Dark workspace/document/transparency to coincide with UI

[Paul_]

I'm not sure if this is a bug, oversight, missing feature, or I just can't find a way to do it but I need to change my workspace color to something much darker.  I can set a UI preferences to a dark theme and that's a big start but the document color, even when set to transparent is still white (light grey checker is still very bright).  This actually increases eye strain against the dark background & UI.    My expectation would be that the shades of the transparent document space shift with the light/dark theme and background or artboard sliders. 

Dragging a rectangle over every page isn't a viable option for publisher and and even in designer creates other issues since I want the "blank" space when time to export out transparent images or for printing without having to find and disable every cover-up cludge.  This is an accessibility issue for me (and long term eye health for everyone) but applies to general industry of printing to color or non-bleached stock or anyone that works in teams and one may prefer dark screens and another bright.

[walt.farrell]

2 hours ago, Paul_ said:

Dragging a rectangle over every page isn't a viable option for publisher

One workaround: You could put the rectangle on a Master Page and apply the Master Page to all the document pages. When it's time to export or print, just go to that Master Page and hide the rectangle in the Layers panel.

[Paul_]

9 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

One workaround: You could put the rectangle on a Master Page and apply the Master Page to all the document pages. When it's time to export or print, just go to that Master Page and hide the rectangle in the Layers panel.

No, telling somebody to use the kludge they already ruled out isn't exactly helpful.  Unless I have multiple page layouts then I have to do this to several master pages, or the one-off page somewhere in the middle of a large document.  It also leave an object to be clicked covering my blank space and a solid color that might interfere with blends, transparencies, etc...  It is not the same as a transparent background at export or while working.  Having to do it upfront becomes a major accessibility issue, creating a new blank document or inserting a new master becomes a migraine trigger ending screen time for the day.  If other collaborators are turning layers on & off it becomes a workflow issue for them, constantly triggering file-modified events causing complications in versioning and potential lost edits not to mention backup-space usage, and back to the accessibility issue for the light sensitive team member when someone hits save without turning them all back on.  As an accessibility issue telling someone to constantly draw dark blocks over empty space that an app is forcing to display as white is like telling someone in a wheelchair to carry around a sheet of plywood to put over stairs they might come across.  From an artist and non-accessibility point of view this is the same as why  you choose to mount a photograph on a white or black matt board, one compliments the work better than the other, one helps the eye adjust to the tones of the image better and see more detail.  A white page in the middle of a dark UI will leave both visually lacking and increase eyestrain (and a major factor in long term side affects from excessive screen time), certainly sometimes we need to see against a white page and sometimes we just want to see our work.

[walt.farrell]

16 minutes ago, Paul_ said:

It also leave an object to be clicked covering my blank space

It would be non-clickable, as it would be on a Master Page and thus locked unless you're using Edit Detached. 

Sorry to have disturbed you. 

[Paul_]

50 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Sorry to have disturbed you. 

I doubt that, you posted your kludge to someone several years ago, when they said it wasn't a good solution you tried arguing they needed to prove why until they abandoned the thread.  I explicitly said it won't work and your only response is to do it.  Addressing one of dozens of why it doesn't work doesn't make it work, it is perfectly acceptable to not respond to other peoples questions when you can't provide a solution but instead you create activity that inaccurately shows others my question may be solved and will get skipped over by someone that would have otherwise read a post with zero responses.

[walt.farrell]

You did not explain why you didn't think it would work in Publisher (implying to me that it was due to having multiple pages to deal with), and your reason for not doing it in Designer was the kludge of having to deal with it during export.

I gave reasonable workarounds for both those issues (Master Pages, for both). 

And then you made further comments (blending, etc.) which were not apparent from your first post. Again, sorry my workaround doesn't work for you, given that additional information.

[Paul_]

Yes I did, it forces people to constantly turn it on and off, it triggers file save events that become annoying when viewing and habits form to "don't save" causing loss of minor tweaks, add extreme backup bloat since now the filesystem will back up hundreds of versions that don't actually have changes.  Having to change it from the start of any new document or added page, having to change it when someone else who prefers a bright workspace, having to change it when exporting/print/anything are all reasons it doesn't work, aside from a general usability issue it is a significant issue for disabilities.  If I work in a dark environment and send you a file, I don't want it coming back on white, probably vice versa, I don't want pages 78 and 167 of 294 that don't use a master page since they are completely unique to get printed wrong because a background didn't get removed first, my saved editable document should match exactly my exported deliverable.  If you can't comprehend anyone might have different or more specific use cases than you stop commenting on their posts.  You are a perfect example of how the internet went form a wonderful place of information sharing to constant threads without solutions and high post count users driving away everyone that doesn't take their word as gospel.  Setting a dark theme should set a dark theme across the UI including the transparent background, blank space should be able to be represented however the user wants be it white, black, shades of grey, chroma green or whatever else works best for the user and their document but matching the overall UI appearance is an absolute minimum.

[Old Bruce]

Just so I am clear here.... You want a dark grey canvas to design and work on? Even though the end result may well be on white backgrounds? 

[Paul_]

7 hours ago, Old Bruce said:

Just so I am clear here.... You want a dark grey canvas to design and work on? Even though the end result may well be on white backgrounds? 

simply, yes.   

In reality digital files will be delivered with clear backgrounds or if a solid background is required it will be made to choose each specific use and extremely unlikely to ever be FFFFFF.  The point in our design process and in what we deliver is to support user choice especially in regards to their eye health an comfort.

Even if the canvas isn't changed (not that it shouldn't have an option), the workspace for a clear document has zero justification to not adjust with the UI theme, for a checkboard one square matching the application background and the opposing square proportionate from there.  A backlit screen not only magnifies the same visual aspects of properly matting and framing art but can actually inflict pain and permanent damage when done wrong.