Is dark text on a light background really harder on the eyes? My understanding, based upon marketing and advertising studies, as well as personal experience, is that one of the hardest color combinations on your eyes is white text on a black background. This is the very reason that publications only use white text on a black background in special situations, but never on every page of the publication. Studies also prove true for web sites. White text on a black background is actually harder on the eyes. With that said, there may be a more pleasing background color than the light gray in the screen shot above. We're still working on a few of the color changes and the sample above is not entirely set in stone. I just hope that many of you have sense enough to understand that this was presented to you for your feedback before being launched because your opinions do matter, rather than the intentions that some of you have suggested above. Let's keep this a constructive debate so we can make everyone happy. Tommy

Thank you Tommy and Crescent for listening :) even if you come up with something different :) Thats all we ask :) Dialyn- it not that we don't want different- it cause most of us have tried simular color background before many many times. Tommy- it's not the text but the color washout on our pictures that bothers us. ok- I'll go away and shut up now :)

I've read all of the arguments above and one issue has made me curious. A lot of the talk revolves around DARK images requiring a DARK background. So, my question is this - If DARK images benefit from a darker background then do LIGHTER (or HAPPIER, whichever) images benefit from a lighter background? And, if this is the case - what is the happy medium for all of the images? Tommy

rainbow colored poser pixies, tutone1234 :) okay, it IS true that black on white is more professional, but the way bondware makes the page look like, putting a light brown on it without any depth whatsoever to the pictures resembles something of the darker color, with more odour. you'd have to do some major changes to make the site look good on white is what i'm saying. as an example, check out this site: http://www.freewriters.ca it looks 100x more pro than a dark background site, it's true. but the graphics feel for the white, whereas here all you have is 2D single color tables. mihnea

mihnea - we're not really aiming for a white background, nor is the background above white, it's a shade of gray which is definitely subject to change. I viewed the site link you have provided and actually the lite blue links on white are hard on the eyes also. So I guess my question here is which background color is going to benefit both types of images - DARK & LIGHT? Is there any one color that will compliment all images? Tommy

Personal opinion time, ok for most areas (prefer darker personally), but in the galleries when looking at an image, black or dark (variant of grey) background. The use of a bright background does tend to draw the eye and DOES interfere with the percieved image colours. Tutone, white text on a dark background is printing process expensive. It uses a lot of ink and with bleed can make for a very difficult time to read fine character text. This is why it is not employed more. Also on a computer screen, the eye tends to respond to the aggregate brightness of its view. A bright white background tends to overpower fine dark characters. Conversely since the black is a lack of radiated light the aggregate levels are lower due only to the text light. The real problem comes in when there is a mix of these, the eye must adapt many times as it moves around such a mix of areas of high illumination levels and low illumination levels. This becomes especially fun when trying to look at a low level object surronded by high illumination levels.

BTW I like the structural changes proposed. Dark grey (perhaps with a touch of blue) to my mind is the best compromise. It does not provide a peripheral swamping effect on dark images and does not in any way compete with lighter images (actually makes then stand out more as the focus of attention).

lighter colored pictures do appearr brighter and cleaner on a dark bg ...that is what I was saying on the light effects looking better on a dark bg. guh I just hope that it doesnt stay a light color for the galleries. dark..pllllllease dark

I use the custome colour settings, mainly because I hated the Renderosity colour scheme when I signed up, but I still use and much prefer and black background for the galleries. Dark backgrounds do display images better. Hell, if I had my choice, I'd force people to turn off all the lights in the room when viewing my images too!

So, my question is this - If DARK images benefit from a darker background then do LIGHTER (or HAPPIER, whichever) images benefit from a lighter background? And, if this is the case - what is the happy medium for all of the images?

It would take a little more work, but why not add another set of check boxes to the image upload sceen. You have a check box for violence, nudity, comments and ratings, why not add one for "display on black background" and "display on white background"?

the way i see it is like this: you have a light background, the eye won't notice the r'osity logo or anything else for that matter, it will be difficult to concentrate on such a weird color as this one is. so the solution is simple. don't keep it black, but make it a higher shade of gray.

