If you like the new look, please post here. One vote per happy camper. Unhappy campers, please vote in the Unhappy thread. (One vote per unhappy camper in that thread.) This is a thoroughly unscientific poll, but it may help give a better idea of how many people are satisfied with the changes and how many are not.

I like the new colors, because it's easier to read for me and because I like things that changes sometimes. IEtshetically I also like the general aoutfit. I don't like the right menu, it should be more detailed, so that we can find each forum without clicking "forums" at top and then scrolling around. Guitta

Forgot: I also like the galleries on a clear background. The images now looks like in a real gallery, where the walls are generally white, not black :-)

Art Galleries are anything but white. To start with they are deeply lit then each piece of art is generally framed, usually with dark framing then matted. You ought to check it out.

Well, I imagine the happy campers will be outnumbered by the more vocal group who are unhappy (and are usually unhappy about everything, if anyone notices). The forums are easier to read. The graphics look just fine. The black is a tired idea...okay for it's time, but what is very wrong with having change once in awhile? But I know the complainers will win. I've worked in City government long enough to accept the reality. People who are happy just aren't as vocal as people who want to find fault with everything. Oh well.

Attached Link: http://www.nga.gov/

Attached Link: http://www.ago.net/navigation/flash/index.cfm

The new colors aren't too bad, though the default background is a tad too bright (OK way too bright)..... but easily customized. I actually work in warmer colors so the new colors are pretty complimentary to my art, what little of it I have here. Never used the black default background either, and was actually surprised to read that people do their art with the background color in mind. shrug But the artists here are many and diverse, I don't see how you're going to please everyone.

Taking me a while to get the colors I like but all in all I'm ok with it. I changed the background color to the same as the side bars and it looks better to me.

I'm enjoying it. I haven't even fiddled with my default options yet, but already I can feel that this is way easier on my eyes. Black is well-outdated anyway... (says the woman who's currently designing a new site on a black background, heheh)

I like the taupe trim with this logo - and I like that color anyway. But not with white pages or white links in it.

I like the new color layout. Warm Regards, Nancy Deer With Horns (SophiaDeer)

Now that we can change the visited link color I like the new layout just fine - especially the drop down list boxes :)

I actually like the drop down menus too. Yesterday I hated everything, but today, not so much. I think it takes a while to get used to (at least it does for me). Tomorrow I will like it more (or care less - either way I have no less love for renderosity). The only thing that really bothers me about the whole change is the nonstop barrage of attack on change that clog up the forums et al. How about a round of thanks to the powers that be here (mods and admins ect...) that have generously taken these complaints in stride, while keeping this place organized and running as smoothly as possible during the change. BTW - The new logo is very cool.

I agree with atom1972, as time goes on I will dislike it less or just forget about it all together. Like everything else you just accept and/or learn to deal with it.

I still think there is something wrong with how people have their monitors set. I don't have any glare at all from the new colors...it looks creamy and soft to me. Very easy to read.

I guess that's why it's good to be able to set your own colors...everyone's monitor is different. I find that using gray text on a black background is easy on my eyes. As for the margin color, that's irrelevant in my opinion.

dialyn, That's true, except as nearly everybody has them set that way, you're on dodgy ground trying to make that point. All consumer monitors are set for 9500K (degrees kelvin) a default. (Same as all TVs are set too bright with exaggerated color out-of-the-box.) That's way cold and harsh. But there's a reason for it. People buy monitors - and TVs - in brightly lit showrooms, flourescent lites (or worse sodium), so the over-brite colors makes the monitors look good (better) at the POS. Some monitors allow you to change color temperature. Read any spec on setting up your monitor for color correction, etc., and the setting should be 6500K - this sorta approximates slightly overcast midday light. (5500K or 5000K available on some monitors replicates tungsten lighting.) I've always had my monitors on 6500K, so no amount of white is going to "blind" me or even give me a headache. Phosphor life should be longer too.) But most people won't/don't change, for same reason as having their TVs with over-vivid colors. Also a downside in doing this on a PC too, is that dark images from a Mac (lower gamma) will be almost entirely indiscernable shades of black on a PC without first adjustng the gamma in your viewer (I don't know of a browser that'll do this). And how many members here sit in a dark room, with black walls facing them, no window light, a monitor hood and wearing a non-reflective smock. All necessary if you really want your monitor to display colors perfectly (as possible). :-)

Something to consider:

The fact that traditional art galleries use a white background, as shown in those links, is not a valid argument because the process to create traditional versus digital is often quite different and has different dynamics for viewing pleasure.

Rendered art, which is a majority of Rosity's works, are built from darkness and then lit to create the mood. This is much like film and theatrical presentations. We light the actor, the sets with various visual effects while keeping shadows (which are inherent in the renders from the absense of light) to create foreboding. In film, we see such visuals in a darkened theatre, so that we feel the moods and atmosphere in that type of medium. Can you imagine watching a dark light sabre scene in Star Wars in a well lit room? Next time Star Wars is on, watch the same scene with the lights on and without the lights on and you'll see what I mean. Rendered art has the same dynamics and thus needs to be displayed on a dark background.

Traditional art, on the other hand, is the opposite. It starts in light and an artist darkens that for mood. In the links you provided of those galleries, I noticed that most works were of midshade to light and only a few were darker oriented. And even those were not the dark images that you see on Rosity for the most part. That is why such sites can get away with a white background.

Factor in layingback's excellent analysis of monitors and it isn't difficult to see why this is an issue for so many artists and why Rosity should reconsider their stand on the default colors (at least IMO)...

ShadowWind

I'm usually on dodgy ground. What I was pointing out with the links, is that people who deal with real art will often choose light backgrounds on their website. And that not all of us find the background as glaring and stark as some others do, which leads me to believe it isn't the background itself that is the problem. But I don't expect to convince anyone. This place is full of people who enjoy complaining and I support the right to whine as much as anyone. I do a lot of it myself. I like the colors but it isn't a tragedy if they change. Black backgrounds bore me and tire my eyes, but so does pornography, so you know I run counter to popular opinion from the get go. That should surprise no one. Nor should it surprise you that this the end of my part on this thread. It has been a non-starter from the beginning.

I like the new colors, fiddled with the stuff in my profile to customize them. I like the brownish colors, myself. I did notice that some of the places, like the checkout page, has little colored boxes that don't go with my choice of text color - can't read 'em - but know what they say by heart anyway, lol! I'm not fond of the drop down boxes, since the text is kind of small for me, but for reaching the forums and galleries, I've always used the little links in the header anyway. I come here for the content, anyway. shrugs You can never, ever make everyone happy. If they keep tweaking in response to constructive input, I'm sure the place will be fine.

I like the new IM notification thing!

Me too! Thanks for changing the text color! :))

I guess it's growing on me... I actually like it now!

I really like the new layout and colours. Lighter colours are much better and give a completely new feel to the place. A lot more professional imho. ~Diane

I find the taupe a nice earthtone color myself. Warm Regards, Nancy