Theme Settings: Colors, fonts, and waveform
Theme Settings control the visual style of your reel: colors, fonts, and the audio waveform. Open a reel in the Reel Builder, then click Edit theme in the Action Bar. The dialog has three tabs, with a Theme Preview on the right that updates live as you make changes.
Jump to: Colors · Fonts · Waveform · Publishing your changes · Common questions
Colors
The Colors tab has two ways to set your palette: Choose manually and Generate from image.
Choosing colors manually
Your theme uses four colors:
- Primary: controls and the waveform
- Background: the reel's background
- Text: all text
- Link: links and highlights
Click a swatch to open the color picker, or type a hex code directly below it. In the picker you can:
- Click in the color field to select a color
- Use the hue slider to change the base color
- Enter a hex code directly
- Use the eyedropper to grab a color from anywhere on your screen (appears in browsers that support it, like Chrome)
Tip: Save colors to your swatch library by clicking the + icon at the bottom of the picker. Delete a swatch by selecting it and clicking the trash icon.
Color presets
The Color presets dropdown above the swatches holds your saved palettes and two built-in presets:
- Your default: the palette saved in Settings → Design Defaults. New reels start with these colors.
- Your colors: palettes you've saved. Click Save current colors to add the four colors you're using as a new palette, or the trash icon to delete one.
- Presets: Light Theme and Dark Theme, ready-made starting points.
Generating colors from an image
Switch to Generate from image to build a palette from a photo or artwork, like your album art or a press shot. See Generate theme colors from an image for the full walkthrough.
Tip: Make sure your color combinations have enough contrast for readers with visual impairments. Aim for WCAG 2.0 Level AA compliance. Check your contrast at webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker.
Fonts
The Fonts tab sets the heading and body fonts used in your reel. Pick a pairing from the Typography Preset dropdown, or expand Customize Fonts to choose each font individually.
All plans can apply a free preset. Pro presets and Customize Fonts require the Professional plan.
For presets, custom pairings, and pairing warnings, see Fonts in your reel.
Waveform
The Waveform tab controls the audio waveform shown in your reel's player:
- Show waveform: turns the waveform on or off. When it's off, the player shows a basic progress bar instead.
- Style: pick a waveform style from the grid and choose a highlight color for two-color styles.
Waveform styles require the Professional plan.
For the full style gallery and highlight color options, see Waveform Styles.
Publishing your changes
Clicking Save changes saves your theme to the reel's draft. These changes don't appear on live share links until you publish the reel.
To push theme changes live, close the dialog and click Save and publish in the Action Bar.
Common questions
How do I switch back to a light or dark theme?
Open the Color presets dropdown and pick Light Theme or Dark Theme under Presets. This replaces your current color selections.
How do I get back to my default colors after making changes?
Pick Your default from the Color presets dropdown. It restores the palette saved in your Design Defaults.
Can I reuse a color palette across reels?
Yes. Click Save current colors in the Color presets dropdown to save your palette, then select it from the dropdown in any reel.
Do theme changes affect my other reels?
No. Theme Settings are per-reel. To update multiple reels, edit each one individually. To change the starting point for new reels, update your Design Defaults.
When do theme changes go live?
After you click Save and publish in the Reel Builder. If someone has your reel open, they'll see the changes after refreshing the page.