Now, this color wouldn't be so terrible,draculaz, just as long as there is a high enough contrast with the text colors. The gray on gray they use over at RDNA is about as close to unreadable as it gets, which is why you never see me in their forums. I just can't read them. I'm still not sure why all this has to be hard coded, though. It's not like everyone cares about the logo and whether or not the site matches the silly thing. I say the best solution would be to allow us to keep our custom colors as far as the text and background are concerned. Kate (who doesn't give a rat's behind about matching the logo)

[I know which I'd go for...] Me too.....black!

For an example, go from pure sunshine into a dark place and you'll see practically nothing. Go into that same place at night and you'll see things you've never been able to see. The same holds true here. The white balance will overshadow the image's colors, especially a dark image.

Tommy, light colors only serve to distract, not to accentuate. From an artistic point of view, the colors that are lightest will be closest to the viewer, thus more catching to the eye. If you make it a light color, then what is catching to the eye is not the elements of the image, but the background. This will not serve to make the banners, store promos, images, etc, more seeable if that is the reason for this change, which I doubt it is.

Please don't go the RDNA route. While I love their site, I find it very difficult to read most of the time...

If something works, I don't see the point in fixing it. And while I don't really see it as not being professional enough, if that is the motivation, then there are a lot of sites that do black backrounds that are very well done. Check out some of the gaming sites for instance.

To me, the best solution is to take some extra time and code it into an editor where people can change it to whatever they want. Maybe more work, but it will please everyone in the long run, instead of forcing what people don't seem to like down their throats. Maybe just have a single color option to allow people to pick the background or provide pre-made skins. Then you could have artists making skins for Rosity. That would be cool. But to just close it off after offering an option for so long seems to be a bad idea. In that 7%, how many of those changed the background color versus changed just the sidebar colors?

Crescent: I'm glad Rosity is reading this thread and considering our words...Thanks...

ShadowWind

In your example Tuttle, which didn't include the text that goes with the image. White on mid grey is horrid to read, but beyond that, I would go with the black as well for the reasons I mentioned...

BTW - Believe it or not, that's the same font on each one. Look how naff the white on black is! (It's not the JPG compression either!)

Top: the light gray background tends to leave me with an after image burnt on my eyes - sort of like what happens when you look directly at a lightbulb. Not a happy thing. Middle: The images show much more clearly with this one. None of them blend into the background at any point. The text could use just a bit more contrast, however, as it's kind of fuzzy, and for those who spend a good deal of time in the forums and reading the front page articles, this would cause a lot of eyestrain. Bottom: Text/Background contrast is the best of the three. No spots before the eyes, no fuzziness, nicely clear and readable. However, portions of the first and third thumbnails disappear entirely as they blend into the background color. Best compromise: Some combination of middle and bottom examples. Perhaps the lighter background for the gallery and the black for the forums? Best solution: Let the members have some control over how they want to do it. Give them the three options and let them set their own colors based on the three available choices. Just a suggestion. Kate (who has very very very easily strained eyes, cannot go outdoors even on overcast days without sunglasses - can you say photosensitivity? I knew you could - and has to get new glasses on the average of once a year)

And to me, the easiest to read is still the bottom one...

Black background for the galleries please! ....or at least the choice. Cheers!

It ain't broke, so why fix it? I message is clear to me........BLACK!

I don't like the unchangeable background options. I have changed my background color for a number of reasons. Sometimes I stay on a page a long time and then when I switch I know immediately that I have been timed out because my background changes color. I can also see the edges of the images better with the color I have chosen. I like a dark background, but the black was too hard on my eyes. Please reconsider this and leave the personal coloring options there for people with special needs. Thank you for considering this.

Referring to the image examples above i guess i know now what it is that disturbs me. The white bg colour is redirecting my view to the white again and again. I have difficulties to focus on the image itself. It is like a sort of undesired framework.... Funny and strange because obviously a real time expo with framed pics on a white wall (the pics even with a white passepartout) doesnt hurt at all. Well in any case this discussion is useful for me (and for others i guess) because i never thought about this topic before. The question about presentation of artwork in a gallery and on the screen. Coming back to Rero....a darker grey should be better than white but i still prefer black for the gallery background. Be aware i am only talking about the gallery pages here ! It may be different for the forum pages....

Black background, please.

