Settings

General

Setting	What it does
Default Mode	Sets the mode selected when you open Vida.
Default Quality	Sets the default screen recording quality.
Video Format	Sets MP4 or MOV for Screen + Audio.
Audio Format	Sets M4A or WAV for Audio Only.
Countdown	Sets the start delay.
Show Floating Controller	Shows or hides compact floating controls while recording.
Save Location	Sets the default folder for recordings.

Appearance

Vida's appearance system lets you control whether the interface looks light or dark, and which color theme it uses for each appearance. You can choose from 13 built-in themes, import a custom theme you authored yourself, or create a new one by duplicating and editing an existing one.

Appearance Mode

The Appearance Mode control in Settings determines when Vida is light and when it is dark.

Mode	Behavior
System	Vida follows your Mac. When macOS is in Light mode, Vida uses your selected Light theme. When macOS switches to Dark, Vida switches to your Dark theme automatically.
Light	Vida always uses your selected Light theme, regardless of what macOS is set to.
Dark	Vida always uses your selected Dark theme, regardless of what macOS is set to.

Changes to Appearance Mode take effect instantly — no restart required.

Built-in Themes

Vida includes 13 built-in themes organized into groups:

Group	Themes
Default	Default Light, Default Dark
Warm	Sepia
Pastels	Blush, Sky, Sage, Lavender
Electric	Ember, Neon, Storm
Color Vision	Protanopia, Deuteranopia

Built-in themes cannot be renamed or deleted. You can duplicate any of them to use it as a starting point for a custom theme.

To select a theme, open Settings → Appearance and choose a theme for Light Theme (used in Light or System/light mode) and a separate theme for Dark Theme (used in Dark or System/dark mode). Vida shows a live swatch preview next to each picker so you can compare themes before applying.

Custom Themes

Custom themes work exactly like built-in themes once imported — they appear in the same pickers, display a swatch preview, and apply instantly. The difference is that you authored the color values yourself.

How to create a custom theme:

The fastest way is to start from an existing theme:

Open Settings → Appearance → Manage Themes….
Find any built-in or custom theme and click Duplicate.
Vida creates a copy named "Theme Name Copy" in your custom library.
Click Export on the new copy to save it as a .json file to your Mac.
Open the .json file in any text editor.
Edit the color values (hex codes, e.g. "#1A2B3C").
Save the file.
In Vida, click Import Theme… and choose the edited file.

For the exact JSON format, required fields, and a fully commented example, tap the ? (How to Create a Theme) button in the Manage Themes sheet.

Validation: When you import a theme, Vida checks that all required color fields are present and evaluates contrast ratios between text and background colors against WCAG 2.1 guidelines. If the theme has low-contrast combinations that could make text hard to read, Vida warns you before adding it to your library. You can still import it — the warning is informational.

Managing Your Theme Library (Manage Themes…)

Click Manage Themes… in Settings to open the theme library sheet. It shows all built-in themes and your custom themes, each with a five-color swatch strip so you can identify them at a glance.

Actions available for built-in themes:

Action	What it does
Duplicate	Creates an editable copy in your custom library.
Export	Saves the theme as a `.json` file you can share or archive.

Actions available for custom themes:

Action	What it does
Rename	Double-click the theme name to edit it inline, then press Return.
Duplicate	Creates another copy.
Export	Saves the theme as a `.json` file.
Delete	Removes the theme from your library. A confirmation dialog names the theme before you confirm.

Actions available from the action bar at the bottom:

Action	What it does
Import Theme…	Opens a file picker to add a `.json` theme file to your library.
Restore Default Themes	Resets your Light and Dark theme selections to the Vida defaults. Does not delete custom themes.
Reveal in Finder	Opens the folder where Vida stores your custom theme files.
?	Opens the JSON authoring guide with a complete format reference and copyable example.

Because themes are plain .json files, you can share them with other Vida users. Use Export to save a theme to disk, then send the file however you like. The recipient uses Import Theme… to add it to their library.

Accessibility — Differentiate Without Color

If you have enabled Differentiate Without Color in System Settings → Accessibility → Display, Vida automatically adds shape and symbol cues to every interface element that would otherwise communicate status through color alone. This includes:

Recording health badge — each source icon (video, system audio, mic) gains a shape indicator (checkmark, clock, or X) alongside its color.
Status pill — the colored dot that shows recording state is replaced with a per-state symbol (record circle, pause circle, warning triangle, etc.).
Tab bar recording badge — the colored dot gains a stroke ring.
Audio meters — threshold tick marks become heavier and more opaque.
Timer countdown — when fewer than 60 seconds remain on an auto-stop timer, a warning triangle icon appears next to the timer text in the floating controller, the menu bar card, and the recording screen.

These changes apply automatically whenever the macOS accessibility setting is on. There is no separate toggle inside Vida.

Audio

Setting	What it does
System Audio	Enables system audio by default.
Microphone	Enables microphone by default.
Microphone Source	Chooses an input device when multiple devices are available.

Permissions

Shows Screen Recording and Microphone status and provides a shortcut to macOS System Settings.

Advanced

Use only when needed:

Frame Rate: Higher frame rate can increase file size.
Codec: H.264 is broadly compatible; HEVC can reduce file size but may be less compatible in older workflows.
Resolution: Native preserves full display resolution; Optimized may reduce output size depending on build behavior.

Reset to defaults

Click Reset to Defaults at the bottom of Settings to return to Vida’s default recording preferences.