Theme Settings: Setting colors and basic reel settings
At the top of the Reel Builder in the Action Bar is the
Theme Settings button
. Clicking this button will open the Theme Settings where you can edit the colors and general settings that will control the overall look of the reel. You can also instantly preview the color and general settings with a theme preview.
In this article
The theme settings box is closed by default when you open the Reel Builder. Double click the gray bar to access the controls.
Set reel colors
The
Colors setting lets you choose between the default Light and Dark color themes, or create a custom color theme for your reel. If you have a
default color palette saved in your
Reel Settings ▸ Design Defaults, those colors will be your Custom color theme on new reels.
Click the labeled buttons to select the Light or Dark theme, or click any of the color swatch squares to open the color picker and create a custom palette. You can revert back to a default theme by clicking the Light or Dark button to remove your custom color choices.
Note: If you change the custom color selections from your defaults, you will need to manually change them back to your default color palette (there is currently no way to re-apply your default colors).
PRO TIP: You can save color swatches while in the color picker by pressing the “+” icon at the bottom of the picker.
Light theme - White background, dark text, gray primary elements (audio controls, waveform, etc.), and blue links. This theme will require a logo that looks best on a white background.
Dark theme - Dark background, light text, gray primary elements (audio controls, waveform, etc.), and blue links. This theme will require a logo that looks best on a dark background.
Custom theme - Select your own colors for the
Primary,
Background,
Text, and
Link colors. You can preview your color combinations in real-time with the
Theme Preview on the right side of the theme settings block. A custom theme will require a logo that looks best on the background color you choose.
PRO TIP: The biography block color is automatically generated from the background color (10% lighter or 10% darker).
To create the look of a black or white background with a colored biography block, start with the color you prefer in the picker and then select a ”light black” or “barely white” by dragging the open circle selector around in the color field. See below for an example of how a light black background with purple undertones creates a dark purple biography block color, and a “barely white” background creates a light purple biography block.
You will always have more options with a dark background simply because there are fewer shades of "barely white" to choose from before the background apepars obviously gray or pastel.
If you prefer no color tint at all, be sure to drag the color selector as far as it will go to the left to ensure pure gray tones. Then go all the way to the top for pure white (FFFFFFFF) and all the way to the bottom for pure black (000000FF).
Note: The color picker includes two additional letters/numbers at the end of the standard 6-digit HEX color code. These two digits represent the transparency of the color, which can be controlled by dragging the slider just above the HEX code left and right (transparency is indicated by the visible checkerboard pattern showing behind the color). FF at the end of the HEX means it’s 100% opaque and 00 means it’s 100% transparent.
Here’s a good article on how HEX codes work: https://creativemarket.com/blog/how-to-read-color-hex-codes
Note:
It’s best practice to ensure your custom color combinations have enough contrast for those with color blindness or other visual disabilities to see. You should aim for at least “WCAG 2.0 level AA” compliance.
Y
ou can learn more about color accessibility and check the contrast of your colors choices here:
https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/
General settings
The General settings will let you control the style of any audio
waveforms.
Show waveform - Selecting this box will display a full waveform instead of a solid progress bar.