I think the new logo, and the navigational changes look good. I use the default color scheme because I like it. Taking away the custom color scheme option in favor of this new color scheme is not a welcome change. I agree with most everyone else in this thread, keep the black background or at least give us the option to change it.

I do not like the idea of a white background and I do not think I like the idea that you are taking away our right to change the colours for ourselves. Also, do you mean that the sidebar will be on the righthand side without being able to move it too the left. I have had my sidebar on the lefthand side since I started here and I don't want to change it. This place is starting to get like the UK parliment where they make serious changes without a referendum from the people. Unhappy member. catlin_mc

Putting my vote in to be able to pick our own background and text color, please? I've got my colors customized and they are neither bright or dark.

Customized colors are better.
I really hate this brown, it makes my eyes sore and itchy. :P

You run a contest requesting a logo for an art community, choose an entry that more communicates a Tech site, sample a color from the logo for your framework only to accomodate the logo, remove the options for custom color choice. One reason this site takes more hits than others is that it's responsive & considerate to the element that allows it to survive, the customer. Creating contests & feedback forums that are redundant is only one ingredient in the cake, the icing will be removing choices that others do not offer. Go ahead, even the playing field in their favor. Sure there are always new customers, but how long will it take to replace the traffic of those that become alienated and look elswhere. Smart business comes only through smart choices...

Just a thought, but I wonder if the problem isn't so much the light background as it is the amount of empty space that will be filled with the light background. I regularly visit www.somethingawful.com (some adult content though, be warned), and they use a near-white background with black text. Because the pages are filled with text and images though, I don't find the light background as distracting as in the Renderosity examples above. Perhaps light backgrounds work better on pages where text and graphics are packed tightly together than on forums where the majority of the space is either blank or filled only with text. Like I said though, that's just a personal observation. :) I also saw a post here that said something about choosing the background color for a gallery image that we upload, but now I don't see it...hm, was it deleted? Anyway, since each gallery upload is posted on a separate HTML page, wouldn't it be possible to allow users to choose between a white or black page background (setting the BODY and FONT tags) when they upload an image? That way, everyone could choose the best background color for each individual image they upload and there wouldn't be any complaining. ;) Thanks, take care. SnowS

Isn't there something in the US Constitution preventing this?

Yeah, the right of a person who doesn't pay a dime for website to choose the background color is right up there with the abolition of slavery and giving women the right to vote.

P.S. I hope SnowS's gracious and reasonalbe solution is well considered. It won't stop the complaining but it certainly makes sense.

Ok, I contribute to this site financially because I'm a merchant, and since everything I do is fully and only based in R'osity, I'm still feeling queasy about this, so I'm gonna make yet another post here lol Zhann, you read my mind perfectly .. that is EXACTLY what i had in mind when suggesting the white border in-between thing :) I'm the type of girl that LOVES changes, and R'osity has been changing subtly alot lately, from the instant messaging upgrades, to the favorites buttons, to the gallery genres, and lots of other goodies for the past few months. I totally love all the changes so far, and this entire site interface color changing is the one and only thing I'm complaining about. Changes keeps a site dynamic and interesting, but PLEASE, don't change for the worse. With that said, I'll put in my bottom line: like alot of ppl here, I really dont care for the dried-shit/dusty-plasticine brown color .. :Suggestion: why not put up a poll and post notices for it in every forum here so everyone can vote for their choices?

Here is my opinion of a desirable color scheme, but still incorporating a black background :)
Shannon

Zhann got it perfect. that is change, new logo (which though I didn't vote for it I do like it), and comprimise. I still say let us keep the choices. It is harder to code, it takes more time, but it keeps the hits coming and that is what the merchants need to pay for thier advertising money. Tuttle, every eye sees things differently. Yeah some mase sites show light backgrounds. But let me ask, the artist that are making a living at this (Bryce, Photography, Maya, Poser, etc.) and that you like their work, not their sites their work, what do they have? Most of mine have dark backgrounds. Why? Because it keeps the focus on the images and artwork. Mostly I say keep choices, then all visitors can be happy. Magick Michael www.zhounder.com

Oh and one more thing. I stare at MS Word and Excel all day long. Give me headaches.

I myself prefer the black bg...Im just wondering why the personal prefs have to change? Different people have different needs...and like Kate stated above...I too have sensitive eyes...I have my bg set to black, and a cross between a med drk blue, and purple looking text...no strain on my eyes that way... The logo and other changes don't bother me, but taking our prefs away for colors def. bothers me.

