What are the best light color themes for text editors?

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5

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25

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Jan 28, 2021

Last
Updated

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5 Options Considered

Best light color themes for text editors	Price	Last Updated
-- Solarized Light	-	Jan 28, 2021
-- Ayu	-	May 5, 2019
-- Two-firewatch	-	Sep 28, 2018
-- Leuven	-	Nov 25, 2019
-- Soda Light	-	Feb 20, 2018

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score 8 · Answer 1

Solarized Light

Top Pro

Available for lots of editors, IDE, even terminal emulators

Top Con

Low contrast

Text doesn't stand out as much as with many other themes and may impact readability. See More

FantasticPhilomelus's Experience

Since I switch between editors and platforms (linux, windows) a lot, it's important for code to look similar between them. I like dark themes, but it is too jarring when switching between applications that don't necessarily do dark themes (e.g. Excel, web sites, SQL tools, etc.) So, switching from a dark editor to a light spreadsheet and back to the editor causes a lot of strain on the eyes. So, it seems better to keep everything at about the same level of brightness across applications. This way a can adjust monitor contrast and brightness to be comfortable. Having solarized light available in so many tools helps make things more consistent. I find it also helps to change the font to a medium weight version to make for a better experience. Reference: https://ethanschoonover.com/solarized/ See More

Top Pro

Lighter colors make it more energy efficient with LCD screens

Lighter colors make it more energy efficient with LCD screens See More

Top Pro

Easy on the eyes

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score 3 · Answer 2

Ayu

Top Pro

Comes in three variants

Comes in three different variations: Ayu Dark, Ayu Light, Ayu Mirage. See More

score 6 · Answer 3

Two-firewatch

Top Pro

Easy on the eye

Top Pro

True color support for vim

Usually vim color schemes were limited to 256 colors. It is not the case anymore, with the right setup (latest vim versions and neovim) terminal vim can display as many colors as GUI vim. See More

score 6 · Answer 4

Leuven

Top Con

May cause eye strain

People with blue-light sensitivity may prefer a dark theme. See More

Top Pro

Helpful for people with astigmatism

People with astigmatism prefer the bright white background Leuven has since the extra light causes your pupils to contract, which makes your focus sharper. See More

score 2 · Answer 5

Soda Light

Top Pro

Light and unobtrusive

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What are the best light color themes for text editors?

5 Options Considered

Solarized Light

My Recommendation for Solarized Light

My Recommendation for Solarized Light

Available for lots of editors, IDE, even terminal emulators

Low contrast

Lighter colors make it more energy efficient with LCD screens

Easy on the eyes

Ayu

My Recommendation for Ayu

My Recommendation for Ayu

Comes in three variants

Two-firewatch

My Recommendation for Two-firewatch

My Recommendation for Two-firewatch

Easy on the eye

True color support for vim

Leuven

My Recommendation for Leuven

My Recommendation for Leuven

May cause eye strain

Helpful for people with astigmatism

Soda Light

My Recommendation for Soda Light

My Recommendation for Soda Light

Light and unobtrusive

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