Launcher has tile backgrounds that wash out many icons

[Matthew Paul Thomas]

unity 4.10.2-0ubuntu2, Ubuntu Ocelot
unity 5.4.0-0ubuntu2, Ubuntu 12.04 beta 1

The Unity launcher places each application icon on a colored tile. The color is chosen by averaging the colors used in the icon itself. This was an interesting idea, but it doesn't work. If an icon uses mostly one color, and doesn't have cartoon-like borders, the surrounding color washes out the icon and makes it hard to recognize.

<https://launchpadlibrarian.net/78619733/Launcher%2520washout.png> demonstrates the problem with:
* Ubuntu Software Center
* Language Support
* Mozilla Thunderbird
* Universal Access (moot once bug 801784 is fixed)
* Update Manager
* Synaptic
* Me Maker
* gbrainy.

<https://launchpadlibrarian.net/67598254/apport_icon.png> demonstrates the problem with Apport.

<https://launchpadlibrarian.net/97878850/Ubuntu-12.04-China-profile.png> demonstrates the problem with the Chinese portal Hao222.

The problem is also demonstrated by Apport, Chromium, Galculator, Picsaw, and Skype.

An icon that looks beautiful in the Dash, the messaging or sound menus, Docky, or AWN, and even in Windows or Mac OS X, can easily look terrible in the Unity launcher. Therefore, the problem is with the launcher, not with the icons.

Some of the ways in which this could be fixed:
* Remove the background color from the Launcher icons altogether.
* Make the background color much darker, or much lighter, than the average icon color.
* Apply a shadow to the icons. (This would conflict with any shadow the icon already has, such as in Firefox.)
* Allow individual applications to specify a custom color for their launcher tile. (But it's unlikely that most would bother.)

[Daniel Planas Armangue (daniplanas.a)]

you can erase color background with conpiz config settings ( in unity pluguin ), you should be find in ubuntu software center, the color is a concius design choice, you can agree or disagree but it's not a bug, it's question for ayatana team so i change status with opinion.

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

I mentioned this to Otto Greenslade while discussing bug 834204 (the Ubuntu Software Center icon). Otto said that he and a couple of the Unity developers had proposed using a dark or even black background for launcher tiles, at least for applications that aren't running.

[Adolfo Jayme Barrientos (fitojb)]

Consider making default “Backlight toggles” or “Edge Illumination toggles” settings in Unity. That would be a quick solution.

[Eylem (eylemkoca)]

@John: This is more than an "Opinion" and it certainly needs re-consideration of default settings. As it is, the backlight just obscures the icons. All the contrast that makes an icon recognizable and aesthetically pleasing is dead. This is blatantly true for icons with a single dominant color (e.g. the new Ubuntu Software Center icon). Please change this default behavior. By default, the backlight should be either completely off, or some dark grey color/tint that matches the Launcher.

[John Lea (johnlea)]

@mpt; please bring this bug up with Otto if you would like to discuss it.

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

I already did; see my 2011-09-02 comment. He said it wasn't up to him.

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

Sorry, I misremembered. I just checked with Otto again, and he said it was his decision. He would like to improve the algorithm so that it doesn't wash out icons, he just isn't sure how to do it yet.

It may save time to design the fix for this bug at the same time as bug 827492 (the equivalent problem in the Dash) and/or bug 966222 (near-invisible launching feedback for square icons).