Let people have their prefs please. Me, I like the black. Why? Well, if you look at my thumbs without the black background? So I have my reasons. It probably stems from something I learned with my modest web page making skills. If the background changes, it won't look right and certain things will now look gimpy with a black box around it. Not exactly the effect one is going for. I'm sure others would suffer similar consequences of such a change. Ummm... Now if it were up to me, I'd go for the funky retro "System" font in flourescent green. LOL!

I don't know, what is the world coming to? I went to get a newspaper this morning and the guy had changed it so the newspapers are now on the right, not the left. Well, you can imagine my dismay. I just walked in and I couldn't believe it. It was the first I'd heard about such a drastic reorganisation. No consultation, no nothing. So I said to him, I said, what's all this about? Changing things the hell and all around? Don't you know that when I look suddenly to the right I sometimes become vapourous and fall to the ground in a semi-faint? Had he bothered to check my medical history? Had he heck! And right-swivel comatose predilictions aside, I am so used to reaching for the newspaper with my left hand that I'm sure my left hand will grab instictively and uncontrollably at the sight of the newspapers, thus flailing across the centre aisle and impacting the biscuit display, causing heaven knows what carnage. Fair enough, things need to change, I can accept that, but making such blatently retrograde reorganisations without so much as an please and a thankyou leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. And all in the name of progress. Pah! Needless to say, I refused to purchase any of his ridiculously positioned newspapers and returned home empty-handed but morally victorious.

I prefer black background. That white hurts my eyes.

Looks all great but i realy don't like the color chime :( I agree with Lon Chaney i won't stay for a long time visiting with that color. Atleast a option for a black background would be highly apreciated. Sprinter

Keep the background black and the sidebar on the left.. Please.....

I would prefer a black background also; massive amounts of white space coming from a monitor is hard on my eyes, and make me more likely to leave the website quickly. I vehemently dislike the rusty brown (or whatever color you want to call it) border. Selecting another color out of the logo (since this is what seemed to happen here) and toning that color down abit, if needed, would really look better. Also would have the added benefit of making the logo stand out more.

hmmmmm....

If I had my way I'd leave the color scheme as it is now and if we had the choice after the change of logo that is what I'd probably do. I find the green here at present very soothing and I think my images look best against a black b/g so I will not change, it's what I'm most comfortable with. Catlin

Both tutone1234 and I have popped in to assure everyone that we are watching the thread very closely. I haven't said much else because there's still a lot of discussion going on in back and I don't have much useful to add to everyone's opinions. As far as I know, the ability to put the side bar on the left or right hand side is still there. (I'd be pitching a fit if it was stuck on the right.) I've seen several color possibilities proposed and I've added my comments to them. Trust me, we've been quiet up here to let everyone have their say, but there's been a lot of comments in back of the mods' and admins' opinions. I don't want to make any speculations about the final decisions because I don't want any misunderstanding about what is, what might be and what will be. I hope this helps, Crescent Renderosity Moderator (and all-around busy-body)

Well as 'rosity is the only site that I have seen that offer's the ability to change the way it looks. I would say that is a good thing, but it is most definatly NOT the reason I come here 12x's a day. I am a web designer by trade, and yes black really brings out the images, but black is also VERY - Unprofessional looking, like you are trying to hide the site in the dark, I for one lOve that puke-grey-brown colour, and I just may have to steal it LOL. While the total white BG would be hard to go at all day long I do like the colour in #61, but it could be lighter then the Title/menu and not darker that is another very unprofessional scheme. Kinda a flip flop. The drop downs are a great addition as well, I hate scrolling all the way down the page to get to the links that I want. I also did not vote for this image ( i liked the cartoony one with the TV...which is a lot like this one were they made by the same artist?) but it was in the top 5 or so of my choices. I for one will come here what ever the site looks like...hell put it on TelNet and I will still come, like I said it's not the look of hte site that brings me here.

Wow am I late posting here lol. I also want to keep my Black Background and I would like to keep my color scheme. The light grays and whites are very hard on my eyes. And to be honest I hate changes lol, I am very set in my colors :P So there is my 2 cents for what it is worth.