dark Mode.
I know this can be done using the PI style sheet core-standard.qss, but there's not a lot of documentation on how to do it, or any tool as far as Ive been able to find.
I agree with Astronoob - the 'light' themed PI does become tiring on the eyes after a while.
I know this can be done using the PI style sheet core-standard.qss, but there's not a lot of documentation on how to do it, or any tool as far as Ive been able to find.
I agree with Astronoob - the 'light' themed PI does become tiring on the eyes after a while.